Breaking down “The X Factor” schedule

August 5, 2011 at 2:00 PM

The X Factor

FOX issued a press release today (available over at TV By The Numbers) with the schedule for the new US version of The X Factor. While we now know how the network will work around the MLB Playoffs and Thanksgiving, the schedule does raise questions about how many acts will make the live performances.

As had previously been announced, the two-night Series Premiere of The X Factor will be September 21-22. Those two shows, plus the two shows the following week, will make up the audition shows. That means the six audition cities, the YouTube auditions, and the MyBooth Studio auditions, will all be crammed into four two-hour shows. Considering that one of the biggest gripes with American Idol is how the auditions seem to go on and on and on (and on and on and on), this four-and-out might be a good thing. Of course, AI’s problems with auditions are that they are usually boring. Since the auditions for XF will be in front of a live audience. That should help.

See a breakdown of the rest of the schedule, along with a week-by-week posting, after the jump.

On October 5-6, we will see the contestants who made it through the auditions enter Boot Camp, which is similar to American Idol‘s Hollywood Week. On the British version of the show, there is an individual performance and a group performance round in Boot Camp. So the drama we’re used to watching should be there for us to revel in. The contestants who make it through Boot Camp will be divided into four categories: 12-25 Boys, 12-25 Girls, Over 25, Groups. Each judge will be assigned one group to mentor for the season.

One item I didn’t see in the press release was how many acts would make it into these groups. However, it has been reported elsewhere that the number would be six, which would be consistent with how the U.K. version of the show works.

On October 12-13, and again on a special Tuesday, October 18 episode, each judge will work with their six acts, learning their strengths and weaknesses. The judges will use what they learn during this time to help them decide which three acts to take with them to the live performances. This reveal will take place in a two-and-a-half hour episode on Tuesday, October 25.

For the week of October 18 and week of October 25, there will be no Wednesday or Thursday night shows. The MLB Playoffs will be airing instead those nights.

The Live Performance Shows will begin Wednesday, November 2, with the Live Results Shows beginning Thursday, November 3. The week of Thanksgiving will see both the Performance and Results shows shift up one night, to Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The two-night Season Finale will air December 21-22.

In looking at the schedule for the Live shows, I realized something: There are not enough weeks to do only single eliminations each week. If you did, the finale would consist of the Top 5. Even if The X Factor didn’t lose two of their shows to the MLB Playoffs, that would have only gotten us down to a Top 3. It is possible that the start of the Live shows will only consist of a Top 8 (which would be two acts for each judge), but that would require having one week where no one went home.

My guess is that there will be a Top 12 to start the live shows, but that two acts will be eliminated each of the first three weeks. That would get us down to a Top 6, at which point it would revert to a single elimination. The only way FOX could have gotten around this would have been to have the Series Premiere during the last week of August. But that would have forced the show to take off for two weeks in a row during the MLB Playoffs, and that could have killed any momentum the show had.

So are you more excited about The X Factor now that the schedule for Season 1 has been released? What do you think of the format? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Week-by-week breakdown of The X Factor (all times ET/PT):

Wednesday, Sept. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM) – Series Premiere, Part 1

Thursday, Sept. 22 (8:00-10:00 PM) – Series Premiere, Part 2

Wednesday, Sept. 28 (8:00-10:00 PM) – Auditions Episode

Thursday, Sept. 29 (8:00-10:00 PM) – Auditions Episode

Wednesday, Oct. 5 (8:00-9:30 PM) – Boot Camp, Part 1

Thursday, Oct. 6 (8:00-9:30 PM) – Boot Camp, Part 2

Wednesday, Oct. 12 (8:00-9:30 PM) – Judges’ Homes, Part 1

Thursday, Oct. 13 (8:00-9:30 PM) – Judges’ Homes, Part 2

Tuesday, Oct. 18 (8:00-9:30 PM) – Judges’ Homes, Part 3 (Special Tuesday Airing)

Tuesday, Oct. 25 (8:00-10:30 PM) – Finalists Revealed (Special Tuesday Airing; Extended show)