‘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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