Fox brings classic reality show back from the dead in fall shakeup
Plus, a Baywatch-like series is in the works.
The 2023-2024 TV landscape is starting to come into shape, including Fox bringing back a former show from chef/reality star Gordon Ramsay that had previously aired on the networks years ago — Kitchen Nightmares. This was part of the network's announcement of the shows that would make up its 2023-2024 lineup.
Kitchen Nightmares originally ran on Fox for seven seasons, last airing in 2014. The show had Ramsey travel across the US visiting struggling restaurants and spend a week trying to help them turn things around. Of course, the chef's famous temper often came out as he dealt with staff and owners of the restaurants.
With the return of Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay is going to have three reality TV shows on Fox this upcoming season. Kitchen Nightmares is joining Hell's Kitchen, which is going into its 22nd season, and Next Level Chef, going into its third season.
Those three shows are part of the 13 total unscripted shows that Fox plans to premiere as part of the 2023-2024 TV season. It joins returning shows like The Masked Singer, Farmer Wants a Wife, Lego Masters (also getting a celebrity holiday special), Name That Tune, Special Forces and I Can See Your Voice. A handful of new reality shows are also on the way: Snake Oil, where contestants are going to have to try and figure out what outlandish product pitches and real or fake, and We Are Family, hosted by Jamie Foxx and seeing famous singers, hidden, perform duets with their relatives and contestants trying to guess who the musical stars is.
Then there are the scripted series set to make up the schedule. Returning shows are 9-1-1: Lone Star (9-1-1 is moving over to ABC), Accused, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Animal Control, Bob's Burgers, The Cleaning Lady, Family Guy, The Great North and The Simpsons. A handful of new shows are also premiering: Doc, a medical show about a doctor recovering from a traumatic brain injury; Grimsburg, an animated comedy starring Jon Hamm and Rachel Dratch about a detective trying to reconnect with his family; Krapopolis, another animated show created by Dan Harmon about one of the world's first civilizations; and Rescue: Hi-Surf, which follows a group of heavy-water lifeguards in Hawai'i that has some Baywatch vibes to it.
The Hollywood Reporter was among multiple outlets to report the Fox news.
There are still a couple of Fox shows who are awaiting their fate, like Housebroken and Welcome to Flatch. Deadline reports that a decision on Welcome to Flatch may wait until after the writers strike ends.
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Speaking of the ongoing writers strike, Fox has held off on not just giving premiere dates but even announcing what days of the week shows are going to air in the 2023-2024 season. Both CBS and NBC avoided announcing premiere dates as the writers strike could impact the fall TV schedule, but Fox Executive Vice President Program Planning and Content Strategy Dan Harrison said that, "Rather than announce a schedule today that we may not be able to meet, we’re holding back until we see what’s going to be available."
In addition to the TV shows, Fox's fall lineup is also going to include live sports, including Fox College Football, WWE Smackdown and the NFL on Fox.
Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.