Dollhouse

Fox reveals midseason lineup — full schedule and premiere dates

Human target"Human Target" is one of three Fox shows to receive the coveted "American Idol" lead-in next year while "Fringe" will keep toughing it out on Thursdays.

The decisions are part of Fox’s midseason schedule which lays out the network’s lineup through April.

Mondays will contain the network’s marquee dramas, "House" and "24," starting Jan. 25, with "24" getting a two-hour opener the previous week.

Tuesdays have "American Idol" kicking off Jan. 12. "Idol" will be used to introduce viewers to Mark Burnett’s new family friendly game show, "Our Little Genius," on Wednesday, Jan. 13, before the show shifts to Tuesdays (also paired with "Idol") beginning Jan. 19.

"Glee" will return to take over for "Genius" on Tuesdays starting April 13 — meaning the musical comedy is taking a whopping four-month hiatus after its mid-December fall finale. The move likely accommodates showrunner Ryan Murphy’s shooting schedule for his adaptation of "Eat, Pray, Love." Also, given that "Glee" is returning to a powerful "Idol" lead-in, the network doesn’t exactly have to worry about the show’s ratings falling due to the extended break.

On Wednesdays, new action-drama "Human Target" will benefit from "Idol" starting Jan. 20. "Target" will launch a few nights earlier, Sunday, Jan. 17, where it will have a plum launch, debuting between Fox’s telecast of the NFC Divisional Playoff game and the two-hour "24" premiere — a male-skewing ratings sandwich.

Despite some ratings trouble for "Fringe" that’s had fans clamoring for Fox to move the show to a less competitive night, the drama will stay on Thursdays paired with "Bones." New procedural drama "Past Life" will take over for "Fringe" as of Feb. 11, but since Fox shortened its order for the show, "Fringe" will return April 1.

Fox will air the series finale of "Dollhouse" on Jan. 22, then Gordon Ramsay’s "Kitchen Nightmares" takes over the time period the following week.

And finally on Sunday nights, new live action comedy "Sons of Tuscon" will get a chance in the animation block, airing at 8:30 p.m. starting March 14. "Cleveland" will shift to 9:30 p.m. to make room, with "American Dad" off the board.

Also off the board is "Lie to Me," which Fox just picked up for a full season and plans to air sometime in midseason. Though there’s no obvious spot on the schedule now, it’s always better to have a show and not need it than to need a show and not have it. "Til Death" will also rise again at some point.