CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
TV News: FOX Announces 2012 Mid-Season Schedule
CHICAGO – FOX just announced their premiere dates for the 2011-2012 midseason including exactly when to tune in for the return of “American Idol,” along with the highly-anticipated premieres of J.J. Abrams’ “Alcatraz,” new mystery “The Finder,” Kiefer Sutherland drama “Touch,” and the animated adaptation of “Napoleon Dynamite.” They also scheduled the return of two nearly-canceled shows — “Breaking In” and “Bob’s Burgers” — along with announcing that “I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” “Glee,” and “Bones” will be taking some time off in the winter, returning with new episodes in the spring.
By night of the week:
Alcatraz Photo credit: Fox |
Monday
“Alcatraz” premieres with a two-hour debut on January 16th at 7pm CST and moves into its 8pm CST timeslot the following week, airing after new episodes of “House.” Another two-hour episode of “Alcatraz” airs on Monday, March 12th, and then the shortened season ends, to be replaced by “Touch” on March 19th, 2012.
Tuesday
The line-up of “Glee,” “New Girl,” and “Raising Hope” stays the same through January and February, but the singing boys and girls at “Glee” go on hiatus on March 6th as the night will open with repeats of the Zooey Deschanel hit followed by “Breaking In,” new episodes of “New Girl,” and “Raising Hope.”
Wednesday
“American Idol” will anchor the night at 7pm starting January 18th, 2012. A special preview of “Touch” will air on January 25th after “Idol” and “Mobbed” will appear in the 8pm timeslot until “American Idol” stretches back to two hours starting February 15th.
Thursday
“American Idol” debuts on January 19th, followed by “The Finder” at 8pm CST, which actually debuts the week before on January 12th after a repeat of “Bones” before getting its super-powered lead-in.
Friday
“Kitchen Nightmares” and “Fringe.” What an odd pair.
Saturday
“Cops” and dramatic encores. Yawn.
Sunday
Repeats of “Bob’s Burgers” return on January 8th at 6pm CST to kick off the animation domination block. “Napoleon Dynamite” premieres on January 15th at 7:30pm CST. On March 11th, “Napoleon” is replaced by new episodes of “Bob’s Burgers.”
New Series Descriptions, from the press release
Touch Photo credit: Fox |
TOUCH, the distinctive new drama created by Tim Kring (“Heroes”) and starring Kiefer Sutherland (“24”) will debut with a special preview Wednesday, Jan. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), immediately following AMERICAN IDOL (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The uplifting drama, which makes its series premiere Monday, March 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), features Sutherland as a widower and single father haunted by an inability to connect to his mute 11-year-old son. But everything changes when he discovers that his son possesses the gift of staggering genius – the ability to see things that no one else can and the patterns that connect seemingly unrelated events.
J.J. Abrams’ (“Super 8,” “Star Trek,” “Lost”) chilling new thriller ALCATRAZ will debut Monday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with a special two-hour premiere event. The series then makes its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 23 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following all-new episodes of HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The mysterious drama stars Sarah Jones (“Sons of Anarchy”), Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) and Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”) as a unique team investigating the shocking reappearance of Alcatraz’s most notorious prisoners, 50 years after they vanished.
THE FINDER, the one-hour procedural centering on a remarkable man with an extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable, joins the schedule Thursday, Jan. 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The debut follows an encore episode of BONES (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), in which THE FINDER’s “Walter Sherman” (Geoff Stults, “She’s Out of My League,” “October Road”) and “Leo Knox” (Michael Clarke Duncan, “The Green Mile”) were first introduced.
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, the new animated comedy based on the hit movie, joins the ANIMATION DOMINATION lineup with a double dose of DYNAMITE episodes Sunday, Jan. 15, beginning with the series premiere at 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT, followed by a second all-new episode at 9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT. Featuring the voices of the original cast, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE follows the continuing adventures of America’s most awesomely awkward teenager and his quirky family and friends, as they navigate small-town life in rural Idaho.
By BRIAN TALLERICO |