FOX Orders 6 New Series, Including 'The Exorcist'

Fox on Tuesday announced six new series joining its 2016–2017 schedule: The Exorcist, Lethal Weapon, A.P.B., Making History, The Mick, and Pitch

Read on for details about each pick-up:

'Empire' Returns for Spring Premiere on March 30

Empire stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard as Cookie and 
Lucious Lyon.

Empire returns for its spring premiere on Wednesday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

Empire picks up after Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) has taken a nasty fall down the stairs and the Lyon family rushes to her side in the hospital. Back at Empire, Lucious (Terrence Howard) is forcefully kicked off his throne as Camilla (guest star Naomi Campbell) currently runs the company and plans to make Hakeem (Bryshere Grey) the next CEO. Determined to gain back his power, Lucious orders his henchmen to make violent threats and cooperates with a journalist to leak crucial stories.

Watch the first look at the spring premiere below.

Tyler Perry to Host and Narrate 'The Passion,' A Musical Event Airing Live from New Orleans on March 20

On Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), FOX will present THE PASSION, a two-hour musical event, airing LIVE from New Orleans, that tells the 2000-year-old story of the last hours of Jesus Christ's life on earth. Hosted and narrated by actor, writer, producer, director and New Orleans native Tyler Perry ("The Haves and The Have Nots," "Gone Girl"), the special will feature a cast of today's biggest stars (to be announced) performing a variety of popular music, arranged by executive producer and hit music producer Adam Anders ("Glee," "Rock of Ages").

Set in modern day, THE PASSION will follow the dramatic and inspirational story of Jesus of Nazareth, as he presides over the Last Supper, and then is betrayed by Judas, put on trial by Pontius Pilate, convicted, crucified and resurrected. The story will unfold live at some of New Orleans' most iconic locations, while featuring a procession of hundreds of people carrying a 20-foot, illuminated cross from Champion Square outside the Superdome to the live stage at Woldenburg Park on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Joe Earley Stepping Down as Chief Operating Officer, Fox Television Group, at the End of the Year

Joe Earley, longtime FOX veteran and current COO for Fox Television Group, has announced he will step down from his role at the end of the year.

"Over the past 21 years, I've had the great fortune of working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring people in the business, from my co-workers and bosses, to the talent on our shows, both in front of and behind the camera," said Earley. "Because of the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades FOX, and the incredible support of the teams across the network, I have been afforded unbelievable opportunities for growth and new experiences. I'm very grateful to Dana Walden, Gary Newman and Peter Rice for their leadership and friendship, and for inviting me to join them at the Fox Television Group, which has allowed me to also appreciate the impressive team on the studio side. All of this new opportunity, however, as rewarding as it is, has led me further and further from the creative process, which is really where my heart wants to be. So, while I will miss my extended FOX family terribly, it is time for me to pursue the proverbial, 'next chapter.' As a former publicist, I thought I would never use that phrase, but it turns out that sometimes it's true."

'Lookinglass' to Premiere in 2016 on FOX, Series Formerly Known as 'The Frankenstein Code'

The title of the upcoming action-drama The Frankenstein Code has changed to Lookinglass. The show will premiere in 2016 on FOX.

A disgraced, 75-year-old ex-sheriff, whose life ends at the hands of corrupt cops, is brought back to life and given a second chance by a pair of young tech scientists, as a 35-year-old (Rob Kazinsky, True Blood) with unpredictable near-superhuman abilities.

Pitbull To Guest Star on 'Empire' Season 2

International musician and actor Pitbull will guest-star and perform on FOX's hit Empire. The musician will play himself and perform "No Doubt About It" with Jamal (Jussie Smollett), in an episode slated to air this fall. Pitbull joins a prestigious list of actors and musicians who will make appearances on EMPIRE, including Chris Rock, Kelly Rowland, Marisa Tomei, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Adam Rodriguez, among others. EMPIRE returns for its second season Wednesday, September 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX.

