As Fox looks ahead to its 2013-14 season, the network is taking a decidedly male skew with its comedy fare.
The move to order comedies centered on brothers (Enlisted), cops (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and fathers and sons (Dads) follows a season in which Fox's female-skewing comedies -- The Mindy Project, New Girl and since canceled Ben and Kate -- failed to lure the kind of viewership that broadcast demands. What's more, female-focused comedies historically have struggled in syndication.
Worth noting, the order for Seth MacFarlane's previously ordered Dads has been bumped from six to 13 episodes and comes as the fate of the prolific producer's The Cleveland Show has not yet been announced. Considering the advanced lead time needed to produce animated fare, its future does not look good.
Here's a look at the five comedies -- two more than were ordered last year -- that the network has added for next season.
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Surviving Jack (previously I Suck at Girls)
Logline: Based on Justin Halpern's book I Suck at Girls, the 1990s Southern California-set comedy is a story about a boy becoming a man, and a man becoming a father, in a time before coming of age was something you could Google.
Cast: Christopher Meloni, Alex Kapp Horner, Connor Buckley, Claudia Lee, Kevin Hernandez, Tyler Foden
Team: W/EP Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker (S#*! My Dad Says); EP Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold; D Victor Nelli
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Doozer Productions
Format: Single-camera
Enlisted
Logline: Based on Kevin Biegel's relationship with his siblings, the comedy follows three very different brothers working together in the Army at a small base in Florida.
Cast: Geoff Stults, Angelique Cabral, Keith David, Chris Lowell (Private Practice), Parker Young (Suburgatory)
Team: W/EP Kevin Biegel (Cougar Town); EP Mike Royce (Men of a Certain Age); D Phil Traill
Studio: 20th Television
Format: Single-camera
Us and Them (previously Friends and Family)
Logline: Based on the BBC series Gavin & Stacey, friends and family are the best support and the worst nightmare when two very different lovers (Jason Ritter, Alexis Bledel) meet and try to make a long-distance relationship work.
Cast: Jason Ritter, Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Kurt Fuller, Kerri Kenney, Dustin Ybarra, Ashlie Atkinson
Team: W/EP David Rosen (I Just Want My Pants Back); EP Steve Coogan, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, James Corden, Ruth Jones, Henry Normal; D Michael Patrick Jann
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, BBC Worldwide Productions, Baby Cow Productions
Format: Single-camera
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine (previously the untitled Dan Goor/Mike Schur comedy)
Logline: Revolves around a diverse group of detectives at a New York precinct and what happens when a detective who doesn't take anything seriously gets a new by-the-book boss who wants him to grow up and respect the badge.
Cast: Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz,Chelsea Peretti, Joe Lo Truglio
Team: W/EP Dan Goor, Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation); EP David Miner; P Andy Samberg; D Phil Lord, Chris Miller (21 Jump Street)
Studio: Universal Television, 3 Arts
Format: Single-camera
Dads
Logline: Centers on two successful childhood best friends (Seth Green, Giovanni Ribisi) whose lives are turned upside down when their nightmare dads (Martin Mull, Peter Riegert) unexpectedly move in with them.
Cast: Seth Green, Giovanni Ribisi Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project), Brenda Song, Peter Riegert, Martin Mull, Tonita Castro (Go On), Vanessa Lachey Erin Pineda
Team: W/EP Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild (Ted); EP Seth MacFarlane; D Mark Cendrowski
Studio: 20th Television, Fuzzy Door Productions
Format: Multicamera
Email: Lacey.Rose@thr.com, Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com;
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