Fox’s upfronts 2012-3 – a rundown and clips from the new shows

The usual Fox quality, this year and next

Yesterday, we had (multiple) looks at the new shows that NBC is planning for 2012-3. Today, we’re going to take a gander at the shows Fox has in the pipeline.

Seeing as Fox is a considerably more successful network than NBC – it does at least have a few successful shows, even if House is on the way out – it’s commissioned fewer new shows than NBC to fill its empty slots, so we’re only going to be looking at The Mob Doctor with My Boys‘ Jordana Spiro, Ben & Kate, The Mindy Project with The Office‘s Mindy Kaling, Kevin Williamson’s The Following with Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy and Natalie Zea, and The Goodwin Games with Becki Newton and Scrubs/The Unit’s Scott Foley.

Yes, for some reason – mercury poisoning, temporary insanity – Fox hasn’t picked up The Asset with Ali Larter. Nutters.

My general conclusion: the shows may look as bad as NBC’s, but Fox knows how to make better trailers.

My specific conclusion: The Following looks passable thanks almost purely to James Purefoy and The Goodwin Games actually seems okay. The rest need euthanising.

The Mob Doctor
With Jordana Spiro, Zach Gilford, James Carpinello, William Forsythe (Mondays at 9 pm):

The Mob Doctor stars Jordana Spiro as a young female thoracic surgeon who becomes indebted to the South Chicago mafia and is forced to moonlight as a “mob doctor” while also working full-time at Chicago’s most prominent hospital.

Ben & Kate
With Nat Faxon, Dakota Johnson, Maggie Jones (Tuesdays at 8:30 pm). I see Lucy Punch in there, too:

Ben and Kate (previously Ben Fox Is My Manny) stars Dakota Johnson as a single mother who gets an assist from her brother (Nat Faxon, the writer of The Descendants), who moves in with her to help raise her baby.

The Mindy Project
With Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Anna Camp (Tuesdays at 9:30 pm):

Mindy Kaling stars as a young Bridget Jones-type doctor as she tries to navigate her personal and professional life in The Mindy Project, previously called It’s Messy. Kaling will depart The Office to focus on writing, executive producing and starring in the comedy, a passion project for the actress.

Mid-season replacements

The Following
Starring Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea (to air Mondays):

The Following, from Kevin Williamson, revolves around an ex-FBI agent (Kevin Bacon) who leads the search to catch a diabolical serial killer (James Purefoy) who has created a cult of serial killers.

The Goodwin Games
Starring Becki Newton, Scott Foley, Jake Lacy (to air Tuesdays):

From How I Met Your Mother‘s Carter Bays, Craig Thomas and Chris Harris, The Goodwin Games stars Becki Newton, Scott Foley and Jake Lacy as siblings who inherit their late father’s fortune – if they agree to his terms.

Fox’s Fall 2012-13 Schedule (New shows are in upper case)

MONDAY
8/7c Bones
9 pm THE MOB DOCTOR

TUESDAY
8 pm Raising Hope
8:30 pm BEN AND KATE
9 pm New Girl
9:30 pm THE MINDY PROJECT

WEDNESDAY
8 The X Factor

THURSDAY
8 pm The X Factor (Results Show)
9 pm Glee

FRIDAY
8 pm Touch
9 pm Fringe

SATURDAY
8 pm Fox Sports Saturday

SUNDAY
7 NFL OT
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm Bob’s Burgers
9 pm Family Guy
9:30 pm American Dad

Author

  • Rob Buckley

    I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.

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