Nellie Andreeva

Fox Unveils 2011-2012 Primetime Schedule

Fox picked up where it left off at last year’s upfront presentation — with a music performance by actors from Glee. Unlike last year’s closing number, which featured the main cast of the show lipsynching, this time, it was Warblers who kicked of the proceedings with a live performance of Hey Soul Sister.

In another repeat from last year’s presentation, Glee star Jane Lynch served as an emcee as her track suit-loving character Sue Sylvester. She first introduced the casts of Fox’s new and returning series who walked out on stage one by one as “spoiled, well tanned, overpaid, underworked” brats whose trip to the upfront presentation has cost the network “75 first-class plane seats and more presidential suites than a Saudi bachelor party.”

How important is Simon Cowell’s X Factor to Fox? The show was showcased at the very top of Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly’s schedule presentation. “Others may imitate, but there is really only one Simon and only one X Factor.”

The X Factor crew came out in full force, led by Cowell. He was joined by fellow judges Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole and L.A. Reid and hosts Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones. Also walking on stage with them was American Idol’s Randy Jackson, reuniting with his former co-judges Cowell and Abdul. Said Cowell, “Randy, wrong show, this is the new one.”

While the trailer for Fox’s new special effects-heavy fantasy drama Terra Nova was the most anticipated, it was the clip for the new Zooey Deschanel comedy New Girl that got the most enthusiastic applause.

Deschanel’s older sister is Bones star Emily. Reilly addressed Emily Deschanel’s upcoming maternity leave that will affect production on the show. “Since there are no more Deschanel sisters left, we decided to take the opportunity to introduce (Bones spinoff) The Finder,” he said to laughs from the audience. Reilly drew chuckles for other reasons when he said: “We are evolving our relationship with John Walsh and his team.” Walsh’s America’s Most Wanted has been canceled as a regular series and will return for quarterly specials.

 

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.