Fox has lined up premieres for its summer schedule and current season finales -- and in an effort to avoid the annual out-of-pattern American Idol ender, the network is airing the competition's season-closer a week prior to the season's end to stick with the Wednesday-Thursday schedule.
American Idol concludes its current cycle on May 15 and 16, using the former night to sample layoff reality series Does Someone Have to Go? with a strong Idol lead. Does Someone Have to Go? gets its official debut on Thursday, May 23, at 8 p.m.
STORY: Fox Gives 'Goodwin Games' a May Premiere
Making their way off the air prior to American Idol, Kitchen Nightmares ends Friday, April 8, Touch finishes its sophomore season on Friday, April 26, and Bones and The Following finish their respective runs on Monday, April 29. New Girl and The Mindy Project both conclude on Tuesday, May 7, while Glee wraps up on Thursday, May 9.
Sticking with the one-night formula adopted last summer, So You Think You Can Dance returns for its tenth season on Tuesday, May 14, filling the entire two-hour block. Hell's Kitchen gets two special Monday outings at 9 p.m., starting May 6, followed by a special episode Tuesday, May 7, prior to the New Girl and Mindy enders. It eventually settles into its regular time slot on Thursday, May 23, at 9 p.m.
The previously announced Goodwin Games premiere takes place Monday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m. The other half-hours that night will be occupied by encores of Tuesday comedies Raising Hope, New Girl and The Mindy Project.
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Masterchef, getting an early debut this year, premieres Wednesday, May 22, at 8 p.m.
Looking ahead to later in the summer, Fox's long-gestating "Animation Domination High-Def" opens Saturday, June 27, at 11 p.m. The 90-minute alternative programming block includes quarter-hour animated series Axe Cop, High School USA!, the Untitled Lucas Brothers Project and Golan the Insatiable.
All key dates, including finales for the Sunday animation block, listed below:
Monday, April 29:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Season Finale)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FOLLOWING (Season Finale)
Mondays, beginning May 6:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES(Encore)
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN(All-New Special Monday Episodes)
Mondays, beginning May 20:
8:00-8:30 PM RAISING HOPE(Encore)
8:30-9:00 PM THE GOODWIN GAMES (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL (Encore)
9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT(Encore)
--
Tuesday, May 7:
8:00-9:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN(All-New Episode)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL (Season Finale)
9:30-10:00 PM THE MINDY PROJECT (Season Finale)
Tuesdays, beginning May 14:
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Season Premiere)
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Wednesday, May 15:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Finale, Part One; ET live/PT tape-delayed)
9:00-10:00 PM DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GO (Series Preview)
Wednesdays, beginning May 22:
8:00-10:00 PM MASTERCHEF (Season Premiere)
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Thursday, May 9:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL(All-New; ET live/PT tape-delayed)
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE (Season Finale)
Thursday, May 16:
8:00-10:07 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Finale, Part Two; ET live/PT tape-delayed)
Thursdays, beginning May 23:
8:00-9:00 PM DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO GO (Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Time Period Premiere)
--
Friday, April 5:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Season Finale)
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (All-New)
Fridays, beginning April 12:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES(Encore)
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (All-New)
Friday, April 26:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES(Encore)
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Season Finale)
Fridays, beginning May 3:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES(Encore)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES(Encore)
Fridays, beginning May 24:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (Encore)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FOLLOWING(Encore)
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Saturday, May 4:
8:00-9:00 PM COPS (One-Hour Season Finale)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FOLLOWING(Encore)
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ENCORES
Saturday, May 11:
6:00 PM-CC NASCAR ON FOX – DARLINGTON 500
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ENCORES
Saturday, May 18:
8:00-10:00 PM COPS (Encores)
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ENCORES
Saturdays, beginning May 25:
6:30 PM-CC FOX SPORTS SATURDAYS: BASEBALL ’13
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ENCORES
Saturdays, beginning July 27:
6:30 PM-CC FOX SPORTS SATURDAYS: BASEBALL ’13
11:00 PM-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF (Series Premiere)
--
Sunday, May 12:
7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore)
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW(All-New)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New)
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Season Finale)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New)
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD (Season Finale)
Sunday, May 19:
7:00-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (One-Hour Season Finale; Two All-New Episodes)
8:00-9:00 PM THE SIMPSONS (One-Hour Season Finale; Two All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM FAMILY GUY (One-Hour Season Finale; Two All-New Episodes)
Sunday, May 26:
5:30 PM-CC NASCAR ON FOX – COCA-COLA 500
Sundays, beginning June 6:
7:00-10:00 PM ANIMATION DOMINATION (Encores)
