You can likely expect head-spinning horror and lots of fake vomit as the Fox network brings a new TV version of that decades-old spooky film hit “The Exorcist” to the small screen.
Fox unveiled its fall schedule that will include three new series — dramas based on the films “Lethal Weapon” and “The Exorcist” and a hybrid live action/animated comedy “Son of Zorn.”
Series that won’t be returning include the comedies “Grandfathered” and “The Grinder” and the science fiction crime drama “Minority Report,” which all premiered last fall; and the science fiction crime drama “Second Chance,” the comedy “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life,” and the animated comedy “Bordertown,” which all premiered in January.
Fox announced last May that “American Idol” would end its run with the 2016 season.
Of the five series that premiered on Fox last fall, two will return for second seasons, the crime drama “Rosewood” and the comedy-horror anthology series “Scream Queens” will return for second seasons, as will the fantasy police procedural “Lucifer.”
Fox’s new fall dramas are:
— “Lethal Weapon,” based on the buddy cop film franchise which starred Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Los Angeles Police Department detectives. Damon Wayans takes over Glover’s role, Roger Murtaugh, while Clayne Crawford takes Gibson’s, Martin Riggs.
The pilot was written by Matt Miller, who created the 2014-15 ABC fantasy crime drama “Forever” and was a producer of The CW post-apocalyptic science fiction drama “The 100,” and the 2012-13 ABC supernatural drama “666 Park Avenue.” It was directed by McG, who directed the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” and its 2003 sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” and the 2006 football drama “We Are Marshall.”
The cast also includes Keesha Sharp as Murtaugh’s wife Trish and Kevin Rahm as Murtaugh and Riggs’ boss.
— “The Exorcist,” based on the 1973 horror film, stars Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels as two very different priests tackling one family’s case of demonic possession. The cast also includes Oscar-winner Geena Davis as the family’s wife and mother.
The pilot was written by Jeremy Slater, who wrote the screenplay for the 2015 superhero film “Fantastic Four.” It was directed by Rupert Wyatt, who directed the 2011 science fiction film, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
“Son of Zorn” is about an animated warrior from a faraway island in the Pacific Ocean where everything and everyone is animated, who returns to Orange County to win back his live action ex-wife (Cheryl Hines) and 17-year- old son (Johnny Pemberton). Jason Sudeikis supplies the voice of the animated warrior.
The pilot was written by Reed Agnew and Eli Jorne, who had written for the FX comedy “Wilfred.”
Fox also announced that the latest installment of the “24” franchise, “24: Legacy” will premiere following Fox’s telecast of Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5.
Fox also announced it has ordered the dramas “Star,” co-created by “Empire” creator Lee Daniels; “Pitch,” about the first woman to play Major League Baseball (Kylie Bunbury); and “APB” for midseason, along with the comedies “The Mick” and “Making History,” and the competition series “Kicking & Screaming” and “My Kitchen Rules.”
Also debuting at midseason are the event series “Prison Break,” reuniting the original cast and producing team from the 2005-09 series and “Shots Fired,” whose cast includes the Oscar winners Richard Dreyfuss and Helen Hunt.
The drama “Sleepy Hollow” and the cooking competition “MasterChef Junior” will begin their seasons at midseason.
Here is the Fox fall schedule:
— Sunday: Football overrun; “The OT”/”Bob’s Burgers”; “The Simpsons”; “Son of Zorn”; ‘Family Guy”; “The Last Man on Earth”;
— Monday: “Gotham”; “Lucifer”;
— Tuesday: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”; “New Girl”; “Scream Queens”;
— Wednesday: “Lethal Weapon”; “Empire”;
— Thursday: “Rosewood”; “Bones”;
— Friday: “Hell’s Kitchen”; “The Exorcist”;
— Saturday: “Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football.”
—Staff and wire reports