Armando Christian Perez, known around the world as Pitbull, is an internationally successful musician, performer, business entrepreneur, fashion icon and actor. His career sales have exceeded six million albums and 70 million singles worldwide. Pitbull has scored No. 1 hits in more than 15 countries, his videos have over seven billion views and his social media reach matches audiences of some television networks. "Dale," his first Spanish release in five years and ninth overall, has already achieved two No. 1 hits on the Latin charts. After hosting the American Music Awards for the second time, Pitbull released his eighth studio album, "Globalization," which includes "Time of Our Lives," topping charts around the world; "Celebrate," a song heard in the animated film "Penguins of Madagascar"; and "Fun," one of 2015's summer anthems. Pitbull's world tours have sold out concerts in North and South America, Europe and the Far East. Earlier this year, Pitbull wrapped up a co-headlining arena tour of the U.S. and Canada with Enrique Iglesias, plus finished a headline tour in China. In the fall, Pitbull will perform a seven-night limited Las Vegas engagement at the Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino with "Time of Our Lives," a unique Las Vegas show.

FOX Offering Free Advance Screenings of 'Scream Queens', 'The Grinder' & 'Grandfathered ' in 20 Cities

Fans in 20 cities across the country will have the exclusive opportunity to be the first to see FOX’s new Tuesday night comedies Grandfathered, The Grinder and the comedy-horror anthology Scream Queens on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The free advance screenings will enable thousands of fans to preview the premiere episodes of the highly anticipated new shows before they debut on FOX this September. The preview screening events will take place on Aug. 18 in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Seattle, Denver and Pittsburgh; and on Aug. 25 in San Francisco, Tampa, Minneapolis, Miami, Orlando, Sacramento, St. Louis, Nashville, Austin, and New Orleans. Fans at the screenings will also receive exclusive branded show items including shirts, bags, hats and more!

The preview screening events will be held as noted below. Fans who would like a chance to attend the screenings in one of the 20 cities across the country and find out more information including start times, may RSVP via the site below: gofobo.com/FOXTuesday

August 18:

NEW YORK AMC Empire 25, 234 W. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036

LOS ANGELES The Landmark, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

'Bones'-'Sleepy Hollow' Crossover Event to Air October 29

The scientific world of Bones meets the supernatural world of Sleepy Hollow in a crossover event to thrill the living, the dead and everything in between, airing Thursday, October 29. On Bones (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), the grisly discovery of human remains lead Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) on a hunt for clues, during which they encounter Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) and Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie), searching for answers of their own. Realizing that they are after the same evidence, they team up to solve the mystery. Then, immediately following on Sleepy Hollow (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), the intrigue continues as Ichabod’s old nemesis is back from the dead. Ichabod and Abbie need advanced forensic help and expertise to stop him and turn to Brennan and Booth to unlock 18th century secrets using 21st century science.

“When the idea came about to create this crossover event for fans, our writers’ room was immediately energized,” said Clifton Campbell, executive producer and showrunner of Sleepy Hollow. “The creative freedom to merge these two worlds which, at face value, seem so different; but at their core have such striking similarities – mystery, intrigue and methodical deduction, wrapped up in such strong character partnerships – was a challenge that we all welcomed, and we believe that fans of both series will be very satisfied by the result. It was a terrific collaborative experience across the board and we are eager to see the fan reaction to Ichabod and Abbie working alongside Brennan and Booth.”

“The Bones/Sleepy Hollow crossover is like a great episode of The X-Files, where the Bones hour is the Scully, logic-based perspective and the Sleepy Hollow hour is more Fox Mulder-esque,” said Michael Peterson, executive producer of Bones. “Put them together, and it’s going to be a great two-hour event that fans of both programs are going to love.”

FOX 2015-2016 Schedule Revealed

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, today unveiled the FOX primetime slate for the 2015-2016 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.

“Building on the phenomenal momentum created by GOTHAM, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and, of course, EMPIRE, we’re infusing next season’s schedule with new ambitious dramas, smart comedies, aspirational unscripted series and big live events and specials – all from the best creators in the business,” said Walden and Newman. “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.”

