Fox Announces Winter Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows

Fox 2015 Midseason Premiere Schedule
Becki Newton, Zachary Knighton, Meera Rohit Khumbhani, and Nate Torrence in ‘Weird Loners’ (Photo by Michael Becker © 2014 Fox Broadcasting)

Fox has set the premiere dates for returning series Bones, Glee, The Following, Hell’s Kitchen, and Masterchef Junior. The network’s also announced the premiere dates of new shows World’s Funniest Fails, Backstrom, The Last Man on Earth, and Weird Loners.

In announcing the premiere dates, Fox also revealed details on each of the new series:

World’s Funniest Fails:
New unscripted comedy World’s Funniest Fails (wt) premieres on Friday, Jan. 16 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The irreverent one-hour series is based on the hit YouTube channel, FailArmy, which showcases the best “epic fail” viral videos in the most entertaining ways possible. Each week a panel of comedians will analyze the videos which have exploded across the internet, with the goal of awarding one with the ultimate “Fail of the Week.”

Backstrom:
BackstromM, the offbeat crime procedural starring three-time Emmy Award nominee Rainn Wilson, premieres Thursday, Jan. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following American Idol XIV’s time period premiere (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Created and executive-produced by Hart Hanson, the series follows Detective Everett Backstrom, an unhealthy, offensive, irascible – albeit brilliant – detective who sees the worst in everyone, and he’s usually right.

The Last Man on Earth:
End-of-the-world comedy The Last Man on Earth premieres with a special one-hour event of back-to-back episodes Sunday, March 1 (9:00-9:30/9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT), and then moves into its
regular time period the following week on Sunday, March 8 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). Executive-produced, created by and starring Will Forte, and executive-produced and directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the single-camera comedy chronicles the life and adventures of an average guy – and humanity’s last hope – who discovers what life is like when no one is telling you what you can and cannot do.

Weird Loners:
New ensemble comedy Weird Loners debuts Tuesday, March 31 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). From writer Michael J. Weithorn and director Jake Kasdan, the un-romantic comedy follows four single mid-30-somethings (Becki Newton, Zachary Knighton, Nate Torrence, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani), who are unexpectedly thrust into one another’s lives and form an unlikely bond in a Queens, NY, townhouse.

Here’s the scoop on the primetime shows returning to the lineup in 2015:

Glee:
Glee takes its final bow with a sixth and final 13-episode season starting with a special two-hour premiere event Friday, Jan. 9 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). New Directions’ original star, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), comes home to Lima, after her humiliating failure as a TV actress, and discovers that Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) has banished the arts at McKinley. Throughout its closing season, McKinley alumnae will return to say “good-bye” to the award-winning and groundbreaking musical comedy. The series makes its time period premiere Friday, Jan. 16 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and air all-new episodes for 11 consecutive weeks, culminating in a special two-hour Series Finale on Friday, March 20 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

Masterchef Junior:
Returning series premiering this winter include Masterchef Junior, which returns for its third season of talented kids, astounding culinary abilities and delicious challenges. Featuring host and award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot, cycle three of Masterchef Junior gets cooking Tuesday, Jan. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), leading into all-new episodes of New Girl (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and The Mindy Project (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The Following:
On Monday, March 2, hit psychological thriller The Following returns for its third shocking season with a special two-hour Season Three premiere event (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and moves to its regular time period the following week on Monday, March 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

Hell’s Kitchen:
The first week of March also sees Chef Gordon Ramsay firing up a new season of Hell’s Kitchen, beginning Tuesday, March 3 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Bones returns with all-new cases Thursday, March 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), followed by Backstrom (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The 2015 Midseason Primetime Lineup:

Sunday, Jan. 4:

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)

8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (All-New Episode)

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (All-New Episode)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 5:

8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM (All-New Episode)

9:00-10:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (All-New Episode)

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 6:

8:00-9:00 PM MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (Season Premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT (All-New Episode)

Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 7:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL XIV (Season Premiere, Part One)

9:00-10:00 PM EMPIRE (Series Premiere, with Limited Interruption)

Thursday, Jan. 8:

8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL XIV (Season Premiere, Part Two)

Sundays, beginning Jan. 11:

7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episode)

7:30-8:00 PM MULANEY (All-New Episode)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)

8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (All-New Episode)

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (All-New Episode)

Friday, Jan. 9:

8:00-10:00 PM GLEE (Two-Hour Season Premiere)

Thursday, Jan. 15:

8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL XIV (All-New Episode)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 16:

8:00-9:00 PM WORLD’S FUNNIEST FAILS (wt) (Series Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM GLEE (Time Period Premiere)

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 22:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL XIV (Time Period Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM BACKSTROM (Series Premiere)

Sunday, March 1:

7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episode)

7:30-8:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Time Period Premiere)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)

8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (All-New Episode)

9:00-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (One-Hour Premiere Event)

Monday, March 2:

8:00-10:00 PM THE FOLLOWING (Two-Hour Season Premiere Event)

Tuesdays, beginning March 3:

8:00-9:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT (All-New Episode)

Sundays, beginning March 8:

7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episode)

7:30-8:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (All-New Episode)

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)

8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (All-New Episode)

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (Time Period Premiere)

Mondays, beginning March 9:

8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM (All-New Episode)

9:00-10:00 PM THE FOLLOWING (Time Period Premiere)

Friday, March 20:

8:00-10:00 PM GLEE (Two-Hour Series Finale)

Thursday, March 26:

8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Spring Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM BACKSTROM (All-New Episode)

Tuesdays, beginning March 31:

8:00-9:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (All-New Episode)

9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL (All-New Episode)

9:30-10:00 PM WEIRD LONERS (Series Premiere)