FX Networks
Encyclopedia
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation
's Fox Entertainment Group
. The FX logo is very similar to the logo of FOX
only that it is black and doesn't contain an O.
The channel's most popular original shows are The Shield
, Nip/Tuck
, Damages
, Rescue Me
, Sons of Anarchy
, Justified
and American Horror Story
, as well as the comedies It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
, Louie
, The League
, Wilfred
and Archer
. Aside from new episodes of its ongoing series, the channel mainly airs re-runs originally broadcast on Fox in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2010, Sons of Anarchy attracted an average of 4.9 million viewers per week, making it FXs highest rated series ever, surpassing other hits The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and Damages.
's Flatiron District
, fX was one of the first forays into large-scale interactive television. The channel centered around original programming, broadcast live every day from the "fX Apartment", and rebroadcasts of kitschy shows from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s such as Batman
, Wonder Woman
, Nanny and the Professor
, and The Green Hornet
.
fX had two taglines: "TV Made Fresh Daily" and "The World's First Living Television Network". The "f" was lower-case to portray a type of relaxed friendliness. The stylized "X" represented the channel's roots: the crossing searchlights of the 20th Century Fox
logo.
The live shows were mostly focused on one broad topic each. Shows included Personal fX (collectibles), The Pet Department (pets), Under Scrutiny with Jane Wallace (news), and Sound fX (music). The channel's flagship show, Breakfast Time (hosted by Laurie Hibberd
and Tom Bergeron
), was formatted like an informal magazine show, and was an Americanized version of Great Britain's The Big Breakfast
. Breakfast Time and Personal fX would regularly feature the channel's "roving reporters" visiting unique places around America live via satellite. Suzanne Whang
(now of HGTV
), John Burke (now of E!
) and Phil Keoghan
(now of CBS
's The Amazing Race
) were some of the roving reporters. Other notable fX personalities included Karyn Bryant
and Orlando Jones
, who were panelists on "Sound fX."
The channel prided itself on its interactivity with viewers. fX, in 1994, was an early adopter of the internet, embracing e-mail and the World Wide Web
as methods of feedback. Most of the shows would feature instant responses to e-mailed questions, and one show, Backchat
(hosted by Survivor
host Jeff Probst
), was exclusively devoted to responding to viewer mail, whether e-mailed or mailed traditionally. Select viewers were allowed to spend a day at the "apartment" and take part in all of the channel's shows. Inside the channel's syndicated programming blocks, channel hosts would frequently appear during commercial breaks to read e-mails from viewers about the episode airing, or to promote upcoming programming.
fX's viewer base was very loyal, but the budget was simply too high for the clearance the channel was receiving. Ironically, the first incarnation of fX was not even available on the local cable system in New York City, where programming originated. During the time the channel launched in the mid-1990s, cable systems around the United States were upgrading their infrastructures to increase channel capacity and were not regularly adding channels until these upgrades were complete. The same problem plagued Fox News Channel
around its early 1996 launch.
The live shows gradually disappeared one by one until only Personal fX remained. Breakfast Time was moved to the Fox network
and renamed Fox After Breakfast in mid-1996. It underwent several format changes and never found a substantial audience, thus it was canceled less than a year later. Eventually, all live programming with the exception of Personal fX was dropped and the channel focused entirely on its classic television shows until its relaunch in mid-1997. Personal fX remained on the refocused FX until May 1, 1998.
FX vacated the "apartment" in the summer of 1998 and the channel's operations were streamlined with the other Fox-owned cable channels.
programming.
During the first few years after its relaunch, FX was known for little else than airing reruns of such Fox
shows as The X-Files
and Married... with Children
, as well as 20th Century Fox
shows such as M*A*S*H and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Soon after its relaunch, the tagline "Fox Gone Cable" was dropped. When the cable reruns of Ally McBeal
and The Practice
fumbled in primetime, FX predominantly ran movies in their more high-profile time periods.
After obtaining the spring broadcast rights to NASCAR, Fox Sports
announced that for their inaugural 2001 season, FX would serve as their cable partner. This meant that FX would cover several races in the series then known as the Busch Series and Winston Cup (including the All-Star Race
), as well as select qualifying and final practice sessions. The move was meant to promote the channel and cause NASCAR fans to contact their cable providers to add the channel to their line-up. In 2002, channel president Peter Liguori praised NASCAR for increasing the number of available homes from 58.5 million to 76.6 million.
FX aired numerous Major League Baseball
games on Saturday nights in 2001, including Cal Ripken, Jr.
's final game at Camden Yards.
