The Fall Season presentations for all the networks new shows take place this week and already many of the plans have leaked online. With the help of The Futon Critic, here's a full breakdown of which concepts have made the final list over on Murdoch's racy network which is serving up easily the biggest new slate of shows, more than double that of some of the networks along with the biggest amount of reality-TV fare. The shows will be spread out throughout the year, starting at different times:
<strong>FOX</strong>
<em><strong>New Dramas</strong></em> :
"The Jury" (9pm/8pm (c), Tuesdays - Starts June)
Each week, 12 ordinary people will piece together a puzzle and then make the most important decision of someone else's life. Academy Award-winning director BARRY LEVINSON ("Rain Man," "The Natural," "Diner"), Emmy Award-winning writer TOM FONTANA ("Oz," "Homicide: Life on the Street"), Peabody Award-winning writer JAMES YOSHIMURA ("Homicide: Life on the Street") and JIM FINNERTY ("Oz") team up on this intense new courtroom drama. Set in New York City, the series brings the viewer into the jury room to watch the deliberators try to answer the many questions posed during a trial. As facts are exposed through flashbacks of testimony and crime footage, viewers will form their own opinions about the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Following each verdict, a final flashback will let viewers see the crime as it actually happened and reveal whether or not the jury made the right decision.
"North Shore" (8pm/7pm (c), Mondays - Starts June)
NORTH SHORE is a lush drama that captures the passion, intrigue and heart of Hawaii. This 20-something ensemble series is set at the Grand Waimea, a luxury hotel, where JASON MATTHEWS (KRISTOFFER POLAHA, "America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story") is the popular general manager and his ex-girlfriend NICOLE (BROOKE BURNS, "Shallow Hal," "Dog Eat Dog") is the newly hired head of guest relations, having left her father's hotel empire to make her own way in the business – and in life. Working side by side causes much tension between them, but their romantic relationship may be far from over. Surrounding them in paradise is the rest of the hotel staff, who have dramatic lives of their own. NORTH SHORE delves into relationships among the recurring characters, with the added intrigue of stories about the hotel's affluent and powerful guests.
"House" (9pm/8pm (c), Tuesdays - Starts November)
From Executive Producer PAUL ATTANASIO, the creator of "Homicide: Life on the Street", along with KATIE JACOBS and DAVID SHORE, comes a new take on mystery, where the villain is a medical malady and the hero is a cantankerous doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients. DR. GREG HOUSE (HUGH LAURIE, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows") is irreverent, controversial, devoid of bedside manner and wouldn't even talk to his patients if he could get away with it, but he is brilliant diagnostician and only the most dire cases come his way. House and his hand-picked team of experts will do whatever it takes – legal or not – to make the diagnoses that will solve these medical mysteries and save lives.
"Athens" (8pm/7pm (c), Mondays - Starts January)
JOSH SCHWARTZ, creator of "The O.C.," turns his attention to the dramas that arise between characters who are experiencing life as young adults. This series will explore the intertwined lives and loves of the fictional New England community of Athens, home to a prestigious university that acts as a dividing line between the rich outsiders who study and teach there, and the local townies who serve that population. Viewers will enter this world through the friendship of JED HALL, a young English professor, and ETHAN FROST, an 18-year-old freshman whose arrival changes the dynamics for everyone in Athens. Like Ryan and Seth on "The O.C.," Jed and Ethan will become unlikely partners in an alliance that will forever change them and the people of this town
"The Inside" (8pm/7pm (c), Fridays - Starts January)
At first glance, DANNY ROBERTS (RACHEL NICHOLS, "Dumb & Dumberer") seems to be the quintessential American teenager, dating the quarterback at a suburban high school. Only a few know her secret: Danny is not really a high school student, but a 22-year-old federal agent working undercover. Helping Danny – who is actually Agent ELIZABETH WORTH – maintain her cover is Agent SEAN ECKHARDT (PETER FACINELLI, "Fastlane"). In the pilot episode, Danny/Elizabeth's drug investigation is sidetracked when her high school "boyfriend" is murdered. She must confront the pressures of getting personally involved in the lives of her classmates, while working to solve the murder and put the drug investigation back on track – all without blowing her cover. Over the course of the series, Danny's assignments will vary, but she always faces the unique challenges of going undercover to solve crimes
"Jonny Zero" (9pm/8pm (c), Fridays - Starts January)
In this new drama from JOHN WELLS ("The West Wing," "ER"), FRANKY G ("The Italian Job," "Manito") stars as JONNY, freshly released from prison for drug possession and now caught between his need to redeem himself in the eyes of his family, and the temptations and influences of his own dark past. Jonny goes back to work for his former boss, shady club owner JOSEPH GARRET (RITCHIE COSTER, "Traffic: The Miniseries") – but this time he uses his criminal knowledge and his entrée into New York's club scene to solve crimes. Meanwhile, the FBI is trying to force him to go undercover and bust his old friends in the underworld
New Sitcoms/Reality:
"Method & Red" (9:30pm/8:30pm (c), Wednesdays- Starts June)
Popular hip-hop stars METHOD MAN and REDMAN portray fictionalized versions of their real-life selves in this new comedy, in which the duo moves into New Jersey's posh Nottingshire Estates to provide Meth's feisty, old-school mother DOROTHEA (ANNA MARIA HORSFORD, "Minority Report") with the ultimate in luxury and comfort. Unfortunately, their un-hip neighbors don't take kindly to Method & Red's partying ways. With Dorothea keeping them in line, METHOD & RED change tactics – using spirit, kindness and even fruit cake to ingratiate themselves with their new neighbors in Nottingham Estates.
