Ryan Seacrest will have less time to kill before squashing dreams on the next season of American Idol. Fox announced Friday that the upcoming 13th season (premiering Jan. 15 and 16) of the competition will feature an abbreviated results show — with eliminations only taking up a half-hour of the Thursday block.
In the hole left at 8:30 p.m., Fox is slotting Surviving Jack for its eight-episode midseason run at a to-be-determined date. The addition of a half-hour comedy to Thursday bodes well for Tuesday’s lineup. Though only New Girl, The Mindy Project and freshman Brooklyn Nine-Nine have orders for full seasons, Dads seems likely safe in its current slot — as Enlisted will still be airing on Fridays (staring Jan. 10) and the only other new comedy, Us & Them, recently halted production after just six episodes.
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For American Idol, which saw its results show dip as low as a 2.6 rating among adults, consolidating the telecast is a natural progression. ABC’s Dancing With the Stars went even further this season, cutting the results hour completely and absorbing it into the performance show. (Fox pulled a similar move in 2012 with So You Think You Can Dance.)
As for the rest of the network’s midseason lineup, last year’s breakout The Following returns for its sophomore run on Monday, Jan. 20, with a lead-in from the special airing of the Sleepy Hollow season finale. The show will continue to air at 9 p.m.
With Glee off the schedule until spring, Thursdays will also be home to new Greg Kinnear vehicle Rake. The drama will get a solid NFL sampling airing after the Jan. 19 NFC Championship Game before its official premiere on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 9 p.m.
Saturday’s Animation Domination High-Def will see its second iteration with the premieres of Lucas Bros. Moving Co. and Golan the Insatiable on Jan. 11.
Full premiere schedule:
Friday, Jan. 10:
9:30-10:00 p.m. – Enlisted (Series Premiere)
Saturday, Jan. 11:
11:00 p.m.-midnight – ADHD, featuring Lucas Bros. Moving Co. and Golan the Insatiable
Wednesday, Jan. 15:
8:00-10:00 p.m. – American Idol (Season Premiere, Part One)
Thursday, Jan. 16:
8:00-10:00 p.m. – American Idol (Season Premiere, Part Two)
Sunday, Jan. 19:
6:00-10:00 p.m. ET – NFC Championship (Live)
10:00-11:00 p.m. ET – Rake (Series Premiere, Night One)
Monday, Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 p.m. – Sleepy Hollow (Season Finale; Special Time)
9:00-10:00 p.m. – The Following (Season Premiere)
Thursday, Jan. 23:
8:00-9:00 p.m. – American Idol (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. – Rake (Series Premiere, Night Two / Time Period Premiere)
