Network Scorecard: Scoring the networks based on their history of airing and supporting sci fi and fantasy television shows.
Network Overview
FOX is the newest of the Big Four broadcast networks (which also includes ABC, CBS, and NBC) having gotten its start in the late 1980s. That network took a lot of chances early on with its programming which included sticking with a little series known as The X-Files after its low-rated first season, allowing it to build an audience and eventually become an international hit. But by the mid-to-late 90s, FOX had adapted the same net-think as the other major broadcasters and was much quicker to cancel its shows. The cancellation of Firefly after one season was one of its most notorious moves, but several others were also cut short by the network such as Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Almost Human. Some genre entries have enjoyed long runs on the network like The X-Files, Fringe, and Gotham, but the frequent cancellations have definitely drawn the ire of the sci fi community.
What Type of Sci Fi Shows Does the Network Air?
Over the past ten seasons, FOX has given the greenlight to any of a number of different types of genre entries including science fiction (The Orville, Terra Nova), superhero (Gotham, The Gifted), supernatural (The Exorcist, Sleepy Hollow), comedy (The Last Man on Earth), and more. The standard Prime Time-friendly formulas are not always applied to the network’s shows, though it has put out some that mix in the standard procedural elements (Lucifer, Almost Human) or a twist on the sitcom format (Son of Zorn, The Last Man on Earth). FOX has put out quite a number of shows that have drawn the interest of sci fi and fantasy fans over the past ten years, but few of those have managed to stick around beyond the two to three season range. Though I should note that The Gifted getting cancelled after two seasons and The Orville moving to Hulu for its third year probably had more to do with the Disney buyout. And with a new corporate structure in place, it is hard to gauge how receptive they will be to genre entries going forward (there are none on the 2021-22 schedule).
How Quick is the Network to Cancel Sci Fi Shows?
The general consensus among the sci fi community is that FOX is the most likely among the broadcast networks to cancel sci fi and fantasy shows, but that is not true when it comes to the freshman series over the last ten seasons. New genre entries have been cancelled 50% of the time over that period while the cancellation rate for all of FOX’s scripted shows is higher at 55%. However, sci fi shows have a much higher cancellation rate in their second season at 30% vs. 16% for the general population (The Gifted and The Orville are skewing that a bit, though). For shows that have lasted four seasons or longer, genre entries have a slightly higher rate of 15% vs. 12% for all scripted shows on the network. Going back to the the 2017-18 season, though, the cancellation rate for new shows is higher. 60% were cancelled after their first season with all gone by their second (again, the two shows impacted by the Disney buyout are skewing that higher). Lucifer was infamously cancelled by the network after three seasons despite pulling decent enough ratings, and that one went on to become a huge hit for Netflix. The Orville may follow a similar pattern.
FOX New Scripted Programming 2011-12 Season thru 2020-21 Season
| All Scripted Shows | ||
| Series Count | 69 | |
| Cancelled after 1 Season | 38 | 55.1% |
| Cancelled after 2 Seasons | 11 | 15.9% |
| Cancelled after 3 Seasons | 6 | 8.7% |
| 4 Season or More | 8 | 11.6% |
| Sci Fi/Fantasy | ||
| Series Count | 20 | |
| Cancelled after 1 Season | 10 | 50.0% |
| Cancelled after 2 Seasons | 6 | 30.0% |
| Cancelled after 3 Seasons | 1 | 5.0% |
| 4 Season or More | 3 | 15.0% |
Network Score
I give FOX a score of 1 ½ on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest). Many probably believe that should be lower, but the fact is that the network has been willing to add sci fi and fantasy entries to its schedule, even if it does not support them for too long. It is unclear what direction the network will take going forward, and if it comes under the influence of the FOX News division (which seems likely), that could be bad for genre television. But the fact is that the broadcast networks in general are facing major changes ahead and may shy away from any scripted programming that veers too much from Prime Time-friendly formula. The fact that FOX has no genre entries on its schedule for the coming season just may foretell the direction it will follow.
Sci Fi/Fantasy Shows Over the Past Ten Years
This is a list of the sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on FOX since the 2011-12 season sorted by how many seasons they lasted. Note that the network is not currently carrying any genre entries over to the upcoming 2021-22 season because it cancelled Next, the only one from the current season.
| Series | Start | Seasons |
| Gotham | 2014-15 | 5 |
| Sleepy Hollow | 2013-14 | 4 |
| The Last Man on Earth | 2014-15 | 4 |
| Lucifer | 2015-16 | 3 |
| Scream Queens | 2015-16 | 2 |
| The Exorcist | 2016-17 | 2 |
| The Gifted | 2017-18 | 2 |
| The Orville | 2017-18 | 2 |
| Touch | 2011-12 | 2 |
| Wayward Pines | 2014-15 | 2 |
| Alcatraz | 2011-12 | 1 |
| Almost Human | 2013-14 | 1 |
| Ghosted | 2017-18 | 1 |
| Making History | 2016-17 | 1 |
| Minority Report | 2015-16 | 1 |
| Next | 2020-21 | 1 |
| Second Chance | 2015-16 | 1 |
| Son of Zorn | 2016-17 | 1 |
| Terra Nova | 2011-12 | 1 |
| The Passage | 2018-19 | 1 |
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