We're heading into the home stretch on the fall upfronts and Fox made their announcements earlier today.
Here's TV Barn's reproduction of the press release.This summer, Mark Burnett's non-competition "Casino" airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET. The non-comp "Simple Life 2" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The placeholder clip shows will air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET and the old standby non-comps "Cops" and "AMW" air at their usual places.
In addition, this competition could show up before the baseball playoffs--the press release description:
THE COMPLEX: MALIBU: 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.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Kickoff Productions, Inc. in association with FremantleMedia North America, Inc. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Ted Haimes
After the World Series, "The Swan"'s second series airs at its current Monday night time slot (why? why?). The Richard Branson knockoff of "The Apprentice," "The Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET against "Average Joe" over on NBC. The pre-emptive strike at Burnett and Stallone's "The Contender," Endemol and Oscar de la Hoya's "The Next Great Champ," airs Friday at 8 ET. Saturdays stay unchanged, but LOL Sunday gets broken up with the new legal "Apprentice" knockoff "The Partner" at 9 p.m. ET.
The descriptions:
THE BILLIONAIRE: BRANSON’S QUEST FOR THE BEST (working title): 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.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Bunim-Murray Productions EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jonathan Murray, Kevin Lee, Richard Branson, Lori Levin-Hyams, Laura Fuest, Tod Dahlke
THE NEXT GREAT CHAMP (working title): 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.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Endemol USA EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Paul Buccieri, Joe Livecchi
(Buccieri's the guy behind "Friend or Foe?" and "Fake-a-Date" for his own production company--he produced "Performing As..." for Endemol.)
THE PARTNER (working title): 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.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rocket Science Laboratories EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Chris Cowan and Jean Michel Michenaud
Finally, in January "Idol"'s 4th go-round does the performances in the usual Tuesday night slot--however, the Wednesday results show moves back a half-hour to 9 p.m. ET, against "The Bachelor" and "The West Wing." Saturday remains the same and LOL Sunday is restored with some off-topic shows.
For many of you, the best news may be that the new episodes of "Family Guy" will make their first appearances on Fox next summer before Cartoon Network.
UPN is next...
