rejects and renewals: fox

FOX has been the reigning champion of the coveted 18-49 age group for many years now, due almost exclusively to the American Idol ratings beast. This week, the network got some attention for canceling almost all of the new 2010-11 programming - everyone expected them to keep at least one given the network's history. Let's take a look at the list...

Renewed:
American Dad
American Idol
Bob's Burgers
Bones
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
Fringe
Glee
House
Raising Hope
The Simpsons

Canceled:
Breaking In
The Chicago Code
The Good Guys
Human Target
Lie to Me
Running Wilde
Traffic Light

The only two newbies to survive this year are Bob's Burgers and Raising Hope. Never seen the former, but enjoyed Raising Hope this season. I's not winning any awards, but Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt are just so fun to watch, and the show really has a charming family heart surprisingly enough.

As for the graveyard, every other new show, plus some low-rating carryovers like Lie to Me and Human Target, were axed. The comedies pretty much failed across the board - I tried to watch both Running Wilde and Traffic Light this year hoping to like them given some great actors in the lead roles, but no dice. They just didn't click. Almost everyone expected FOX to keep at least one drama, probably Chicago Code, a spring starter which got some good attention from critics. I did enjoy Chicago Code as sort of a unique take on the cop drama, so I wouldn't mind a Southland-style pickup from a network like TNT, but I'm guessing that won't happen since it's a FOX-produced show.

The drama backbone at FOX is still anchored by House and Bones, both of which are veterans at this point. They don't pull the same high ratings these days, but are still worth FOX keeping around. For me, House struggled at bit to keep my attention this year. I wouldn't cry if next season is its last. On the other hand, I would argue that Bones has some of the strongest writing yet these days. Quick word on Fringe, which has stayed relatively steady on Friday nights and earns incredible critical acclaim for a cult-like show. I'm behind, but I'm catching up. Look for a blog about this season coming up soon.

I guess that brings us to FOX's music corner: Glee and American Idol. I still consider myself a fan of Glee, but that was a painful existence at times this year. Musically, it's always entertaining and those kids give some great acting performances - namely Kurt, Brittany, and Santana this year - but the adult storylines are boring and sometimes the show just takes on too much. I'll write a more comprehensive blog after the season finale, but it's safe to say FOX's little buzz show isn't going anywhere for a while.

Confession: I didn't watch American Idol this year. You're shocked and appalled. Though it may appear that I've been living in a hole for the past six months, I promise I'm still the same dorky TV fan. I just didn't have the time to devote to AI this year. I will say that I'm not at all opposed to the new judges panel. In fact, I'm glad the show has seen some success post-shakeup. Maybe next year.