Football clears the way for Fox’s new shows

This is the new reality for TV networks:
If you want a new (or returning) show to get noticed, you’d better have a football game to precede it. That’s what Fox will do for its two new shows (on Jan. 4 and 25) and its best returning one (“Animal Control,”shown here, Dec. 28).
In recent years, pro football games have thoroughly topped other shows in the Nielsen ratings. Fox has adjusted by introducing a scripted series just as the game ends, in all time zones — 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT, for instance.
This time, the network will focus on two bright shows and one darker one:
— “Animal Control” is a blend of character comedy (Joel McHale stars) and sight gags (animals are good for that). It starts its fourth season at about 8 p.m. ET Dec. 28, then waits until Jan. 15 to take its Thursday spot between “Hell’s Kitchen” and Denis Leary’s “Going Dutch.”
— “Best Medicine” is an American version of “Doc Martin.” Some viewers will miss the droll, dry British wit of the original. Others, however, will savor the charm, with a big-city doctor reluctantly setting up shop in a New England village filled with eccentric souls. It debuts at about 8 p.m. ET Jan. 4; two days later, it takes its regular spot on Tuesdays, in front of “Doc.”
— “Memory of a Killer” visits darker turf. It’s based on a Belgian film about a hit man suffering early-onset Alzheimer’s disease; Patrick Dempsey stars. That debuts after the NFC championship game Jan. 25; the next night, it takes its spot at 8 p.m. Mondays, in front of “Extracted.”