Fox has shaken up its midseason plans, establishing a Friday night sci-fi block and giving a new drama series an “American Idol” lead-in.
The network plans to air Joss Whedon’s highly anticipated new series “Dollhouse” on Fridays at 9 p.m., following the low-rated “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which will move from its current Monday time period.
Friday is the second-least-watched night of the week, ahead of Saturday. Monday, on the other hand, is the most popular night, according to Nielsen Media Research.
“Dollhouse” stars Eliza Dushku as an agent for a secret organization that imprints its operatives with skills and personalities. The drama was originally scheduled to air with “24″ on Mondays in midseason but has been dogged by creative concerns. Instead, Mondays will feature “House” at 8 p.m. and “24″ at 9 p.m.
“American Idol” and “Fringe” will still partner on Tuesdays as planned, but Wednesday will no longer pair “House” and the “Idol” results show. With “House” shifted to Monday, “Idol” has been switched to 8 p.m. and will give TV’s most powerful lead-in to new drama “Lie to Me,” which stars Tim Roth as a “human lie detector.”