. This trend continued the following year with Nip/Tuck
, a drama about two plastic surgeons in Los Angeles (originally set in Miami, Florida), and the Denis Leary
-helmed Rescue Me
, about FDNY firemen and their lives post-9/11. Unlike many broadcast networks, FX is willing to take risks with their programming and push the envelope of what can be shown on television, having high, TV-MA ratings. Opinions on these shows are mixed. Some organizations, like the Parents Television Council
and American Family Association
, have asked advertisers to boycott
these shows due to their graphic content. However, the shows are also critically acclaimed for their strong storylines and characters.
Capitalizing on the success of the hit documentary Super Size Me
, creator Morgan Spurlock
launched a new series, 30 Days, on FX in June 2005. The series puts its subjects in situations uncomfortable to them for 30 days, such as making millionaires work for minimum wage, and having Christians live in a Muslim community.
In the summer of 2005, FX debuted two new comedy series, Starved, about the daily lives of four friends with eating disorders who live in New York, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
, about four people who own a bar in the titular city and somehow always wind up having comic misadventures, usually very politically incorrect
. Both of these shows feature frank sexual dialogue and strong language, pitched as "The Dark Side of Comedy". While Starved gained low ratings and was derided by groups that sought to publicize eating disorders, being canceled after its first season, Sunny quickly became a critics' darling, consistently achieved high ratings and was picked up for a second season within days of its first season finale. An edited version of Sunny was aired by Fox
for a three-episode run in the summer of 2006, in an effort to promote it on FX.
In 2006, FX debuted two new series, the reality television show Black. White.
and the drama Thief
but neither were picked up for a second season. After 2006, FX also no longer broadcast NASCAR, as sister channel Speed Channel
became the new cable partner for NASCAR on Fox
.
Throughout 2007, FX introduced three new dramas, Dirt
starring Courteney Cox
, The Riches
starring Eddie Izzard
and Minnie Driver
, and Damages
starring Glenn Close
and Ted Danson
. All three did well in the ratings and were renewed for second seasons.
On October 15, 2007 a high definition feed was launched on DirecTV and many U.S. cable systems.
As of 2008, the channel was available in 90.6 million U.S. homes.
" and refers to how the channel's programming goes beyond the box concept, as well as a pun on the channel competing against premium channels such as HBO, with its original programming. The channel's logo changed on December 18, 2007 and uses only the FX letters for branding by removing the klieg light
logo box to the left. The new branding included an advertising campaign, featuring a post-game ad for the channel during Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XLII
. The song that is used in the promo commercial is "You Give Me Something
" by James Morrison
.
Over 2008, competition with other cable channels increased, evident in the second season ratings for less successful series, Dirt
and The Riches
, which had ratings decrease significantly since their first seasons. Some weeks viewers were barely over 1 million. Both shows were cancelled by FX in 2008, and Dharma and Greg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Married... with Children
and Fear Factor
were also removed from the schedule.
In 2008, the channel picked up Sons of Anarchy
, about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club
bent on protecting their sheltered California town from corporate developers and drug dealers. It was created by The Shield executive producer, Kurt Sutter
, and premiered in September, coinciding with The Shield
s final season. The show was critically and commercially successful, and was renewed for a second season. Other new shows included the Kenny Hotz
comedy Testees
, which ran from October to December 2008, but was not renewed. Nip/Tuck
and Damages
began new seasons on the channel.
In August 2008, FX launched a new website, making full shows available to view online. As of January 2010, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Days, Sons of Anarchy, and The League are available for viewing through the official FX site.
In 2009, Spin City
was removed from the schedule (though it would be restored early the following year), while a sixth season order of 18 episodes was placed for Rescue Me, even though the fifth season had not premiered at the time.
Also in 2009, the channel placed a 13-show order for a new show created by Graham Yost. The Yost project is based on Elmore Leonard
's short story "Fire in the Hole." Set in Harlan County, Kentucky, it stars Timothy Olyphant
as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens—a tough, soft-spoken lawman with a rough side—and chronicles his cases and personal life, including unfinished business with an ex-wife and his aging father. Initially titled Fire in the Hole, the show was later announced to be titled Lawman before being renamed Justified
. It started airing in March 2010. FX also picked up Terriers
for its fall 2010 lineup and began airing Lights Out
in 2011.
In July 2009, FX ordered three new comedy pilots. Archer
is an animated series centering around a spy agency and comes from the co-creator of Frisky Dingo
on Adult Swim. It was picked up for 10 episodes, premiering January 14, 2010. The League
centers around a fantasy football league and comes from a Seinfeld
and Curb Your Enthusiasm
veteran. Louie
stars popular stand-up comedian and writer Louis C.K. and "blend[s] stand-up material with what Landgraf described as 'extended vignettes' depicting moments from [the comedian's] offstage experiences." All three shows have been renewed for a second season. FX also purchased a pilot staring Elijah Wood
based on the Australian comedy series Wilfred
.
On October 1, 2010, FX pulled their channels from the Dish Network line-up due to a carriage dispute. FX was returned to Dish Network's channel line up on October 29, 2010 after Dish Network and FOX, FX's parent company, signed a long term contract. As of November 1, 2010, Fox programming had resumed on New York based cable provider, Cablevision.
On April 27, 2011, FX started showing UEFA Champions League
games as part of a deal with Fox Sports
. Starting in fall 2011, FX will broadcast college football
games on Saturdays. FX will broadcast 13 games in 2011 as parts of Fox Sports contracts with the Big 12, Pac-12, and Conference USA
conferences.
In January 2012, FX will begin broadcasting content from the Ultimate Fighting Championship
.
On October 14, 2011, FX announced that it picked up the rights to develop a series based on Scar Tissue
, the biography of Red Hot Chili Peppers
singer, Anthony Kiedis
. HBO had originally picked up the series a few years but eventually moved on from the project. Entourage
producers, Marc Arams and Mike Benson will produce the series and Keids will also be involved as a co producer.
fXM was a nightly block of classic 20th Century Fox films, hosted by Bill Collins
(often branded as "Bill Collins' Golden Years of Hollywood"). In late 1998 fX became FX, a channel aimed at women, featuring shows such as The View and Donny and Marie
. In late 2000, FX was again rebranded, officially becoming "Australia's first TV channel for women". In November 1, 2003, it was renamed W.
as a way to make this focus more apparent.
On October 9, 2011 Fox International Channels
released details that FX would relaunch in Australia early 2012 with programs such as The Walking Dead
, Transporter: The Series
and Hell on Wheels
.
and FX Networks announced that they will launch FX Canada as a digital service on November 1, 2011. Other carriers such as EastLink, Shaw and MTS TV are expected to carry FX, in time for the new channel's launch.
The network will feature FX original series, U.S. acquired movies and series, and original Canadian programming and sporting events (as required by the CRTC).
FX Canada's broadcast license requires that 15 per cent of its programming be Canadian in its first year, 20 per cent in its second year and a full one-quarter Canadian by its third year.
in Greece.
The channel is broadcasting in Cyprus too, with the same schedule to Greece and is currently available to the subscribers of NOVA Cyprus
and CytaVision.
channel 126. FX +1 is only available to Sky subscribers.
Channel 119, airing at first old man-targeted old series and movies. After the 2008 restyling, it began airing Fox and FX US top series, after they passed on main channels Fox
, Fox Life
and Fox Crime
, as well as the documentary series on unsolved mysteries after it passed on the National Geographic Channel
. The channel has been closed on July 2, 2011.
, created for the female viewers.
In Brazil it is broadcast mainly by NET TV, TVA
, Oi TV and SKY
.
.
channel(Previously Fox Series) to Arabic.
launched on the ZON TVCabo
satellite
and cable
platform in September 26, 2007, along with Fox Crime
. Also available on MEO, AR Telecom and Cabovisão
.
and Teledünya
digital platforms since 2009.
and Virgin Media
.
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
's Fox Entertainment Group
Fox Entertainment Group
The Fox Entertainment Group is an American entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial, cable, and direct broadcast satellite television properties...
. The FX logo is very similar to the logo of FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
only that it is black and doesn't contain an O.
The channel's most popular original shows are The Shield
The Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
, Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
, Damages
Damages (TV series)
Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...
, Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
, Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
, Justified
Justified (TV series)
Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...
and American Horror Story
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
, as well as the comedies It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
, Louie
Louie (TV series)
Louie is an American comedy television series on the FX network that began airing in 2010. It is written, directed, edited and produced by the show's creator, stand-up comedian Louis C.K., who stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two...
, The League
The League
The League is an American sitcom that premiered on FX on October 29, 2009. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy about a fantasy football league, its members, and their everyday lives.-Synopsis:...
, Wilfred
Wilfred (U.S. TV series)
Wilfred is an American sitcom television series which debuted on June 23, 2011, and is based on the Australian SBS One series of the same name. It stars Elijah Wood and series co-creator Jason Gann, reprising his role of the eponymous dog Wilfred. The series was adapted for the American television...
and Archer
Archer (TV series)
Archer is an American animated television series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. A preview of the series aired on September 17, 2009. The first season premiered on January 14, 2010. The show carries a TV-MA-LSV rating....
. Aside from new episodes of its ongoing series, the channel mainly airs re-runs originally broadcast on Fox in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2010, Sons of Anarchy attracted an average of 4.9 million viewers per week, making it FXs highest rated series ever, surpassing other hits The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and Damages.
