FOX TV has set the fall premiere dates for the 2017-2018 season, featuring the return of popular primetime animated comedies Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons and Family Guy as well as the debut of animation wunderkind Seth MacFarlane and Jon Favreau’s new live-action sci-fi spoof The Orville, which will bow with a special two-night series premiere on consecutive Sundays (Sept. 10 and 17) before moving to its regular Thursday night slot.
From Emmy-winning exec producer and creator MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted) and director Favreau (The Jungle Book, Iron Man), The Orville is set 400 years in the future and follows the adventures of The Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of everyday life. Starring MacFarlane as Ed Mercer, the ship’s Commanding Officer, and Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson, who’s assigned as his First Officer. The series also stars Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, Halston Sage, J. Lee (Family Guy, The Cleveland Show), Mark Jackson, Chad Coleman and Norm Macdonald. MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Liz Heldens are executive producers. Favreau serves as an executive producer and directed the pilot. (Trailer)
Also offering fresh opportunities for cool VFX work is The Gifted, produced in association with Marvel Television and making its series premiere Oct. 2 after the return of Lucifer. The show tells the emotional story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family seeks help from an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive. Set within the X-Men universe, the series stars Stephen Moyer (Shots Fired), Amy Acker (Person of Interest), Natalie Alyn Lind (Gotham) and Percy Hynes White (Night at the Museum 3) as the Strucker family. Also featured are Sean Teale, Jamie Chung, Emma Dumont, Blair Redford and Coby Bell. Written by Matt Nix, directed by Bryan Singer (the X-Men franchise) and executive-produced by Nix, Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg and Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory. (Trailer)
FOX TV fall 2017 premieres:
Sunday, Sept. 10
8 p.m. ET/PT The Orville (Special Series Premiere, Part 1)
Sunday, Sept. 17
8 p.m. The Orville (Special Series Premiere, Part 2)
Tuesday, Sept. 26
8 p.m. Lethal Weapon (Season Two)
9 p.m. The Mick (Season Two)
9:30 p.m. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season Five)
Wednesday, Sept. 27
8 p.m. Empire (Season Four)
9 p.m. Star (Season Two)
Thursday, Sept. 28
8 p.m. Gotham (Season Four)
9 p.m. The Orville (Timeslot Premiere)
Friday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. Hell’s Kitchen (Season 17)
9 p.m. The Exorcist (Season Two)
Sunday, Oct. 1
7:30 p.m. Bob’s Burgers (Season Eight)
8 p.m. The Simpsons (Season 29)
8:30 p.m. Ghosted (Series Premiere)
9 p.m. Family Guy (Season 15)
9:30 p.m. The Last Man on Earth (Season Four)
Monday, Oct. 2
8 p.m. Lucifer (Season Three)
9 p.m. The Gifted (Season Premiere)
