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« Roush Dispatch
Chaos Theory: Fox Reshuffles the Poststrike Deck
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz by Kwaku Alston/FOX
As if the implications of the writers’ strike weren’t already giving us migraines, along comes Fox to make our heads explode with its latest incomprehensible schedule announcement, covering the strike-impacted midseason from January to April (consider most everything you read from here on subject to change). The first piece of bad news was expected: The seventh season of 24 is being postponed indefinitely, until Fox can ensure the entire season can run intact and uninterrupted. Who knows when that will be? Another blow: Fox is finally living up to its threat to move Bones to Fridays, effective Jan. 4, where it will be paired with repeats of House (the Fox equivalent of Law & Order, considering how often the hit medical drama will be peppered throughout the network’s new and unimproved lineup).
To try to help make sense of it all, let’s look at the schedule night by night:
Monday: With 24 out of the picture, the new big-ticket midseason item is now the action-packed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 13, before moving into its regular 9 pm/ET slot on Mondays on Jan. 14. Prison Break, which has moved up its fall finale to next Monday, will return in its regular position on Jan. 14, where it is scheduled to air through February. On March 3, a ghastly sounding war-of-the-sexes reality show, When Women Rule the World, takes over Prison Break’s slot. On March 10, House encores take over for Terminator, which apparently will have already completed its midseason tryout.
Tuesday: The bottom line of Fox's midseason schedule boils down to two words: American Idol, which returns with a two-hour audition special Jan. 15. House joins it the following week, airing a mix of new and old episodes through March. A new season of summer staple Hell’s Kitchen is scheduled to begin in the House slot on April 1. (I know, the whole season is starting to sound like a bad April Fools' joke, isn’t it?)
Wednesday: Another night for American Idol to rule, starting with a two-hour blast on Jan. 16. The lie-detector-themed reality game show The Moment of Truth airs after Idol at 9 pm/ET starting Jan. 23. And when the Idol results show morphs back into its half-hour format on March 12, it will move to 9 pm/ET, sandwiched between the hour-long Moment of Truth at 8 pm/ET and the returning sitcom Back to You at 9:30 pm/ET.
Thursday: No changes. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Don’t Forget the Lyrics! will carry on, unaffected by the strike. How happy are we?
Friday: Bones and House repeats will set up shop on Jan. 4. Bones will be joined by the supernatural drama New Amsterdam (at 9 pm/ET) starting Feb. 22. On March 7, Bones takes a breather and will be replaced by ’Til Death and the new Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy, The Return of Jezebel James, starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose, from 8 to 9 pm/ET. On April 11, New Amsterdam will be spelled by the new legal drama Canterbury’s Law, starring Julianna Margulies. Is Fox somehow hoping that the strike will magically change the network’s fortunes by ending the Friday (a graveyard night for Fox for years) kiss of death for all of these new series?
Saturday and Sunday remain largely unchanged. Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, will end on a high note, with an original House episode guest-starring Mira Sorvino. And on March 2, American Dad will be temporarily relieved by a new midseason relationship comedy, Unhitched, starring Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones.
Got all that? Me neither.
Wouldn’t it be funny if the strike were resolved soon and this mad juggling act became moot? Wouldn’t it? Please, TV gods, give me a reason to laugh.
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Nov 7, 2007 7:25 PM
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The real story here seems to be “American Idol rides to Fox’s rescue yet again”. Between that and “Are you smarter…” Fox is the only network to have reality shows as its most popular shows which puts it in a pretty good position. Sure they lost House but being AI will have virtually no viable competition they might just make up for it with additional AI audience.
They also seem to be the only network smart enough to have their midseason replacements already in the can which gives those shows a better chance of being watched (since again, they have virtually no real competition)
Heck, if Fox is smart enough to rethink banishing it to Friday night they might even get a few of those NCIS fans to check out the “new to them” reruns of Bones.
All in all, this seems like a pretty good deal for Fox.
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Nov 7, 2007 7:40 PM
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I hope that it doesn't hurt Bones, but it will be good for me because I'll finally have something to watch on Fridays at 7, and I will be able to watch NCIS on Tuesdays. I've got three shows at 8 right now, so I'm probably going to end up watching New Amsterdam online. It sure would be nice if the networks had conferred with me before setting their schedules. 
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Nov 7, 2007 8:15 PM
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Just sharing a bit of the love with the TV Guide editors 
"NCIS" DELIVERS ITS LARGEST AUDIENCE…EVER
The Fifth Year Action Drama Has an Average Audience of 18.3 Million Viewers
Tops "House" and "Dancing with the Stars"
NCIS delivered an average audience of 18.3 million viewers, the largest
audience ever for a first run episode of CBS's fifth year action drama, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Tuesday, Nov. 6.
