THE SKED: FOX Joins the Backorder Brigade

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One trend of the early season seems to be networks willing to accept ratings from their newcomers that would have ensured cancellation just a few seasons ago.  Last week NBC gave a full-season order to The New Normal, which instantly rolled out a tepid 1.7 rating, and today it’s FOX’s turn.  THE MINDY PROJECT has received a 9-episode order for a traditional total of 22, while BEN AND KATE got an extra 6 for a total of 19.  (Reportedly the lower order for Ben and Kate is due to series creator Dana Fox’s pregnancy rather than ratings-related reasons.)  See our reviews of the newly-extended shows here and here.

Mindy hasn’t set the Nielsens on fire, with a 1.9 last week that was down a hefty 0.9 from its New Girl lead-in, but the show is high-quality and it makes some sense for the network to give it a chance to settle in and–such is the hope–catch on.  Ben and Kate, with a 1.6 last week, is tougher to justify.  It’s probably worth noting that FOX didn’t order any midseason half-hours for this year’s schedule, and with Mob Doctor already floundering and the rest of the line-up underwhelming, the rationale might have been that there’s nothing on the bench likely to do better, and the network might as well go all-in on last spring’s creative choices.

And remember:  a series order can always be cut back if necessary–all it costs is money.