Fox has revealed its fall schedule, which will feature only two nights of non-sports or reality series and no new programming. This once again saves a large portion of scripted programming mid-season.
That means newcomers like the long-awaited revival of Baywatch and the crime thriller The Inquisitor from British comic book icon Stephen Fry will have to wait until at least the winter. Still, Fox is only premiering three new series next season (the third being “Marriage Market,” a new dating format hosted by Whitney Cummings).
Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade noted that the network relies heavily on existing assets, saying, “90% of our plans are reruns, and we believe the new series we’re introducing next season will be incredibly complementary.”
With game shows and reality contests on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and college football on Fridays and Saturdays, there’s not much room for other entertainment. On Tuesday, Fox will air 14 episodes of Season 2 of “Best Medicine,” the Josh Charles-led “Dr. Martin” adaptation. At 9 p.m., Season 3 of “Doc,” also based on the international hit format (originating in Italy), will be rebroadcast.
“Tuesdays have become a speciality for Fox,” said Dan Harrison, executive vice president of programming and content strategy. “We’re combining ‘Best Medicine’ with ‘Doctors’ to give viewers a night of medical wonder.”
Another night for the scripted series is Sunday, when “Animated Domination” airs this year with a twist. Live-action “Animal Control,” starring Joel McHale and entering its fifth season, will air after “The Simpsons.” Part of the reason is that now that Going Dutch has been canceled, Fox doesn’t have any other half-hour programs to pair with it.
Fox Television President Michael Thorne acknowledged that the network has prioritized building its drama and unscripted stable. “We’ve really evolved these production models to be successful, and now we’re taking a step back and doing the same thing with live-action comedy,” he said. “We believe in this genre, and you can expect to see more of us in the future.”
Wade added that the network is pausing development on the comedy until it “deeply digs into its business model and considers ways to make it work long-term.”
Fox-owned animated series “Universal Basic Guys” and “Grimsburg” are also listed in the fall filings. In unscripted programming, the star-driven “Celebrity Name That Tune” and “Celebrity Weakest Link” air on Mondays, the shiny floor gamers “The Floor” and “99 To Beat” air on Tuesdays, and the reality competition offerings “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” air on Wednesdays.
Midseason will include new dramas Baywatch and The Interrogator, as well as Season 2 of Memories of a Murderer and Season 3 of Small Town Murder. Harrison said Fox plans to add a second drama night midseason to accommodate more scripted hour-long programming (the actual night has not been determined).
When it comes to Baywatch, it’s clear that getting the revival back on track is a top priority. “It’s iconic, it’s global, and it captures the best of the California dream,” Thorne said. “With a cast that blends television’s top talent and major social influencers, this is pure escapism. It’s an honor to bring back ‘Baywatch.’ We’re happy with where we are, but we’re also feeling the pressure of expectations that are already high and fueled. This is an exciting challenge for my team and I.”
Meanwhile, regarding The Interrogator, which co-stars Jenna Elfman and Frye, Thorne said, “We ordered this show because it shows Fox’s signature strong character, razor-sharp intellect, and deceptively charming character. He’s a sexy rebel in his own right.”
Animated comedies “American Dad!,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy” and “Crapopolis” are also scheduled to return midseason. Scheduled for midseason without a script are “Crime Scene Kitchen,” “Don’t Forget The Lyrics,” “Extracted,” “Fear Factor: House of Fear,” “Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service,” “Lego Masters,” “The Masked Singer,” “MasterChef” and “Next Level Chef.”
In fact, this is just a small portion of the reality show on deck. “Beat Shazam,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” and “Next Level Baker” (with two season pickups and set to return during the holiday season) have also been renewed for future use, with more renewals to be announced.
Wade said part of the huge unscripted buyout was in preparation for the strike. “Thankfully, I feel like the talks between the unions went well, but there was a short period in March and the previous January and February, and we may have been considering another strike this year. Who knows what will happen,” he said. “So we buy surplus shows in case there is a crisis or a need arises.”
Meanwhile, as previously announced, Fox is already looking ahead to the 2027-2028 TV season, picking up a new version of Jason Katims’ “Highway to Heaven” and Seth MacFarlane’s “Family Guy” spinoff “Stewie.”
Here’s Fox’s fall 2026 schedule:
Monday
8:00 p.m. “Celebrity Names That Song”
9pm “Celebrity Weekest Link”
Tuesday
8pm “Best Medicine”
9pm “Doctor”
Wednesday
8pm “The Floor”
9pm “99 to Beat”
Thursday
8pm “Hell’s Kitchen”
9 p.m. “Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Trial”
Friday
8 p.m. “Fox College Football Friday”
Saturday
7 p.m. “Fox Sports Saturday”
Sunday
7pm NFL On Fox / The OT / Fox Animation Encore
8 p.m. “The Simpsons”
8:30pm “Animal Control”
9pm “Universal Basic Guys”
9:30pm “Grimsburg”
mid season
Dramas: “Baywatch”, “The Interrogator”, “Memories of a Murderer”, “Small Town Murder”. Comedy: “American Dad!,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy,” “Crapopolis.” Unscripted: “Crime Scene Kitchen,” “Don’t Forget The Lyrics,” “Extracted,” “Fear Factor: House of Fear,” “Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service,” “Lego Masters,” “The Masked Singer,” “MasterChef,” “Next Level Chef.”
Baywatch is co-produced by Fox Entertainment and Fremantle, with Matt Nix serving as showrunner and executive producer. McG, Michael Burke, Greg Bonnan, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz serve as executive producers. McG directed the series premiere.
“The Interrogator” is co-produced by Lionsgate Television and Fox Entertainment. The pilot script was written by Frye with revisions by Matt Piken and William Harper. Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie will serve as executive producers and showrunners. Frye will serve as executive producer alongside William Harper and Paul McGuigan, who will also direct. Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman, Miriam Mintz, Matt Piken, Neil Berger, and Anonymous Content will serve as executive producers.
Marriage Market is produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and distributed worldwide by Fox Entertainment Global. Alicia Rossiter and John Carr will serve as executive producers, with Rossiter serving as showrunner.
“Highway to Heaven” is produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and executive produced by showrunner Jason Katims. Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Todd Cohen and Mark Itkin of Amblin Television, Cindy Landon and Wayne Repoff of Michael Landon Productions serve as executive producers.
“Stewie” is the 20th TV animation production. Seth MacFarlane provides the voice of Stewie and serves as an executive producer on Fuzzy Doors. The series was created by MacFarlane and Kirker Butler, who serve as executive producers along with Kara Vallow. Butler is the showrunner.
