David Boreanaz

Fox shuffles fall schedule

Fox execs moved ’New Amsterdam’ off the fall schedule, but the show remains in production with a launch skedded for January.

Fox is shaking up its fall schedule, putting "New Amsterdam" on ice and keeping "Don’t Forget the Lyrics" on air through the fall.

New lineup also moves "Bones" away from the crowded Wednesday 9 p.m. slot (where all five nets had originally scheduled dramas), and keeps Fox wall-to-wall unscripted from 9 p.m. Wednesday up until Sunday.

Net execs said the moves were made in order to improve Fox’s chances in the fall, where it has struggled in recent years.

By taking a new, unproven show off the air while keeping "Lyrics" — a mild summer hit — on the sked and also protecting "Bones," Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said he liked Fox’s fall chances more than he did a day ago.

"Our No.1 goal has been to go into a fourth quarter where we can be competitive," Beckman said. "Fortunately this summer we developed ’Don’t Forget the Lyrics.’ I think the show is real, and that allowed us to look at our schedule and make changes that will put us in a better position during a time of year that we generally don’t do too well."

This fall "Bones" will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (rather than Wednesdays at 9 p.m., where it was up against "Criminal Minds," "Private Practice," "Bionic Woman" and "Gossip Girl"), leading into "House." Move is effective Sept. 25.

As for "New Amsterdam," the show remains in production and will bow in midseason. Fox already announced "New Amsterdam" would run Fridays at 9 p.m. come January; so far that’s unchanged. Execs stressed that the show wouldn’t suffer the fate of past Fox shows announced for fall but never making it to air, such as "Hollyweird" or "Manchester Prep."