1994–1997
FX (then-stylized in print as "fX") was launched in the United States on June 1, 1994. Broadcasting from a large "apartment" in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Flatiron District
Flatiron District, Manhattan
The Flatiron District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, named after the Flatiron Building at 23rd Street, Broadway and Fifth Avenue...
, fX was one of the first forays into large-scale interactive television. The channel centered around original programming, broadcast live every day from the "fX Apartment", and rebroadcasts of kitschy shows from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s such as Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
, Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor is a U.S. fantasy situation comedy created by AJ Carothers and Thomas L. Miller for 20th Century Fox Television. During pre-production, the proposed title was Nanny Will Do. The series first aired as a mid-season replacement on January 21, 1970, on ABC and was last telecast...
, and The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet (TV series)
The Green Hornet is a television show on the ABC US television network. It aired for the 1966–1967 TV season, and starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet/Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as Kato.- Episodes:...
.
fX had two taglines: "TV Made Fresh Daily" and "The World's First Living Television Network". The "f" was lower-case to portray a type of relaxed friendliness. The stylized "X" represented the channel's roots: the crossing searchlights of the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
logo.
The live shows were mostly focused on one broad topic each. Shows included Personal fX (collectibles), The Pet Department (pets), Under Scrutiny with Jane Wallace (news), and Sound fX (music). The channel's flagship show, Breakfast Time (hosted by Laurie Hibberd
Laurie Hibberd
Laurie Hibberd is a Canadian television personality and entertainment news reporter. She is married to Michael Gelman; they have two children. As of 2007 she was working on two Canadian-based talk shows, The Mom Show and Doctor in the House...
and Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
), was formatted like an informal magazine show, and was an Americanized version of Great Britain's The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
. Breakfast Time and Personal fX would regularly feature the channel's "roving reporters" visiting unique places around America live via satellite. Suzanne Whang
Suzanne Whang
Suzanne Whang is an American actress and comedienne. She is best known as the former host of the HGTV series House Hunters as well as her recurring role as manicurist Polly Nguyen on Las Vegas.-Personal life:...
(now of HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
), John Burke (now of E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
) and Phil Keoghan
Phil Keoghan
Philip John "Phil" Keoghan is a New Zealand-born television personality, best known for hosting the U.S. version of The Amazing Race on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is also the creator and host of No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada...
(now of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
) were some of the roving reporters. Other notable fX personalities included Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant is an American actress, writer, and television personality.-Early life:Bryant was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, completed secondary school at Lawrence Academy at Groton, and received bachelor's degrees from Brown University in political science and...
and Orlando Jones
Orlando Jones
Orlando Jones is an American comedian and film and television actor. He is notable for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999-2002.-Early life:...
, who were panelists on "Sound fX."
The channel prided itself on its interactivity with viewers. fX, in 1994, was an early adopter of the internet, embracing e-mail and the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
as methods of feedback. Most of the shows would feature instant responses to e-mailed questions, and one show, Backchat
Backchat
Backchat was a half-hour television show on FX which ran through the mid 1990s right after the network's inception. Hosted by Jeff Probst, the show consisted of him and two designated letter-readers reading viewer letters and responding on air...
(hosted by Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
host Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
), was exclusively devoted to responding to viewer mail, whether e-mailed or mailed traditionally. Select viewers were allowed to spend a day at the "apartment" and take part in all of the channel's shows. Inside the channel's syndicated programming blocks, channel hosts would frequently appear during commercial breaks to read e-mails from viewers about the episode airing, or to promote upcoming programming.
fX's viewer base was very loyal, but the budget was simply too high for the clearance the channel was receiving. Ironically, the first incarnation of fX was not even available on the local cable system in New York City, where programming originated. During the time the channel launched in the mid-1990s, cable systems around the United States were upgrading their infrastructures to increase channel capacity and were not regularly adding channels until these upgrades were complete. The same problem plagued Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
around its early 1996 launch.
The live shows gradually disappeared one by one until only Personal fX remained. Breakfast Time was moved to the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and renamed Fox After Breakfast in mid-1996. It underwent several format changes and never found a substantial audience, thus it was canceled less than a year later. Eventually, all live programming with the exception of Personal fX was dropped and the channel focused entirely on its classic television shows until its relaunch in mid-1997. Personal fX remained on the refocused FX until May 1, 1998.
FX vacated the "apartment" in the summer of 1998 and the channel's operations were streamlined with the other Fox-owned cable channels.
1997–2001
fX was relaunched as "FX: Fox Gone Cable" in early 1997, targeting men aged 18 to 49. The channel became known for original drama series and NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
programming.
During the first few years after its relaunch, FX was known for little else than airing reruns of such Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
shows as The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, as well as 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
shows such as M*A*S*H and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Soon after its relaunch, the tagline "Fox Gone Cable" was dropped. When the cable reruns of Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
and The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
fumbled in primetime, FX predominantly ran movies in their more high-profile time periods.
After obtaining the spring broadcast rights to NASCAR, Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
announced that for their inaugural 2001 season, FX would serve as their cable partner. This meant that FX would cover several races in the series then known as the Busch Series and Winston Cup (including the All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston until 2004, then the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from 2004 until 2007, is a race open to race winners from the previous season as well as the current season, plus the past ten event winners and past decade's Cup Series champions...
), as well as select qualifying and final practice sessions. The move was meant to promote the channel and cause NASCAR fans to contact their cable providers to add the channel to their line-up. In 2002, channel president Peter Liguori praised NASCAR for increasing the number of available homes from 58.5 million to 76.6 million.
FX aired numerous Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games on Saturday nights in 2001, including Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
's final game at Camden Yards.
2002–2007
In recent years, however, the channel has emerged as a major force in original cable programming, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for edgy dramas. This began in 2002 with the release of its breakout hit, police drama The ShieldThe Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
. This trend continued the following year with Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
, a drama about two plastic surgeons in Los Angeles (originally set in Miami, Florida), and the Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
-helmed Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
, about FDNY firemen and their lives post-9/11. Unlike many broadcast networks, FX is willing to take risks with their programming and push the envelope of what can be shown on television, having high, TV-MA ratings. Opinions on these shows are mixed. Some organizations, like the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
and American Family Association
American Family Association
The American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
, have asked advertisers to boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
these shows due to their graphic content. However, the shows are also critically acclaimed for their strong storylines and characters.
Capitalizing on the success of the hit documentary Super Size Me
Super Size Me
Super Size Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003 during which he eats only McDonald's food...
, creator Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and journalist best known for the documentary film Super Size Me...
launched a new series, 30 Days, on FX in June 2005. The series puts its subjects in situations uncomfortable to them for 30 days, such as making millionaires work for minimum wage, and having Christians live in a Muslim community.
In the summer of 2005, FX debuted two new comedy series, Starved, about the daily lives of four friends with eating disorders who live in New York, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
, about four people who own a bar in the titular city and somehow always wind up having comic misadventures, usually very politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
. Both of these shows feature frank sexual dialogue and strong language, pitched as "The Dark Side of Comedy". While Starved gained low ratings and was derided by groups that sought to publicize eating disorders, being canceled after its first season, Sunny quickly became a critics' darling, consistently achieved high ratings and was picked up for a second season within days of its first season finale. An edited version of Sunny was aired by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
for a three-episode run in the summer of 2006, in an effort to promote it on FX.
In 2006, FX debuted two new series, the reality television show Black. White.
Black. White.
Black. White. was a reality television show on FX. It premiered on Wednesday March 8, 2006 at 10 p.m. Eastern. The series followed two families of three, one white, and the other black. Through studio quality make-up, the two families—the Wurgels and the Sparks—traded races and...
and the drama Thief
Thief (TV series)
Thief is an FX television mini-series which debuted on March 28, 2006 .Andre Braugher stars as Nick Atwater, the leader of a robbery crew balancing his personal life with the planning of a major heist...
but neither were picked up for a second season. After 2006, FX also no longer broadcast NASCAR, as sister channel Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
became the new cable partner for NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
.
Throughout 2007, FX introduced three new dramas, Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
starring Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
, The Riches
The Riches
The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...
starring Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
and Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver
Minnie Driver is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, as well as for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.- Early life...
, and Damages
Damages (TV series)
Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...
starring Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
and Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
. All three did well in the ratings and were renewed for second seasons.
On October 15, 2007 a high definition feed was launched on DirecTV and many U.S. cable systems.
As of 2008, the channel was available in 90.6 million U.S. homes.
2008–present
In 2008, the channel launched a new branding campaign built around the theme There Is No Box, which was influenced by the phrase "outside the boxThinking outside the box
Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking....
" and refers to how the channel's programming goes beyond the box concept, as well as a pun on the channel competing against premium channels such as HBO, with its original programming. The channel's logo changed on December 18, 2007 and uses only the FX letters for branding by removing the klieg light
Klieg light
A Klieg light is an intense carbon arc lamp especially used in filmmaking. It is named after inventor John H. Kliegl and his brother Anton Tiberius Kliegl. Modern Klieg lights use a tungsten-halogen filament...
logo box to the left. The new branding included an advertising campaign, featuring a post-game ad for the channel during Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. The song that is used in the promo commercial is "You Give Me Something
You Give Me Something
"You Give Me Something" is the first single by English singer James Morrison, which was released on 16 July 2006. The song is featured on his debut album, Undiscovered, which was released on 31 July 2006. The song has been nominated for a BRIT Award in the category Best British Single Shortlist in...
