If you thought the World Trade Center in Fringe's season finale really upped the ante on "I can't believe they'd go there," Fox has responded with a scheduling move that's just as ballsy.
The network has just revealed its fall schedule, which (in addition to cloning summer hit So You Think You Can Dance for an autumn berth) moves the well-performing Fringe into the war zone that is Thursday night at 9pm. Now, the sci-fi show has to go up against the other networks' heaviest hitters: Grey's Anatomy on ABC, CSI on CBS, and The Office on NBC.
"The door is more open on this night than it has been in a long time," Fox president Kevin Reilly said. "Fringe is a real alternative to both [Grey's and CSI]."
Our response to the news mirrors that of Fringe's central trio: skepticism (Joshua Jackson), blank-faced acceptance (Anna Torv), and then, finally, a rambling, overacted monologue about how alternate universe network CNS once scheduled a test pattern on Thursdays that forced viewers to become flesh-eating automatons (John Noble).
ยท Official: Fox's fall schedule; 'Fringe' on Thursdays [THR]