Upfronts 2012: Fox Moves ‘Glee’ to Thursdays, Sets Tuesday Comedy Block

NEW YORK — Ahead of its upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers Monday in New York, Fox announced a fall 2012-13 schedule featuring an expanded four-comedy block on Tuesdays, effectively bumping the fourth season of Glee to Thursdays.

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In addition to its new day, the fourth season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk‘s musical dramedy will air at a new time, shifting back an hour from its previous 8 p.m. slot, where it be coupled with The X Factor in the fall and American Idol in midseason. Worth noting, the network opted not to use the X Factor/Idol platform to launch a new series and instead set up a music-themed night reminiscent of NBC’s The Voice–Smash pairing.

After testing a four-comedy block earlier this season to mixed results with Breaking In and freshman I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Fox Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly made the move official. Raising Hope will continue to air at 8 p.m. and serve as a launch pad for rookie family comedy Ben and Kate, starring Nat Faxon. The second season of Zooey Deschanel‘s New Girl will stay put at 9 p.m., with The Mindy Project, starring The Office’s Mindy Kaling, closing out the night of single-camera entries at 9:30 p.m.

Freshman comedy The Goodwin Games, starring Scott Foley and Becki Newton, will air on Tuesdays in midseason.

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Elsewhere, returning drama Bones will stay put at 8 p.m. Mondays and be used to launch first-year drama The Mob Doctor, starring Jordana Spiro and Zach Gilford and penned by Drop Dead Diva‘s Josh Berman and Robert Wright. As expected, the short-order Kevin Bacon serial killer drama The Following, from The Vampire Diaries‘ Kevin Williamson, will launch on Mondays in midseason.

With Glee taking over its Thursday slot, Kiefer Sutherland’s Touch will relocate to Fridays at 8 p.m., kicking off a night of sci-fi fare with Fringe staying put at 9 p.m. Hell’s Kitchen will return in midseason.

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Fox’s full schedule:.

MONDAY

8-9 PM BONES   
9-10 PMTHE MOB DOCTOR (new)
THE FOLLOWING (new) joins in midseason.                                 

TUESDAY
8-8:30 PMRAISING HOPE
8:30-9 PM BEN AND KATE (new)
9-9:30 PM  NEW GIRL
9:30-10 PMTHE MINDY PROJECT (new)

THE GOODWIN GAMES (new) joins in midseason. 

WEDNESDAY
8-10 PM THE X FACTOR (fall) / AMERICAN IDOL (midseason)                  

THURSDAY
8-9 PMTHE X FACTOR Results (fall)/AMERICAN IDOL Results (midseason)
9-10 PMGLEE                   

FRIDAY
8-9 PM TOUCH
9-10 PM FRINGE (fall)

HELL’S KITCHEN returns in midseason.  

SATURDAY
7-10:30 PM  FOX SPORTS SATURDAY (fall)
COPS returns in midseason.
ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF (new) will join late-prime in 2013.

SUNDAY
7-7:30 PMNFL Game (fall)/ ANIMATION DOMINATION (encores)
7:30-8 PMTHE OT (fall)/ THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8-8:30 PMTHE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 PM BOB’S BURGERS
9-9:30 PMFAMILY GUY
9:30-10 PMAMERICAN DAD       

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit