Fox Announces 2012 Fall Premiere Dates

Fox has set the fall premiere dates for its new and returning series.

The 2012-2013 season begins with the spectacular return of The X Factor, last fall's No. 1 new unscripted series. The hit music competition series, featuring Simon Cowell, Britney Spears, Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Demi Lovato, will launch with a two-night season premiere event on Wednesday, Sept. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Sept. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Featuring new cast members including Kate Hudson and Sarah Jessica Parker in multi-episode story arcs, the fourth season of Glee launches on a new night and time Thursday, Sept. 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following The X Factor. With McKinley's senior class graduated and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) off to NYADA, change is in the air this fall for the Glee club.

Fan-favorite Bones will enter its eighth season on Monday, Sept. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), followed by the series premiere of the compelling new drama The Mob Doctor (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The Mob Doctor stars Jordana Spiro (My Boys) as a brilliant, life-saving surgeon indebted to the mob.

It's two for Tuesday, Sept. 25, when New Girl returns for New Girl Season 2 with two all-new episodes - a special episode at 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT and the season premiere at 9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT - and two new comedies, Ben and Kate (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) and The Mindy Project (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT), join the Tuesday comedy block. Ben and Kate stars newcomer Dakota Johnson and The Descendants (Bad Teacher, Academy Award-winning co-screenwriter of The Descendants) as a pair of odd-couple siblings - one a responsible single mom; the other a youthful free spirit - who reunite to help raise Kate's daughter, Maddie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones, We Bought a Zoo). Created and written by Mindy Kaling (The Office), The Mindy Project stars Kaling as a skilled OB/GYN trying to balance both her personal and professional life. The following week, on Tuesday, Oct. 2 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), Raising Hope returns to the Tuesday night lineup with all-new misadventures of the Chance family.

Fringe returns for an unparalleled fifth and final season Friday, Sept. 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), following an all-new episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Touch, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Maria Bello (Prime Suspect, A History of Violence), will make its Season Two debut Friday, Oct. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Sundays get animated beginning Sept. 30, with the season premieres of The Simpsons (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), Bob's Burgers (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT), Family Guy (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and American Dad! (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). Then, on Sunday, Oct. 7 (7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT), The Cleveland Show rejoins the Animation Domination lineup.

Fall premieres of new and returning series are listed below in chronological order (all times are ET/PT):