Yes, Mulder and Scully are really coming back, and now we know when.
That was among the big announcements Monday when Fox released its fall schedule.
Eager to follow up on the success of the wildly popular soapy drama “Empire,” the network made some big announcements, including that “American Idol” will end next year with its 15th season.
Here are five things we learned about Fox in the fall, and beyond:
1. “The X-Files” will get a big rollout.
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will return to their FBI agent roles with six new episodes, starting January 24 after football’s NFC championship.
As for what the reboot might entail, series creator Chris Carter hasn’t been terribly forthcoming, even with network executives, as reporters were told during a call with the network on Monday.
What was promised was that fans would be richly rewarded for their continued support of the “legendary” series.
2. “Grease Live” will continue the musical trend.
The classic musical will air January 31.
Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens will perform live, coming off NBC’s success with “The Sound of Music” and “Peter Pan.”
3. “Minority Report” comes to television.
Fox picked up an adaptation of the Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg film, set to air after the network’s new hit “Gotham” on Monday nights in the fall.
4. The comic book trend isn’t going anywhere.
“The X-Files” will lead into “Lucifer,” based on a Vertigo/DC Comics series (you guessed it, it’s about the devil).
Later in the season, “Lucifer” will follow “Gotham” to make a night of it with DC-based series (DC Comics, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner).
5. “New Girl” will be cut back.
We’re getting less of the sitcom in its fifth season, as “New Girl” will air a shorter season starting in 2016.
But Fox will hardly be short on comedies: Rob Lowe stars in “The Grinder,” coming to Tuesdays (the actor is quite busy; he also has a miniseries comedy on NBC).
Here’s the full schedule for fall:
(all times Eastern/Pacific)
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Gotham”
9-10 p.m. — “Minority Report”
TUESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. — “Grandfathered”
8:30-9 p.m. — “The Grinder”
9-10 p.m. — “Scream Queens”
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Rosewood”
9-10 p.m. — “Empire”
THURSDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Bones”
9-10 p.m. — “Sleepy Hollow”
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. — “MasterChef Junior”
9-10 p.m. — “World’s Funniest”
SATURDAY
7-10:30 p.m. — College football
SUNDAY
7-7:30 p.m. — NFL on Fox
7:30-8 p.m. — The OT/”Bob’s Burgers”
8-8:30 p.m. — “The Simpsons”
8:30-9 p.m. — “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
9-9:30 p.m. — “Family Guy”
9:30-10 p.m. — “The Last Man on Earth”
