Fox presents...

Fox, the American Idol network, announced its new schedule on Thursday of this 'upfronts' week. The network comes from a position of strength: It will once again win the US season in viewers ages 18 to 49, and, in what could represent a sea change in broadcast television, Fox has also wrested the most-watched title away from CBS, as was anticipated by media analysts in March. Its two most high-profile new projects are Fringe, from Team J.J. Abrams, and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Fringe, and indeed the entire Fox "fall" line-up, will make its debut in late August. (Prison Break will kick off the Fox season Aug. 25; a two-hour Fringe will premiere the next night.)

The network has high hopes that Fringe will prove a big success. It is the story of an F.B.I. special agent (played by Anna Torv) who is called upon to investigate a mysterious Boston plane crash. For assistance, she seeks out a brilliant scientist who has the disadvantage of having been institutionalized for the previous two decades. Dollhouse, from Joss Wheedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will appear mid-season and is a science-fiction drama about a nefarious organization that inserts new identities (like those of a concert pianist or brain surgeon) into the minds of unwitting victims.

On a decidedly lighter note, the network has also picked up a comedy called The Inn, in which Jerry O’Connell works at a hotel catering to a wealthy clientele. Among its directors is Jason Bateman, a star of Arrested Development and the film Juno.

Later in the year, Fox is expected to introduce two animated series: Cleveland, a spinoff of its Family Guy, and a series that has variously been known as Sit Down and Shut Up and Class Dismissed, about staff members in a dysfunctional high school in a fishing town. That series was created by Mitch Hurwitz, who created Arrested Development; Mr. Bateman is to provide one of the voices.

Unlike ABC, CBS, NBC and CW, all of which have announced their fall schedules, Fox is operating from the vantage point not only of first place in the ratings but also as the only broadcast network to add viewers this year in the demographic category of most interest to advertisers. Accordingly, American Idol, the most popular show on television, will be back on Fox next year, as will two other highly rated reality shows, Moment of Truth and Hell’s Kitchen, and the dramas House and Bones.

As usual, Fox announced its schedule in two separate parts because of "Idol." What will be different in this coming season, assuming there are no strike disruptions or other disasters, will be the return of 24 -- the Kiefer Sutherland-led adventure series will come back to the airwaves for the first time since spring of 2007. On Thursday, the network announced the air date of the two-hour 24 prequel (Sunday, Nov. 23) and also "Day 7" of the veteran show, which suffered a creative downturn in its sixth season after an Emmy-winning run in its fifth, will come back to Fox in January. It will be in its regular 9 p.m. Monday slot, with Dollhouse as its lead-in. The return of 24 will compensate for the loss of the Super Bowl in early 2009 — which it exploited to great effect this year.

Also returning to Fox are ’Til Death, the comedy starring Brad Garrett that is completing its second season, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a spin-off of the Terminator movie series that made its debut this season.

Other notes: Back to You, Canterbury's Law, New Amsterdam and The Return of Jezebel James have indeed been cancelled, as previously reported. Unhitched, the Farrelly brothers comedy, can now be added to that list as well. The failure of Back to You, a comedy featuring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton had been among the most anticipated this year but never quite caught on.

And also check out below that the "Idol" results show is, at least for now, going back to a half-hour after a season in which viewers seemed to begin tiring of the singing competition for the first time.

FOX PRIME-TIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2008 (All times Eastern/Pacific)

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
9-10 p.m. PRISON BREAK

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. HOUSE
9-10 p.m. FRINGE

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. BONES
9-9:30 p.m. 'TIL DEATH
9:30-10 p.m. DO NOT DISTURB (working title, formerly "The Inn")

THURSDAY
8-9 p.m. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
9-10 p.m. KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9-10 p.m. DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS!

SATURDAY
8-8:30 p.m. COPS
8:30-9 p.m. COPS
9-10 p.m. AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11 p.m.-midnight MADtv
Midnight-12:30 a.m. TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. THE OT (NFL post-game)
8-8:30 p.m. THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 p.m. KING OF THE HILL
9-9:30 p.m. FAMILY GUY
9:30-10 p.m. AMERICAN DAD

FOX PRIME-TIME SCHEDULE: BEGINNING JANUARY 2009 (All times Eastern/Pacific)

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. DOLLHOUSE
9-10 p.m. 24

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. AMERICAN IDOL
9-10 p.m. FRINGE

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. HOUSE
9-9:30 p.m. AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:30-10 p.m. TBA Comedy

THURSDAY
8-9 p.m. HELL'S KITCHEN
9-10 p.m. SECRET MILLIONAIRE

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. BONES
9-9:30 p.m. 'TIL DEATH
9:30-10 p.m. DO NOT DISTURB (wt)

SATURDAY
8-8:30 p.m. COPS
8:30-9 p.m. COPS
9-10 p.m. AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11 p.m.-midnight MADtv
Midnight-12:30 a.m. TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN

SUNDAY
7-7:30 p.m. COMEDY ENCORES
7:30-8 p.m. COMEDY ENCORES
8-8:30 p.m. THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 p.m. KING OF THE HILL (January) / SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (wt) (spring)
9-9:30 p.m. FAMILY GUY
9:30-10 p.m. AMERICAN DAD (January) / THE CLEVELAND SHOW (wt) (spring)