Some leaders in the broadcast space are looking to cable more and more as inspiration for their next big hit, but Fox has decided adamantly against that. New Fox chiefs Gary Newman and Dana Walden want to veer away from niche audiences of cable in favor of “big, broad commercial hits.”

And thus outlines the Fox plan for 2015: find wide-ranging, all-inclusive stories to tell, then market them like crazy.

The plan kicks off with Wednesday’s premiere of Empire, which Fox’s EVP of marketing, Laurel Bernard, described as “a show that plays across all audiences.” The show comes from co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, all celebrated names in the business bringing the series plenty of clout. Its lead-in of American Idol, which has been down but not quite out in ratings lately, certainly can’t help either.

The premiere of Empire and American Idol will mark the midseason turning point for Fox’s Newman and Walden, who have plans for Fox that involve big, bold hits - not “smaller, dark programming,” according to Newman. “We don’t aspire to be a cable network,” he added, alluding to his predecessor Kevin Reilly’s predilection toward shows aimed at niche cable audiences.

Fox’s turnaround, according to Newman, will come at the hands of broadly popular producers bringing new points of view, including Ryan Murphy and Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Mark Burnett. Empire will follow the model that the successful Gotham, one of Fox’s hits last fall, began: big personalities telling stories to appeal to mass audiences.

Walden wants the Fox unscripted brand to move toward more aspirational stories, and Newman wants “more heart” in its comedies, shooting for a more upbeat feel to match the success of shows like Modern Family.

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.

Brief Take: With not many of fall’s premieres surviving the year and American Idol slowly leaving the race, Fox needs a hit to anchor its programming, and its brand, in place for the coming year.

[Image courtesy of Fox]

Tags:


  Save as PDF