EXCLUSIVE: Alice Barrett on Reuniting with Stephen Schnetzer and Working with Kevin Bacon on Tonight's Episode of 'The Following'

Alice Barrett and Stephen Schnetzer on The Following.

Former Another World co-stars Alice Barrett and Stephen Schnetzer, who played beloved couple Frankie Frame and Cass Winthrop on the classic NBC soap, reunite on the Monday, April 13 episode of The Following, airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

In the episode, titled "Flesh & Blood," the FBI closes in on a suspect whom they believe to be the culprit behind the latest murders, but Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) believes the killer is still out there, leading him to dig deeper into dangerous territory. Meanwhile, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) undergoes evaluation in the days leading up to his execution and a new threat tries to cover his tracks.

Schenetzer is playing Dr. Malcom Tower and Barrett is playing Jan Tower. Dr. Tower is Gwen's (Zuleikha Robinson) boss, and Jan is his wife. Gwen schedules a dinner with Ryan and the Powers so Ryan can meet her boss.

"It was in every way an enjoyable experience, especially since working with Stephen was, as they say, like riding a bike," Barrett tells Serial Scoop. "We were comfortable with each other, our gracious hosts on set, Kevin and Zuleikha, and the crew immediately."

The actress enjoyed working with The Following lead Kevin Bacon, who started his career on the daytime soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Guiding Light.

"Kevin was surprisingly talkative, given how much work he has to do every day" Barrett shares. "We talked a lot about soaps, as Kevin started his career on Guiding Light. We joked about our soap niches. If I remember correctly, Kevin's was 'teenage drunk,' Stephen's was of course, 'Cassanova' and mine I think might have been most original, 'psychic private investigator.' "

Barrett would love to work with Schnetzer again.

"I can only say that nothing would make me happier than to work with Stephen again on a regular basis," she says. "I think we do it well."

'Empire' Finale Surpasses 23 Million Viewers in Live+7 Ratings

Taraji P. Henson stars as Cookie Lyon on Empire.

After 7 days of time-shifted viewing, the Empire finale episode (9pm on 3/18/15) delivered 23.1 million viewers and drew a 9.3/28 rating among Adults 18-49. This marks TV’s highest rated freshman season finale in nearly 10 years (since Grey’s Anatomy’s first season finale on 5/22/05 --- 9.8/24 rating).

The Empire finale episode continued to show strength with African-American viewers, posting a 43.4/94 rating with African-American Adults 18-49 -- a +30% higher rating in that demo than this year’s Super Bowl (33.3/70) in the Live +7s. And while the Empire finale dominated in Women demos, it delivered a huge male audience as well – 8.5 million Men 18-49 watched the finale within 7 days.

'Empire' Season Finale Preview: Musical Artists Snoop Dog, Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora, Juicy J and Patti Labelle Guest Star

Taraji P. Henson stars as Cookie Lyon on Empire.

Find out who will take the crown on the special two-hour season finale of Empire, airing tonight 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

In "Die But Once/Who I Am," Jamal and Lucious are on their way to forming a music-centered relationship, but once again, Lucious has a secret that's about to change everything. Hakeem decides to flirt with the enemy, while trying to figure out what the best move is for his career. Meanwhile, Cookie is cooking up a plan of her own.

Watch a sneak peek below:

'Empire' Sneak Peek: Jennifer Hudson, J Blige and Raven-Symoné Guest Star

Trai Byers stars as Andre Lyon on Empire.

Andre forms a new musical relationship with Michelle (guest star Jennifer Hudson), and a woman from Lucious' past, Angie (guest star Mary J Blige), comes into the picture on tonight's new "Sins Of The Father" episode of Empire at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

Lucious invites the whole family over to his home. However, everyone arrives with their own agendas. Hakeem, under the influence of Camilla (guest star Naomi Campbell), sets out to show his father that he's a true artist and a good businessman. Then, Cookie prepares to state her own agenda for Empire and for her family, when Olivia (guest star Raven-Symoné) arrives.