"Quintuplets" (8:30pm/7:30pm (c), Wednesdays - Starts June)
The QUINTUPLETS were adorable when they were first born, but now their overtaxed parents – BOB (ANDY RICHTER, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe") and CAROL (REBECCA CRESKOFF, "Greetings from Tucson") – have their hands full with five 15-year-olds in the house. PENNY (APRIL MATSON, "American Dreams") is awkward and unpopular at school, while her beautiful sister PAIGE (SARAH WRIGHT, "Enchanted") has enough self-esteem for both of them. Their brother PARKER (JAKE McDORMAN, "Run of the House") has the looks and gets the girls, and he's embarrassed at every turn by the oddball PEARCE (JOHNNY LEWIS, "Undressed") and the short, girl-crazy PATTON (RYAN PINKSTON, "Punk'd," "Bad Santa"). MARK REISMAN ("Frasier") has created an ensemble comedy about a family pushed to its limts and beyond.
"The Casino" (9pm/8pm (c), Mondays - Starts June)
A new unscripted series created and executive-produced by reality titan MARK BURNETT ("The Apprentice," "Survivor"), THE CASINO will provide an extraordinary 24/7, behind the-scenes look at the real-life dramas unfolding at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel and Casino as its new owners, TIM POSTER and TOM BREITLING, attempt to bring back the glory of the hotel's "Rat Pack" heyday. Conceived by Burnett and production partner CONRAD RIGGS ("The Apprentice," "Survivor"), THE CASINO will go beyond the challenges facing Poster and Breitling to explore the personal dramas unfolding among the guests and some of the 3,000 employees inside this high-stakes enterprise – from cocktail waitresses, to pit bosses, to security, management and entertainers.
"The Simple Life 2: Road Trip" (9pm/8pm (c), Wednesdays - Starts June)
THE SIMPLE LIFE 2 follows "celebutantes" and best friends PARIS HILTON and NICOLE RICHIE as they pack up their Louis Vuitton bags ... again. Only this time, it's for the ultimate cross-country road trip, a wild ride full of new jobs, host families and small towns all the way from Miami to Beverly Hills. Armed with a road map and their trendy dogs Tinkerbell and Honey Child - but no cell phones, cash or credit cards - these hilarious heiresses discover that life on the open road can sometimes drive you crazy. As the girls go from life in the fast lane to life in the carpool lane, the question still remains: can they survive THE SIMPLE LIFE 2: ROAD TRIP - and can America survive them?
"The Complex: Malibu" (Starts August)
For couples with a flair for style, an eye for detail and the know-how to achieve the best in home improvement, FOX and FremantleMedia are offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a fabulous interior design while simultaneously indulging their competitive instincts. THE COMPLEX: MALIBU will move real-life couples into a condominium building in Southern California's toniest beach community and give them a budget to renovate their unit by a specified date. This unscripted series will capture the mounting excitement and drama as the couples push themselves to the limit while their deadline looms. Once the renovations are complete, the condos will be sold at public auction and the couple whose unit nets the biggest profit will receive a spectacular grand prize. The series has been airing as "The Block" in Australia, where it is that country's most successful television series ever.
"The Billionaire: Branson's Quest..." (8pm/7pm (c), Tuesdays - Starts November)
SIR RICHARD BRANSON, the colorful founder and Chairman of the Virgin Group of Companies, teams with award-winning Bunim-Murray Productions ("The Simple Life," "Real World") to lead a group of young entrepreneurs on an epic journey around the world, testing their mettle by having them relive some of his own colorful adventures. If they make decisions that impress Branson, they will continue. But each week, one candidate will be left behind on the tarmac as the rest of the group jets off to the next adventure.
"The Next Great Champ" (8pm/7pm (c), Fridays - Starts November)
Six-time World Champion OSCAR DE LA HOYA and television powerhouse Endemol USA have teamed to discover young, raw boxers with the potential to become a top prizefighter. The hopefuls will push themselves to the limit as they train and slug it out in hopes of achieving every fighter's ultimate dream - a possible shot at a titleholder and a professional contract with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. This unscripted series will feature approximately one dozen up-and-coming fighters from across the country, all getting their shot to become THE NEXT GREAT CHAMP. They'll be joined by someone from their real life - a friend, co-worker, family member or loved one. The personal relationship between the fighter and friend will add tension, drama and a rare opportunity for viewers to see pugilism through the eyes of a non-boxer.
