'House,' 'Terra Nova' And 'X Factor' All Face Change At FOX

Mid-season has dawned, and with it, Judgment Day for a few FOX shows. Network entertainment chief Kevin Reilly got TV critics' third-degree this past Sunday during his Pasadena press tour event. While he suggested little that could be called "set in stone," he made it clear that "House" and "Terra Nova" sit atop Limbo's edge, while even the ultimately successful - albeit sometimes controversial - "The X Factor" faces some tweaks, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Good news, "Terra Nova": for now, it appears you live. "It was an exciting bet to take," Reilly said of the Steven Spielberg-produced, human-and-dinosaurs drama. "And it's proven it was worthwhile. It's the second highest-rated [freshman] drama. We made money on it. The audience enjoyed it, they had ample opportunity to reject it and they didn't. There's a show there to bring back, there's an audience to access. There were a lot of chefs in the kitchen. The show was hunting for itself creatively through the season."

By the numbers, it did indeed pay out big. The Sept. 26 premiere garnered 9.22 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among the key 18-49 demographic. The next week, it retained 100 percent of its previous week's rating. For the entire season, the show averaged 7.5 million viewers and a 2.5 rating per week.

The "House" prognosis isn't even remotely so sunny.

All season, it's been like watching a beloved, terminally ill relative make out a will and set affairs in order. Star Hugh Laurie has said outright that when "House" ends, so ends his several-decades television career. Reilly did Dr. House proud, though: he didn't sink to false hope. His felt more like the approach that the show should be made comfortable as it lives out its remaining days.

"It's hard to imagine the network without 'House'," Reilly said. "It's not going to be like the pink slip goes out and that's the end of 'House'. We haven't had the big meeting about what we want to do. It's not secret last year we said it was going to be a close call and it's probably its last year. This is not going to be an unceremonious finish, I can tell you that . . . It will absolutely have a satisfying conclusion on FOX. There's no way (creator) David Shore isn't going to let fans feel it wasn't properly capped off."

So "Terra Nova" is virtually guaranteed an ongoing life. "House" seems near its last breath, but is being allowed to live out its last days and probably die with dignity. Neither show should consider those circumstances guaranteed. The network has untested - and in many cases, promising - new fare including "Bones" spin-off "The Finder," the Kiefer Sutherland action-drama "Touch" or the conspiracy-mystery thriller "Alcatraz" that could at any time go either way, either finding sea-legs as hoped or unexpectedly tanking and making veteran shows more indispensable than ever.

One show that finds itself unsurprisingly safe is the talent-competition hit of 2011, "The X Factor." Still, even this most recent Simon Cowell grand slam won't be returning without some fine-tuning. Rumors have been sounding that host Steve Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger might be headed toward the door, but Reilly said nothing one definitive way or another regarding either personality.

"There will be some changes . . . as we know, [hosting] is a much harder job than meets the eye," Reilly said. "I think everybody has come to see the value of Ryan Seacrest. Whether Steve is the guy or not, it comes under the heading of growth in general."