In a move that seems more like 2020 than 2022, Fox has delayed a major show for at least a half-year, blaming Covid.
The network had planned a big start for “Monarch,” a country-music drama starring Trace Adkins, Anna Friel and Susan Sarandon (shown here). It would start right after the NFC championship game Sunday (Jan. 30), then settle into a spot at 9 p.m. Tuesdays.
Fox started airing “Monarch” promos … released a trailer … and then decided the show will wait until fall. It blamed “the profound impact Covid-19 continues to have on our industry” … but had no specifics about anyone testing positive. Instead, it merely said that if there were problems, the show would have been thrown off-schedule.
The change required an extra infusion of reality shows. “Next Level Chef” gets the post-football spot; the Tuesday spot goes to “The Real Dirty Dancing.”