"The Partner" (9pm/8pm (c), Mondays - Starts November)
A team of "book smart" Ivy League graduates will compete against a team of "street smart" lawyers from less prestigious schools until one of them wins a job in a major law firm. Each week, the dueling lawyers will serve as prosecutors or defenders in mock trials based on highly charged cases. A jury of lay people - selected by the contestants - will determine the winner of each trial. Then the losers go on trial - defending their performance before a celebrity "judge," who will decide which individual will be thrown out of court. The last two lawyers standing will go head-to-head to argue a final blockbuster case. With every episode, viewers will be drawn into two dramas - the compelling legal drama of that week's trial, and the suspense of who will ultimately become THE PARTNER.
"American Dad" (9:30pm/8:30pm (c), Sundays - Starts January)
From "Family Guy" creator SETH MacFARLANE, comes this animated story of STAN SMITH (MacFARLANE), who works for the CIA and is constantly on the alert for terrorist activity. Stan will go to extremes to protect his beloved America from harm – as evidenced by the terror-alert color code on his fridge, and his frequent knee-jerk reaction of shooting holes in the toaster whenever the toast pops up. In addition to Stan's wife and teenage children, the Smith household has two rather unconventional members. There's ROGER (MacFARLANE), the sarcastic space alien Stan rescued from Area 51 who deeply resents the fact that he's not allowed to leave the house, and KLAUS (DEE BRADLEY BAKER, "Stripperella," "Johnny Bravo"), a lascivious, German-speaking goldfish – the result of a CIA experiment gone seriously wrong
"K.G. Presents: The Sketch Show" (7pm/6pm (c), Sundays - Starts January)
Following its critically and commercially successful second year in the UK, THE SKETCH SHOW is coming to FOX, imported by KELSEY GRAMMER's Grammnet Productions along with DAN PATTERSON ("Whose Line is it Anyway") and the original producers of the award-winning UK series, Avalon Television Ltd. ("Jerry Springer – The Opera"). Reminiscent of "Laugh In," the series features quick-fire puns, gags and fast-paced sketches, averaging a remarkable 30 vignettes per half-hour. RICHARD BODEN ("Blackadder," "Time Gentlemen Please"), director of the first two seasons in the UK, returns to direct the American cast, who will be joined by original UK cast member LEE MACK ("Dick Whittington"). THE SKETCH SHOW will be shot both in London and Los Angeles.
"Related by Family" (8:30pm/7:30pm (c), Wednesdays - Starts January)
This series from VICTOR FRESCO centers on several teen characters who work and hang out at the mall food court. There is 18-year-old, optimistic-but-not-ambitious LAZ (ZACHARY KNIGHTON, "The Prince and Me"); his 16-year-old angst-ridden and angry stepsister, MOLLY (SAIGE THOMPSON, "10-8: Officers on Duty"); Laz's best friend FRED (CHARLIE FINN, "Super Troopers"); and Laz's new girlfriend LILY (RACHELLE LEFEVRE, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"). Home base for Laz and Molly is a blended family formed by the marriage of Laz's dad, RICK (MATTHEW GLAVE, "Corky Romano," "The Wedding Singer"), and Molly's mom, MICHELLE (AMY YASBECK, "The Mask"). Rick and Molly love all of their children, but they are particularly obsessed with the only product of their union together: the sweet, perfect and wise 8-year-old GUS (KURT DOSS).
Older Shows:
On the existing show front, after several years of the air this season will see the return of the animated "Family Guy". New seasons are set for "24", "American Idol", "Arrested Development", "King of the Hill", "The Bernie Mac Show", "Malcolm in the Middle", "Cops", "Oliver Beene", "That 70's Show", "The O.C.", "The Simpsons", "The Swan" & "Tru Calling". Like CBS is doing with "Alias", FOX has opted to start "24" in January with an uninterrupted weekly run. Man of the major shows are also now in new timeslots.
<strong><em>Cancelled</em></strong>:
"Boston Public", "Forever Eden", "Luis, "A Minute With Stan Hooper", "The Ortegas", "Paradise Hotel", "Skin", "Still Life", "Wanda at Large", "Wonderfalls "
Personal Pick(s): Drama wise it's a toss up between the impressive ensemble cast of House (including Brit Hugh Laurie & Aussie Jesse Spencer), and the superb behind-the-scenes team of "The Jury". On the comedy front "American Dad" is the best bet though the Method & Red show might be decent. "Simple Life 2" looks the only reality show of vague interest.
Thanks to 'TVsHenry'
