Fox Moves ‘American Idol’ For Midseason

UPDATED: In a surprise scheduling move, Fox is shifting American Idol to Wednesdays and Thursdays for midseason.

The network is setting up its reality titan to exit Tuesday nights and invade the most lucrative evening of advertising revenue, Thursdays. Fox is also pushing struggling Thursday drama Fringe to Fridays.

“Here’s a chance for us to own Thursday nights,” said Mike Darnell, Fox’s president of alternative. “You have to do a big move to take on Thursdays and this is a big move.”

Going through the week, House and Lie to Me will be paired once again in January, with new Shawn Ryan cop drama The Chicago Code taking over for Lie in February.

Glee will provide a strong lead into Fox’s latest reality experiment Million Dollar Money Drop on Tuesdays, then will make way for comedies Raising Hope and Mixed Signals in February.

On Wednesdays, Fox is going to double-down on Human Target for a couple weeks in January, followed by having Idol give Target TV’s biggest lead-in. Idol‘s 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot puts it in direct competition with Live to Dance, former Idol judge Paula Abdul’s new CBS series, as well as CBS’ usual time-period winner Survivor.

In April, Idol will be used to drive heavy sampling to Christian Slater’s midseason comedy Breaking In.

Million Dollar Money Drop will make another appearance on Thursdays in January, which otherwise will have Idol and Bones.

Fridays has the return of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares in January, along with Fringe. A move to Fridays has been the beginning of the end for several sci fi shows on Fox, but entertainment president Kevin Reilly says he hopes to “break that pattern” with Fringe.

“Fringe has an unbelievably loyal audience and shows heavy DVR use,” Reilly said. “If it keeps doing what it’s doing now [on Thursdays], Fringe will stay on the air. Our Fridays have been a problem for us and we hope Fringe is the solution.”

On Sundays, new animated comedy Bob’s Burgers will join the lineup, with American Dad being downgraded to 7:30 p.m.

FOX 2010-2011 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE
(All times ET/PT except as noted)

MONDAY
Monday, Jan. 10:
8:00-10:00 PM           LIE TO ME (Two-Hour Episode)
 
Mondays, beginning Jan. 17:
8:00-9:00 PM             HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           LIE TO ME (All-New Episodes)

 

Mondays, beginning Feb. 7
8:00-9:00 PM             HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           THE CHICAGO CODE (Series Premiere)
 
****************************
 
TUESDAY
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM             GLEE (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)
 
Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8:
8:00-9:00 PM             GLEE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM             RAISING HOPE (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM           MIXED SIGNALS (Series Premiere)
 

***************************

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12:
8:00-10:00 PM           HUMAN TARGET (All-New, Two-Hour Episodes)

Wednesday, Jan. 19:
8:00-10:00 PM           AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Season Premiere, Part One)
 
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 26:
8:00-9:00 PM             AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM           HUMAN TARGET (All-New Episodes)

Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM           AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Episodes)
 
Wednesdays, beginning April 6:
8:00-9:30 PM             AMERICAN IDOL (90-Minute Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM           BREAKING IN (Series Premiere)
 
***************************
 
THURSDAY
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 6:
8:00-9:00 PM             MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           BONES (Encore Episodes)

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM             AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM           BONES (Time Period Premiere)

***************************

FRIDAY
Friday, Jan. 7:
8:00 PM-CC ET         AT&T COTTON BOWL (Live)
 
Friday, Jan. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM             KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM           KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Encore)
 
Fridays, beginning Jan. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM             KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           FRINGE (Time Period Premiere)
 
**************************

SATURDAY
Saturday, Jan. 15:
8:00 PM-CC ET         NFC DIVISION PLAYOFFS (Live)
 
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 22 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM             COPS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM             COPS (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM           AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (All-New Episodes)
 
**************************
 
SUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 9:
8:00-8:30 PM             THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)
8:30-9:00 PM             BOB’S BURGERS (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM             FAMILY GUY (All-New Episode)
9:30-10:00 PM           THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Time Period Premiere/All-New Episode)
 
Sunday, Jan. 16 and 23:
7:00-7:30 PM             THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episodes)
7:30-8:00 PM             AMERICAN DAD (Time Period Premiere)
8:00-8:30 PM             THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM             BOB’S BURGERS (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM             FAMILY GUY (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM           THE CLEVELAND SHOW (All-New Episodes)
 
Sunday, Jan. 30:
7:00 PM-CC ET         NFC PRO BOWL (Live)
 
Sunday, Feb. 6:
6:00 PM-CC ET         SUPER BOWL XLV (Live)
10:30 PM ET/7:30 PT GLEE (All-New Special Episode; Approximate Start Time)
 
Sundays, beginning Feb. 13 (no change to lineup):
7:00-7:30 PM             THE SIMPSONS
7:30-8:00 PM             AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM             THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM             BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM             FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM           THE CLEVELAND SHOW