" by James Morrison
James Morrison (singer)
James Morrison is a BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rugby, Warwickshire. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His debut album, Undiscovered, debuted at the...
.
Over 2008, competition with other cable channels increased, evident in the second season ratings for less successful series, Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
and The Riches
The Riches
The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...
, which had ratings decrease significantly since their first seasons. Some weeks viewers were barely over 1 million. Both shows were cancelled by FX in 2008, and Dharma and Greg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
and Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
were also removed from the schedule.
In 2008, the channel picked up Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
, about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club
Outlaw motorcycle club
An outlaw motorcycle club is a type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the post-World War II USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the...
bent on protecting their sheltered California town from corporate developers and drug dealers. It was created by The Shield executive producer, Kurt Sutter
Kurt Sutter
Kurt Sutter is an American screenwriter, director, producer and actor. He worked as a producer, writer and director on The Shield, also appearing on the show as hitman Margos Dezerian. Sutter is also the creator of Sons of Anarchy on FX and writes, produces, directs and performs for the series,...
, and premiered in September, coinciding with The Shield
The Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
s final season. The show was critically and commercially successful, and was renewed for a second season. Other new shows included the Kenny Hotz
Kenny Hotz
Kenneth Joel "Kenny" Hotz is an award-winning Canadian writer, director, actor, producer and photographer. He is a former South Park consultant/writer, creator/director/co-star of the Showcase and Comedy Central television show Kenny vs...
comedy Testees
Testees
Testees is a Canadian television series, created by Kenny Hotz and written and produced by Kenny Hotz and Derek Harvie . Testees originally aired on Thursdays at 10:30 PM EST on FX and ran from October 9, 2008 to December 18, 2008. and debuted on October 14, 2008 on Showcase in Canada. The show is...
, which ran from October to December 2008, but was not renewed. Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
and Damages
Damages (TV series)
Damages is an American television drama series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler . It is broadcast in the United States on the DirecTV channel Audience Network after originally airing on FX and is produced by the creators' own...
began new seasons on the channel.
In August 2008, FX launched a new website, making full shows available to view online. As of January 2010, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Days, Sons of Anarchy, and The League are available for viewing through the official FX site.
In 2009, Spin City
Spin City
Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
was removed from the schedule (though it would be restored early the following year), while a sixth season order of 18 episodes was placed for Rescue Me, even though the fifth season had not premiered at the time.
Also in 2009, the channel placed a 13-show order for a new show created by Graham Yost. The Yost project is based on Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
's short story "Fire in the Hole." Set in Harlan County, Kentucky, it stars Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens—a tough, soft-spoken lawman with a rough side—and chronicles his cases and personal life, including unfinished business with an ex-wife and his aging father. Initially titled Fire in the Hole, the show was later announced to be titled Lawman before being renamed Justified
Justified (TV series)
Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...
. It started airing in March 2010. FX also picked up Terriers
Terriers (TV series)
Terriers is an American crime comedy-drama television series created by Ted Griffin for FX. It premiered on September 8, 2010. The show was canceled by FX on December 6, 2010 after the first season.-Premise:...
for its fall 2010 lineup and began airing Lights Out
Lights Out (2011 TV series)
Lights Out is an American television boxing drama series from the FX network in the United States. It stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, a New Jersey native, and former heavyweight champion boxer who is considering a comeback. The series premiered on January 11, 2011 at 10 pm ET/PT. On...
in 2011.
In July 2009, FX ordered three new comedy pilots. Archer
Archer (TV series)
Archer is an American animated television series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. A preview of the series aired on September 17, 2009. The first season premiered on January 14, 2010. The show carries a TV-MA-LSV rating....
is an animated series centering around a spy agency and comes from the co-creator of Frisky Dingo
Frisky Dingo
Frisky Dingo is an American animated cartoon series created by Adam Reed and Matt Thompson for Adult Swim. The series revolved around the conflict between a supervillain named Killface and a superhero named Awesome X, and much of the show's humor focuses on parodying superhero and action movie...
on Adult Swim. It was picked up for 10 episodes, premiering January 14, 2010. The League
The League
The League is an American sitcom that premiered on FX on October 29, 2009. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy about a fantasy football league, its members, and their everyday lives.-Synopsis:...
centers around a fantasy football league and comes from a Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
and Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
veteran. Louie
Louie (TV series)
Louie is an American comedy television series on the FX network that began airing in 2010. It is written, directed, edited and produced by the show's creator, stand-up comedian Louis C.K., who stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two...
stars popular stand-up comedian and writer Louis C.K. and "blend[s] stand-up material with what Landgraf described as 'extended vignettes' depicting moments from [the comedian's] offstage experiences." All three shows have been renewed for a second season. FX also purchased a pilot staring Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
based on the Australian comedy series Wilfred
Wilfred (TV series)
Wilfred is an Australian comedy television series directed by Tony Rogers, produced by Jenny Livingston and starring Jason Gann, Adam Zwar and Cindy Waddingham. Created by Zwar, Gann and Rogers, it was based on their award-winning 2002 short film and later adapted to a series...
