Television can be a competitive market when it comes to new shows trying to keep a primetime spot. Most can at least count on making it through a couple of episodes before networks decide whether or not to take action, but unfortunately for upcoming Fox sitcom Making History, the episode order has been cut before the first episode even hit the airwaves.
Fox originally ordered 13 episodes of Making History to debut as part of the midseason 2017 schedule, but the order has now been shortened by four, with only nine episodes planned at this point. The news should come as a disappointment to any who were looking forward to the project, but it's not all terrible. The order hasn't been reduced due to a lack of faith in Making History; Fox reportedly had to cut four episodes due to scheduling this spring. The primetime lineup only has room for nine episodes in order to balance new and returning series in spring 2017, according to TVLine. If the first nine are received well enough, there's no reason to believe that Fox wouldn't order additional installments.
The series has a wild enough premise that it has the potential to either flop or fly spectacularly. Making History is set to follow three pals who discover the secret to traveling through time, and because none of them evidently have ever seen a time travel movie, they decide that they can meddle with the past in order to try and improve their present. They visit huge moments in history and end up using pop culture and modern references to the befuddlement of the folks in days gone by. Making History is headlined by Adam Pally of Happy Endings and Leighton Meester Gossip Girl as two of the time travelers, so that also bodes well for its success.
Making History is one of several new shows that will involve time travel in some form or other. ABC, NBC, and even The CW have premiered or will premiere series having to do with timeline shenanigans, and that's not counting time-flipping shows that have already been airing, such as 12 Monkeys. Making History will be the only comedy, so it may stand out from all the others.
Hopefully the new show will be a hit for Fox. Series like New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are still going strong, but Fox axed four comedies last spring. The Grinder, Bordertown, Grandfathered, and Cooper Barrett's Guide To Surviving Life were all cancelled, which brought an end to Fox's lofty goal of two killer live-action comedy nights on Tuesdays and Sundays. The network could really use a new half-hour show successful enough to last for more than one season. Adam Pally is sitcom expert with a following, so he may help to draw an audience.
Making History hasn't yet set an exact premiere date, but we can expect it some time in early 2017. Check out our fall TV schedule to see what you can watch in the meantime.
