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Fox cancels American Idol

UPFRONTS: Fox will bring down the curtain on American Idol after the show’s fifteenth and final season, the US broadcaster has announced as part of its 2015/16 scheduling plans.

Idol: taking its final bow

Idol: taking its final bow

The hit talent format, created by Simon Fuller, has been on air since 2002, coproduced by Core Media’s 19 Entertainment (now part of the Endemol Shine Group) together with FremantleMedia North America.

Questions were raised about the continuation of the show last year after 21st Century Fox president Chase Carey said the series was “winding down.”

Today, Fox made that official, renewing Idol for a last outing in January next year, billing its swan song as a “season-long celebratory event” that will see judges Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr search for a final winner, while paying tribute to the past 14.

The Grinder

The Grinder

The news comes as the US network detailed the schedule for its crop of new fall shows, including a series based on Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi movie Minority Report, new cop/medic drama Rosewood, single-camera comedies Grandfathered, The Grinder and Scream Queens – all three debuting back-to-back on Tuesdays.

Hit drama Empire returns to its Wednesday 21.00 slot, with an extended 18-episode order, while in mid-season, aside from Idol’s final call, Fox’s The X-Files reboot will air January 24, and previously announced three-hour musical Grease: Live on January 31. Dates for new winter dramas Lucifer and The Frankenstein Code have yet to be announced.

Grandfathered

Grandfathered

“We’re infusing next season’s schedule with new ambitious dramas, smart comedies, aspirational unscripted series and big live events and specials,” said Dana Walden and Gary Newman, joint chairs and CEOs of Fox Television Group.

“And our strategy with these bold creative swings is simple: schedule them strategically, market them relentlessly and create events that break through and captivate viewers across every platform.”

Fox fall 2015/16 schedule (new shows in caps)

MONDAY
20.00-21.00 Gotham
21.00-22.00 MINORITY REPORT

TUESDAY
20.00-20.30 GRANDFATHERED
20.30-21.00 THE GRINDER
21.00-22.00 SCREAM QUEENS

WEDNESDAY
20.00-21.00 ROSEWOOD
21.00-22.00 Empire

THURSDAY
20.00-21.00 Bones
21.00-22.00 Sleepy Hollow

FRIDAY
20.00-21.00 MasterChef Junior
21.00-22.00 World’s Funniest

SATURDAY
19.00-22.30 Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football

SUNDAY
19.00-19.30 NFL on Fox
19.30-20.00 The OT/Bob’s Burgers
20.00-21.00 The Simpsons
20.30-21.00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
21.00-21.30 Family Guy
21.30-22.00 The Last Man on Earth

Mid-season: THE X-FILES, LUCIFER, THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE,THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE, BORDERTOWN

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