.
On October 1, 2010, FX pulled their channels from the Dish Network line-up due to a carriage dispute. FX was returned to Dish Network's channel line up on October 29, 2010 after Dish Network and FOX, FX's parent company, signed a long term contract. As of November 1, 2010, Fox programming had resumed on New York based cable provider, Cablevision.
On April 27, 2011, FX started showing UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
games as part of a deal with Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
. Starting in fall 2011, FX will broadcast college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games on Saturdays. FX will broadcast 13 games in 2011 as parts of Fox Sports contracts with the Big 12, Pac-12, and Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
conferences.
In January 2012, FX will begin broadcasting content from the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
.
On October 14, 2011, FX announced that it picked up the rights to develop a series based on Scar Tissue
Scar Tissue
"Scar Tissue" is the first single from the American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album Californication, released in 1999...
, the biography of Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
singer, Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
. HBO had originally picked up the series a few years but eventually moved on from the project. Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
producers, Marc Arams and Mike Benson will produce the series and Keids will also be involved as a co producer.
Australia
In 1995, fX launched in Australia, featuring classic TV series (often branded as "Golden Years of Television")fXM was a nightly block of classic 20th Century Fox films, hosted by Bill Collins
Bill Collins (television presenter)
William Roderick Collins OAM is an Australian film critic and television presenter.Bill Collins was born in Sutherland, Sydney and was educated at Canterbury Boys' High School and the University of Sydney...
(often branded as "Bill Collins' Golden Years of Hollywood"). In late 1998 fX became FX, a channel aimed at women, featuring shows such as The View and Donny and Marie
Donny & Marie (1998 TV series)
Donny & Marie was an American talk show hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond, that aired in syndication from September 1998 to May 2000. The show had a "house band", featuring Jerry Williams , Kat Dyson , Paul Peterson , and Nick Vincent . The show aired from 1998 to 2000.-External links:*...
. In late 2000, FX was again rebranded, officially becoming "Australia's first TV channel for women". In November 1, 2003, it was renamed W.
W. Channel
W is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms. Originally a retro channel, it moved into Women's interest programming around the late 1990s...
as a way to make this focus more apparent.
On October 9, 2011 Fox International Channels
Fox International Channels
Fox International Channels is a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, which is a part of Rupert Murdoch's global media conglomerate News Corporation...
released details that FX would relaunch in Australia early 2012 with programs such as The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (TV series)
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed for television by Frank Darabont and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard...
, Transporter: The Series
Transporter: The Series
Transporter: The Series is an upcoming action television series, based on the Transporter film series by Luc Besson. It is co-produced by HBO, HBO Canada, French TV-channel M6 and German television company RTL, which, with the exception of HBO, will also air the series...
and Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels (TV series)
Hell on Wheels is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton. Set in 1865, the series centers on the settlement that accompanied the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, referred to as "Hell on Wheels" by the company men, surveyors, support...
.
Canada
On August 6, 2011, Rogers MediaRogers Media
Rogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
and FX Networks announced that they will launch FX Canada as a digital service on November 1, 2011. Other carriers such as EastLink, Shaw and MTS TV are expected to carry FX, in time for the new channel's launch.
The network will feature FX original series, U.S. acquired movies and series, and original Canadian programming and sporting events (as required by the CRTC).
FX Canada's broadcast license requires that 15 per cent of its programming be Canadian in its first year, 20 per cent in its second year and a full one-quarter Canadian by its third year.
Greece
FX Greece launched on December 31, 2009 and is currently available to the subscribers of Conn-x TV and NOVA GreeceNOVA Greece
NOVA Greece is a Greek digital satellite pay TV platform owned by Multichoice Hellas. It was launched in December 1999.NOVA offers Greek subscribers an array of international and domestic programmes plus the majority of popular Greek terrestrial TV channels along with a number of Greek...
in Greece.
The channel is broadcasting in Cyprus too, with the same schedule to Greece and is currently available to the subscribers of NOVA Cyprus
NOVA Cyprus
NOVA Cyprus is a Cypriot digital satellite pay television service owned by Multichoice Cyprus. NOVA launched in July 2004 and was the first DTH satellite provider to launch in Cyprus...
and CytaVision.
