Hot Fox is banking on demo clout in the fall

NEW YORK — Poised to beat out the competition in the prized 18- to 49-year-old demographic for the second year in a row, Fox is retaining much of its schedule next season, adding just six new programs in the fall.

“We’re really able to build a schedule that shows strength and incredible stability across the board, across every night of the week,” Peter Liguori, president of entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Co., told reporters in a morning conference call Thursday.

At a presentation later in the day -- delayed by crowds stretching a city block trying to get into the Armory in Manhattan -- a parade of Fox stars marched down the aisles onto the stage. Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland sparked swells of cheers from the crowd as booming music filled the cavernous room.

Shortly afterward, comic actor Brad Garrett’s pointed quips about his former co-star Ray Romano, as well as “American Idol’s” Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul seemed to startle the audience of mostly ad buyers who were there to see what looked promising in the network’s new prime-time lineup.

It was mostly a familiar one. Sixteen of the network’s returning shows will be in the same time period or on the same night next season. Four freshman programs -- “Prison Break,” “The Loop,” “The War at Home” and “Bones” -- have been renewed.

“American Idol,” the juggernaut singing competition, will return in January in its current time slot, and teen favorite “The O.C.” will remain on Thursdays at 9 p.m.. Liguori said network executives briefly contemplated moving “The O.C.” after ABC announced it was putting “Grey’s Anatomy” in the same time slot, but ultimately concluded that the show’s “incredibly loyal audience” would not be lured away.

For seven of the last eight years, Fox has attracted the largest number of 18- to 34-year-old viewers -- a demographic also targeted by the new CW -- and the network tried to reinforce its appeal to that group in its selection of new shows.

“There’s no question we feel that we are the network of choice for young viewers,” said Liguori early in the day, adding that the new programs speak “directly to our young adult base, while still appealing to a broad audience.”

Because its fall schedule is interrupted by baseball, Liguori said the network was going to launch its slate of programs even earlier in August to get viewers hooked, and then extend its spring season later into the year.

Following the trend of conspiracy-themed action dramas, Fox picked up “Vanished,” the story of the search for the missing young wife of a prominent senator. The show, which will air at 9 p.m. on Mondays, is “more ‘Da Vinci Codesque’ than ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ” Liguori said.

The program will follow “Prison Break” in the fall, which will be replaced by “24” in January, followed by the return of “Prison Break” later in the spring, making Monday night a “nonstop, high-octane kind of franchise for us all year long,” he added.

At 8 p.m. on Tuesdays will be “Standoff,” a drama about an elite pair of FBI crisis negotiators who are also romantically involved. The network’s third new drama, “Justice,” airing at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, is a procedural show from powerhouse producer Jerry Bruckheimer about a team of lawyers that handles high-profile cases under the media glare.

Fox has a reputation for provocative, irreverent comedies, but the network made relatively safe choices in that area this time around. The network picked up Garrett’s “ ‘Til Death,” the story of two married couples in different stages of their relationships, and “Happy Hour,” a sitcom about two roommates with very different styles.

Fox also tapped a new musical show for this fall. “Duets” -- a singing competition produced by Simon Cowell -- pairs professional singers with non-singing celebrities. In the spring, the network will air “On the Lot,” a filmmaking talent competition being produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg.

Later in the season, the network plans to air the drama “The Wedding Album,” as well as the comedy “The Winner.”

Nine shows are not returning, including “Bernie Mac.”