Fox has handed early season renewals to three of its most successful series: freshman dramas Gotham and Empire, and sophomore comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The announcements were made recently, during Fox’s TCA presentation. In addition to confirming that all three shows will be coming back next year, Fox TV Group chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman also noted that long-running procedural Bones is a solid bet to return (provided that new deals are reached with stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanz), and that Sleepy Hollow, despite problems in its low-rated second season, isn’t dead yet.
None of the renewals are exactly surprising. Gotham was one of the buzziest shows of the fall season, and its huge premiere saved Fox during a TV season that saw high-profile disasters like heavily advertised reality series Utopia, DOA limited series Gracepoint and disappointing medical drama Red Band Society. Gotham, averaging a 4.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.6 million viewers overall, swooped in to become the fall season’s no. 1 broadcast drama overall among men 18-49 and men 18-34. Additionally, the 6.0 premiere rating in adults 18-49 makes Gotham Fox’s biggest debut in over a decade. Mixed reviews never had a chance of slowing its momentum.
As well as Gotham did for the network, Empire was perhaps even more of a savior for Fox this month. At only two episodes into its run, the musical drama is a ratings juggernaut, having tied ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder for the highest-rated series debut of the season at 3.8 in adults 18-49 and a total of 9.9 million viewers. In its second week on the air, Empire wowed by climbing to a 4.0 adults 18-49 rating. Even at this early stage, a second season pickup was in the bag.
Finally, Brooklyn Nine-Nine grew its viewer base during its sophomore year, averaging a 2.7 adults 18-49 rating, and with the two Golden Globes on its shelf, a renewal was always highly likely even without the gains.
Tell us, are you watching any of these series? And if so, what do you make of their seasons thus far?