Ireland
FX (UK) is available on Sky Ireland Channel 124 and UPC IrelandUPC Ireland
UPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
channel 126. FX +1 is only available to Sky subscribers.
Italy
FX launched the Italian version in Spring of 2006 on SKY ItaliaSky Italia
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian digital satellite television platform owned by News Corporation launched on 1 August 2003, when the former platforms TELE+ and Stream TV merged together...
Channel 119, airing at first old man-targeted old series and movies. After the 2008 restyling, it began airing Fox and FX US top series, after they passed on main channels Fox
Fox (Italy)
Fox is an Italian Entertainment TV channel, owned and produced by Fox International Channels Italy and broadcast in Italy by Sky Italia on Channel 111. Timeshifts of the channel are available at channel 112 and 113...
, Fox Life
Fox Life
Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
and Fox Crime
Fox Crime
Fox Crime is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which airs across several countries of Europe and Asia, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria...
, as well as the documentary series on unsolved mysteries after it passed on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
. The channel has been closed on July 2, 2011.
Latin America
The FX channel for Latin America, is intended almost entirely for the male audience, as a counterpart of Fox LifeFox Life
Fox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
, created for the female viewers.
In Brazil it is broadcast mainly by NET TV, TVA
Televisão Abril
TVA - Televisão Abril is a Brazilian subscription television operator, working with Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service analog system, analog cable and digital cable...
, Oi TV and SKY
SKY Brasil
SKY Brasil is a company that operates a subscription television service in Brazil. It produces TV content, and owns several TV channels. 7% of the equity is owned and operated by Globo the remainder is owned by DirecTV.-History:...
.
Malta
FX was launched on November 30, 2009 together with Foxlife. These channels are exculsively available on GOGO (Malta)
GO p.l.c. is a provider of local and long distance telephone services, wireless service, cable television, and DSL Internet access. GO is based in Marsa, Malta.-History:...
.
Middle East
FX Middle East was launched in Summer 2011 (between June and July) as a new member of the FOX Middle East Family (FOX & FOX Movies) after many bad responses to dubbing the Fox Middle EastFox (Middle East)
Fox is a Middle Eastern version of the US network of the same name jointly owned by Rotana Entertainment and Fox International Channels. Fox was previously named as Fox Series from 2008 to February 28, 2011. Fox was launched on March 1, 2011 7 PM KSA...
channel(Previously Fox Series) to Arabic.
Portugal
FX PortugalFX (Portugal)
FX is a Portuguese cable television channel. that broadcasts series and talk-shows targeted to a young adult audience, owned by News Corporation.-Television series:*The Goode Family*Californication*Sons of Anarchy*Miami Vice*X-Files*King of the Hill...
launched on the ZON TVCabo
TV Cabo
ZON Multimédia is a Portuguese media holding company whose main assets include a satellite, cable operator and ISP, a movie distributor and a virtual carrier of mobile phone services. Its services include cable television, cable internet and VOIP. ZON Multimédia is the spun off media arm of...
satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
and cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
platform in September 26, 2007, along with Fox Crime
Fox Crime
Fox Crime is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which airs across several countries of Europe and Asia, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria...
. Also available on MEO, AR Telecom and Cabovisão
Cabovisão
Cabovisão is a Portuguese private telecommunications operator, founded on September 27, 1993, and in 1995 obtains the licences to start operating.It bought Pluricanal Aveiro S.A...
.
Turkey
FX was launched on April 14, 2008 on D-Smart digital platform,it's available on DigiturkDigiturk
Digiturk is a Turkish Satellite television provider, founded in 1999, with services starting in mid-2000. They offer, both national cable TV channels and their own channels, national radio, and music streams of different genres. Digiturk is also the current owner of the broadcasting rights of...
and Teledünya
Teledünya
Teledünya is a Turkish digital cable TV service that was founded on November 1, 2008 by Turksat. It also provides internet by the same cable.-Channel list:...
digital platforms since 2009.
Sweden
Fox International Channels (UK) Ltd applied for a broadcasting slot in the Swedish digital terrestrial television network in the autumn of 2005 for a service called "FX", suggesting a possible launch of the channel in Sweden or Scandinavia. However, when recommendations for additional channels were revealed on November 21, FX was not among the ten suggested.United Kingdom
FX and FX+ are both available in the United Kingdom through both satellite and cable TV providers Sky DigitalSky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
and Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
.
Network slogans
- fX: The Best in Entertainment (1994–1995)
- FX: Fox Gone Cable (1995–1999)
- There is No Box (2009–present)