Watch a sneak peek below:

'Empire' Tops 'Scandal' and 'HTGAWM' in Social Comments/Tweets This Week

Per Nielsen's Social Guide, Wednesday's episode of Empire is the most social primetime TV show on broadcast or cable so far this week – generating more social comments/tweets during its broadcast (366,088) than both Scandal (281,475) and How to Get Away with Murder (94,000).

This week's Empire also posted the highest Live + Same Day rating (4.8) of any broadcast drama telecast (excluding premieres) in 4 years –since Grey's Anatomy on 3/31/11 (4.9/13).

Empire is this season’s only broadcast drama to average higher than a 5.0 rating in the Live + 3s (its current L3 average is a 5.7/17)

And according to measurement service Rentrak, in the month of January 2015, the first three episodes of Empire were the top 3 most-viewed titles overall on VOD.

67th Primetime Emmy Awards To Air September 20 on FOX

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards return to FOX, airing live coast-to-coast from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 20 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT).
The Emmy Awards recognize excellence within various areas of television and emerging media. The Primetime Emmy Award is a symbol of peer recognition from more than 17,500 voting members of the Television Academy.

Host(s) and producers for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced soon.

Additionally, the “Creative Arts Emmy Awards” will be held on Saturday, September 12 and will air on FXX on a date to be announced.

'Empire' First Broadcast Series in 23 Year to Gain Viewers in Each of Its First Five Episodes

Following this week’s ratings gain, Empire is the only primetime broadcast series to grow in total viewers over each of its first five telecasts in at least 23 years (since Nielsen began measuring that metric in September 1991). In Live + Same Day ratings, Empire was watched by 11.47 million viewers with a 4.6 rating/14 share in the Adults 18-49 demo.

Through its first five weeks, American Idol is showing better retention from its premiere this season (90%) than it did last season, when it was down -23% from premiere at this point.

FOX is up +10% versus last year in non-linear viewing outside the Nielsen-measured window (FOX NOW, Hulu and VOD Days 4+). Non-linear viewing accounts for 17% of all FOX entertainment programming consumption, versus 13% last year.

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* 'Empire' Spoilers: February Episode Preview

'Gotham' Spoilers: February Episode Preview

Robin Lord Taylor plays Oswald Chesterfield "Penguin" Cobblepot in Gotham.

FOX is airing four new episodes of Gotham during February. Below is a preview of what's coming up:

February 2 - Alliances will be tested. The fearsome secret origin of iconic Super-Villain The Scarecrow is revealed.

'Empire' Spoilers: February Episode Preview

Jussie Smollett and Taraji P. Henson star in Empire.

Empire, the hottest show on television, ignites in February with four all-new episodes guaranteed to have fans screaming howling at their screens every Wednesday night.

Below is a preview of what's coming up:

February 4 - After receiving an ominous "gift," Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) takes drastic measures when she fears her prison past has come back to haunt her.

'Glee' Spoilers: February Episode Preview

Jane Lynch stars as Sue Sylvester in Glee.

Glee continues its final season with new episodes in each of the next four weeks. Below is a preview of what's coming up:

January 30 - The new New Directions has its first group performance, and Sue (Jane Lynch) steps up her plans to reunite Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss).

'Empire' Premiere Surpasses 20 Million Viewers

With all available data to date, FOX musical drama Empire is…
o The #1 new series – and broadcast drama – among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54 this season
o The #1 series overall among African-American viewers Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, and Adults 25-54
o The #1 new series and broadcast drama among Hispanic Adults 18-49 (English language)
o The #2 new series among Men 18-49 and Men 18-34 (behind only Gotham)

· In fact, Episode 1 of Empire has already drawn a Multi-Platform audience of 20.4 Million, a +106% gain versus Live + Same Day delivery – and that’s only in the first 15 days.



The Lee Daniels-produced drama, which stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, has already been renewed for second season by FOX.