‘New Girl, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ ‘Mindy Project,’ ‘Following’ renewed

Forget #followFriday. It’s #renewalFriday over at Fox. The network announced it has picked up comedies “New Girl,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Mindy Project” and thriller “The Following” for the 2014-15 season.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project” are part of the network’s Tuesday comedy block. Toplined by Andy Samberg, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has performed modestly in its freshman season, averaging just over 5 million viewers, but has a few golden statues on its side -- it won two Golden Globes earlier this year, for the show and Samberg. It was also paired with “New Girl” to take on the post-Super Bowl slot. Its renewal brings it to a second season.

“New Girl” faced some criticism in its third season, as the union between Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) became a central story line. Though its same-night viewing has slipped, the show is averaging a 3.1 rating among the 18-49 demographic when time-shifting over seven days is included. And its plum post-Super Bowl special episode, which featured guest star Prince, pulled in numbers six times that of its average same-night viewing audience.

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Meanwhile, “The Mindy Project’s” future had seemed most uncertain. The sophomore series pulls in smaller numbers that the rest of Fox’s Tuesday comedies. And its long hiatus -- the show returns in April -- had some wondering if it would soon be on its way out. The Mindy Kaling series has averaged about 3.8 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in the coveted 18-49 demo.

Then there’s “The Following,” the network’s experiment in series with a compact season. The psychological thriller, starring Kevin Bacon, dipped a bit in its current sophomore run, but averages a still respectable 10 million viewers.

“These shows are some of the best and acclaimed series on television, with influential, culture-driving stars, and some of the best, most creative talent behind the camera,” said Kevin Reilly and Joe Earley. “All four are core assets within our 2014-15 portfolio of content, and we’re really happy to bring them back to our FOX fans for another season.”

The renewals place the four series in the company of “Glee,” “Bones” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

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