Fox appears to be testing the waters for comedies on Thursday night.
The network announced Wednesday that original episodes of New Girl and The Mindy Project will get Glee's plum post-American Idol slot on April 4. Fox had previously announced that Raising Hope would see its season finale air with back-to-back episodes during the 9 p.m. hour on Thursday, March 28. Glee, which moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays for the 2012-13 season, had no original episodes scheduled for either night.
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News of a second Thursday outing for Tuesday's half-hours comes on the heels of Fox's January cancellation of Ben and Kate -- and the accompanying nixing of the two-hour Tuesday comedy block. (After Raising Hope ends its Tuesday run next week, Hell's Kitchen will fill the 8 p.m. hour starting March 12.)
While the episodes of New Girl and The Mindy Project are being billed as special outings, Fox could be curious about a possible home for half-hours that night. Thursdays have fared especially well for comedy on CBS since the network moved The Big Bang Theory to 8 p.m. during the 2010-11 season -- with Two and a Half Men joining it in the fall 2012.
And though Thursday has long been home to NBC's comedies, the upcoming series finale of The Office leaves the 9 p.m. hour wide open for comedy competition.
Email: Michael.OConnell@THR.com; Twitter: @MikeyLikesTV
