With everyone comfortably seated and chair references held to a minimum, Fox put its 2023 upfront in the rearview and spent this year’s installment focused on the big games and potential wins ahead.
Fox returned to a live upfront last year with an event that left half of its attendees standing while others sat. However, this time, it was a different story.
“As you can see, this year we have spared no expense because remember last year I promised you some fucking chairs?” noted Food Stars host Gordon Ramsay from the stage.
“On behalf of everybody here, thank you for allowing them to sit today,” added Fox NFL Sunday host Michael Strahan.
It was back to business from there.
After solidifying plans for its fall lineup during a call earlier in the day, Fox went into upfront from the Hammerstein Ballroom with much of that lineup making cameos between much bigger pitches for the company’s tentpole events. Lego Masters host Will Arnett voiced the intro (with a dig at NBCU’s upfront-week opening event—”Live from the city that never sleeps, unless you were just at the NBC upfront”), then appeared in a brief Lego-flute-aided sketch with Grimsburg star Jon Hamm and Animal Control star Joel McHale.
“Look who [Fox Entertainment CEO] Rob Wade bullied into making two appearances tonight,” Arnett quipped.
Rob Lowe was on hand to promote both the second season of his game show The Floor and his ongoing drama 9-1-1 Lone Star but turned his attention to the John Well-directed, Hawaii-based drama Rescue: Hi Surf. The series is noteworthy for getting the coveted spot immediately following Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 59.
Turning to tentpoles
Beyond Molly Parker previewing the new medical procedural Doc, Gordon Ramsey and Lisa Vanderpump promoting Food Stars and Anthony Anderson touting his two-hour The Real Full Monty special in which he, Taye Diggs and James Van Der Beek (among others) strip for cancer awareness, much of Fox’s focus was drawn by news, sports and streaming.
Beat Shazam host Jamie Foxx’s continued chiding of Wade from the stage served only as an introduction to former New York Yankees teammates and current MLB on Fox personalities Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez previewing Fox’s upcoming MLB at Rickwood Field tribute to the Negro Leagues in Alabama this season. Strahan and NFL on Fox commentators Curt Menifee and Rob Gronkowski segued a sports discussion into a preview of Fox News presidential election coverage.
