May is always one of the biggest months in the broadcast TV calendar and this year is no different. The networks made decisions on the future of their shows (the ones that hadn't already received early renewals, that is) while offering up their new schedules for Fall 2025. Needless to say, it's an eventful month for us TV fans!
FOX got in on the action, announcing a schedule that is very different to what we've come to expect from the network (and is also very different from the other networks, too). The biggest story is the lack of scripted content, as the network has gone heavy on the unscripted, leaving room for just two live-action scripted dramas during the week.
Mondays, formerly a staple of the scripted calendar due to the 911 shows, now belongs to Name That Tune and Celebrity Weakest Link - the latter of which was rescued by FOX after three seasons on NBC. Wednesdays will feature the fourth season of The Floor, hosted by Rob Lowe, and new series 99 To Beat while Thursdays will host the formidable duo of Hell's Kitchen and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Fridays will round out the week with College Football.
You might have noticed that we skipped Tuesday there. That's because it's the only night on the schedule reserved for scripted content, with Murder In A Small Town airing at 8:00 p.m. and Doc airing at 9:00 p.m. Both shows are returning for second seasons, and they are really quite different to each other.
Murder In A Small Town is actually a Canadian series that was picked up by FOX as part of its international strategy and it aired alongside its Canadian premiere. Starring Rossiff Sutherland and Smallville and Beauty and the Beast star Kristen Kreuk, it enjoyed a successful run on the network before FOX then opted to renew it for a second season (which will feature Marcia Gay Harden in a series regular role as the town's mayor).
Meanwhile, Doc is based on the Italian show Doc – Nelle tue mani. It's a medical drama starring Molly Parker, who loses her memory of the last eight years of her life after a traumatic brain injury, making resuming her life - and medical career - very difficult. It too proved to be a success for FOX as it was the only other scripted show that the network renewed.
Check out FOX's full fall schedule below:
Monday Nights
8:00 pm: Name That Tune
9:00 pm: Celebrity Weakest Link
Tuesday Nights
8:00 pm: Murder In A Small Town
9:00 pm: Doc
Wednesday Nights
8:00 pm: The Floor
9:00 pm: 99 To Beat
Thursday Nights
8:00 pm: Hell's Kitchen
9:00 pm: Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test
Friday Nights
8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT: Fox College Football Friday
Saturday Nights
7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT: Fox Sports Saturday
Sunday Nights
7:00 pm: NFL on FOX
7:30 pm: The OT / Fox Animation Encores
8:00 pm: The Simpsons
8:30 pm: Universal Basic Guys
9:00 pm: Krakopolis
9:30 pm: Bob's Burgers
Why FOX's fall schedule has less scripted shows
If you grew up in the 2000s or the 2010s, the lack of scripted content on FOX's fall schedule is probably a shock. Over the years, then network has aired the likes of Prison Break, Glee, Gotham, Lucifer, 911, 911: Lone Star and so many more iconic shows. So what changed? Well, how long have you got?
There is a general move towards unscripted content across broadcast TV. As Deadline points out, scripted shows amount to less than a third of NBC's fall schedule, while The CW has been slowly dropping scripted content altogether since it was purchased by Nexstar (with the exception of a few co-productions and Canadian imports). But there is more to it for FOX, too.
The network single-handedly lost its three most-watched shows within the space of two years, cancelling 911 and The Resident in 2023 (with the former being picked up by ABC) and 911: Lone Star in 2024. It looked to launch its own procedural drama (as the 911 shows were produced by Disney's ABC) last year with Rescue HI-Surf, but it was ultimately cancelled after just one season.
The good news is that more scripted shows are on the way and they will premiere midseason. The network has ordered Best Medicine (a US remake of the classic British series Doc Martin), Memory of A Killer, and limited series The Faithful. The network has yet to decide the fates of Accused, The Cleaning Lady and Alert: Missing Persons Unit, so if any of them does get a renewal, it's likely that they would return midseason too.