Britney will 'Factor' in to familiar Fox lineup - USA TODAY

By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Updated

NEW YORK â€" Fox thinks Britney Spears has The X Factor, and it will add her to the judging panel as part of a stable fall lineup that includes just three new series.

By Nathaniel Bell, Fox

On call for Mondays: Grace (Jordana Spiro) juggles her medical career and her debt to the mafia in 'The Mob Doctor.'

The singer's arrival will be formally announced at a presentation to advertisers Monday, when Fox also is expected to confirm plans to move Glee to Thursdays behind X Factor's results show to make room for a two-hour Tuesday comedy block. And with the renewals of Fringe (for a final 13-episode season) and Kiefer Sutherland's Touch, the network has few other needs for fall.

House exits next week after eight seasons, so Bones probably will remain as Monday's leadoff hitter, followed by new drama Mob Doctor, starring Jordana Spiro as a thoracic surgeon indebted to the Chicago Mafia.

• STORY: NBC's plans for fall

Tuesday will see the returning Raising Hope opening the night, followed by new sitcom Ben and Kate, about a guy who moves in with his high-strung sister and becomes a "manny" to his niece. New Girl remains at 9, followed by It's Messy, a comedy featuring writer/star Mindy Kaling (The Office) as a single gynecologist juggling professional and personal lives.

Three hours of The X Factor remain on Wednesdays and Thursdays (making way for American Idol in January), and the more compatible musical dramedy Glee fills out Thursdays. And Touch is the likely lead-in on Fridays for Fringe, which wraps up its run in December. UFC fighting and some Major League Baseball games will anchor Saturdays, and Sundays remains the home of Fox's animation block, including The Cleveland Show, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy and American Dad.

The Following, starring Kevin Bacon as an ex-FBI agent tracking a cult of serial killers led by James Purefoy, and The Goodwin Games, a comedy about three siblings jumping through hoops for their father's inheritance, will await midseason berths.

Fox likely will finish this season in first place again among young adults, though steep declines for Idol have contributed to an 11% drop in that demographic across the week. Among all viewers, Fox ranks second to CBS.

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