Fox Fall Report Card 2008

Rank: #4 - 7.2 million / 2.7 rating / 45 median age

How does that compare to last year? Last year Fox touted fourth-quarter gains, climbing out of its usual fall hole. But this year the network is down 13%.   

Killer show: “House” continues to rank as Fox's biggest hit, despite weakening this year.

Soft spot: After “Do Not Disturb” died in the Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. slot, Fox doubled down on similarly low-rated “'Til Death.” This formerly intimidating time period is weak this fall, and there's room here for a new drama to rule the mob.   

Stealth strength: “Bones.” For years while covering the cable networks, I honestly thought this was a medical drama. Fox advertises the heck out of “Terminator,” “Fringe” and “Prison Break,” yet its CBS-esque crime show is doing better than all of them.

Reality check: Fox is famed for strong reality shows, but ratings have ebbed for “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader,” “Don't Forget the Lyrics” and “Kitchen Nightmares," plus new effort “Hole in the Wall” didn't catch fire. Still, the returning shows are earning hazard pay in tougher time periods than last year.

Smartest move: The most controversial scheduling move of the fall (yes, there is such a thing) has been the shift by Fox of its top-rated series “House” to lesser-watched 8 p.m. to make room for “Fringe.” But by giving the new show the strongest possible lead-in, Fox now wins two hours on Tuesday nights instead of one.

Freshman update: "Fringe" doing great, though one wonders how it would perform without "House." "Disturb" canceled. "Hole" is filling one, but just.

Analysis: The network seemingly put all its eggs into one basket with “Fringe.” Thankfully, that basket didn't bust and "Fringe" is averaging higher ratings than any other freshman show. Fox's annual baseball bet is striking out, though, with the World Series expected to rank among the lowest-rated ever.

Burning questions: Can “Fringe” maintain its hit status and will the network's full season pickup of “Terminator” pay off? Plus, will the return of “24” with a two-hour movie break the writers strike curse? (Personal suspicion: It will).

If this network were an animal, what would it be? A fox! Wait, no, too obvious. A grizzly bear — hibernates during winter, then awakes to maul competitors.

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