At 8:00 PM, NCIS was first in households (11.5/18), viewers (18.28m), adults 25-54 (5.5/14) and adults 18-49 (4.1/11). Compared to last week, NCIS was up +11% in households (from 10.4/17), +12% in adults 25-54 (from 4.9/13), +24% in adults 18-49 (from 3.3/09) and added +1.95m viewers (from 16.33m, +12%).
This is the sixth consecutive time period win in households, viewers and
adults 25-54 for NCIS; fifth win in six weeks in adults 18-49.
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Nov 7, 2007 9:02 PM
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In hopes that my sources are correct that the writers are asking for a mere 4cents per download or something of that nature, I find it incomprehensible that the studios are being such scrooges!
As scared as I am for the rest of the TV season, I hope the writers can last and the studio's lose millions of dollars fighting over 4 cents. 4 CENTS!!
Damn the Man!
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Nov 7, 2007 11:40 PM
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the network’s new and unimproved lineup
Yeah, boo, FOX, for not improving your line-up without having the ability to produce any original material! Boo, I say!
They're doing remarkably good, considering. FOX will probably destroy the rest of the networks this spring, especially if the strike goes on.
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Nov 8, 2007 3:31 AM
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Oh GOD, let's hope this strike gets resolved soon, even if it's just a temporary solution. I can't stand any reality and game shows any more and I'll miss 24 and Back to You. The show is finally gaining some momentum!!!
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Nov 8, 2007 9:28 AM
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Fox is finally living up to its threat to move Bones to Fridays
Sigh. 
That's really all I can say.
Actually it isn't. Not only is Fox actually moving it to Fridays, but they are pulling it on and off the air and pairing it with a revolving door of other shows? Sigh, again.
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Nov 8, 2007 10:11 AM
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My understanding is that the producers have offered the writers 4 cents out of every $1.00 in download revenue, but the writers want 8 cents out of every $1.00. They currently receive zero cents. I am sure if I am misunderstanding, someone will correct me. At June 30, the directors and the actors will be asking for their share of the $1.00 also. I believe they currently receive zero cents as well. Whatever the writers get now will form the template for what the directors and actors get after their contract expires on June 30, so that is why there is so much support for the writers from the actors right now.
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Nov 8, 2007 10:34 AM
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To Thomas,
No one in my family likes AI, so no takers with us. It's something that's been flogged to death. I was a fan of House for the first season, but started losing interest. My eldest daughter got me watching NCIS. She'd gotten hooked watching the series with her suitemates in her college dorm.
It's one of the best series on television, haven't been disappointed by it once.
My family tried watching Bones, all my kids had been fans of Boreanaz from his days on Buffy, and then Angel, but it didn't hold their interest.
I'm hoping the studios and related industries are willing to consider the Writers Guild's reasonable request. Goodness knows the majority of them aren't wealthy or big names. It only seems fair.
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Nov 8, 2007 10:53 AM
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to Fox. Everyone knows that when Fox puts a show on Fridays, it is the kiss of death. Poor Bones.
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Nov 8, 2007 11:19 AM
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Wouldn’t it be funny if the strike were resolved soon and this mad juggling act became moot? Wouldn’t it? Please, TV gods, give me a reason to laugh.
I'm right there with you, Matt!
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Nov 8, 2007 11:41 AM
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Lostfan23: Actually the truth is that they recieve 4 cents from every DVD sale and they want 8 cents. They currently receive nothing from streaming video, online sales ect., but the studios absolutely refuse to consider giving them anything. The writers actually took the increase in DVD sales off the table, but the studios told them there would be no negotiating until they removed on-line sales from consideration. That's what's unfair. Back in 88 no one knew how much money there was going to be in Home Video sales, so the writers took a pittence. Even though streaming video (mostly ad supported) and online sales through iTunes are not huge money makers, the writers know that it will be one day and don't want to be put in the same situation as last time.
And shame on the studios. How can they expect anyone to allow them to make money off their work and not give them a cut? That's like telling recording artist that they'll only make money on sales of Tapes but not CD's.
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Nov 8, 2007 11:49 AM
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here is what I think every time I hear or read about he strike . . . All tv fans, including myself, complain about the tract many of our favorite shows go on i.e. the abysmal luke and Lorelei never together thing, also grey's meredith never happy debacle, and many, many more. I think it is time to step up to the plate and send the networks some scripts, granted if actors also refuse to do their jobs it make the plan worthless, but it would be fun to see some fan produced scripts on the air. Although I can see that writers should receive fair payment, it is so hard to wrap my brain around it when these people are already pretty well paid in comparison to other professions. i guess is just wanted to put this out into the universe. Personally, I can live with just my boxed set of "Friends" DVDs for a very long time quite happily.
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Nov 8, 2007 12:48 PM
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Yeah! moving Bones to Friday would end having to tape it while I watch NCIS. It would be nice to come home to Bones on Friday nights for a good "end of work week" night of entertainment that already exists with Moonlight and Stargate: Atlantis.
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Nov 8, 2007 12:49 PM
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