At mid-season, Fox remembers scripted shows

When the second half of the TV season starts in January, Fox will rediscover the notion of scripted shows.
This fall, it only had two of them (animation excluded). Soon it will have five (incliuding a “Doc Martin” reboot, shown here) … plus a three-Sunday mini-series … plus restocking its cartoons.
The two scripted non-cartoons this fall are “Murder in a Small Town” (with only a 10-episode season) and “Doc,” which will rest for a month, then return Jan. 6. It will be joined by:
— “Best Medicine,” which adapts the low-key British gem “Doc Martin.” Josh Charles plays a skilled surgeon, devoid of people skills, suddenly exiled to a folksy New England town. Annie Potts, the “Young Sheldon” grandma, and Abigail Spencer co-star.
— “Memory of a Killer,” adapting a Belgian film. Patrick Dempsy plays a hit man with a personal secret; Michael Imperioli is the chef whose restaurant
is a front for organized crime.
— Fox’s only non-cartoon comedies, Joel McHale’s “Animal Control” and Denis Leary’s “Going Dutch.” Both have short seasons.
— A six-hour mini-series that will take three Sundays, ending on Easter. “The Faithful” tells the stories of Genesis through its women; the cast includes Millie Driver, Blu Hunt, Jeffrey Donovan and James Purefoy.
— And the continued juggling of cartoons, to avoid reruns. Even “The Simpsons” will rest — shortly after its 800th episode. Returning will be “Family Guy” and “American Dad.”
Those changes come with the season-finales of current game and reality shows, the return of some others (“The Masked Singer,” “Extracted,” “Next Level Chef”) and the debut of a revamped “Fear Factor.” The schedule:
MONDAYS: “Extracted” and “Memory of a Killer,” 8 and 9 p.m., starting Jan. 26.
TUESDAYS: “Best Medicine” and “Doc,” 8 and 9 p.m., starting Jan. 6.
WEDNESDAYS: “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.,m., Jan. 7. The opener is two hours; then “Fear Factor: House of Fear” takes the 9 p.m. spot on Jan. 14.
THURSDAYS: “Animal Control” and “Going Dutch” arrive at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Jan. 15. They follow the season’s final “Hell’s Kitchen” episodes on Jan. 15 and 22; then “Next Level Chef” takes the 8 p.m. slot on Jan. 29.
FRIDAYS and SATURDAYS: Sports continue.
SUNDAYS: On Feb. 15, “The Simpsons has its 800th episode at 8 p.m. and its season finale at 8:30. “Universal Basic Guys” is at 9; then “Family Guy” opens its season with its 450th episode, at 9:30.
The next week, it’s “Family Guy” at 8, “Universal Basic Guys” at 8:30, the season-opener of “American Dad” at 9 and another “Family Guy” at 9:30.
Those will continue, stepping aside for “The Faithful” on March 22, March 29 and April 5, which is Easter Sunday.