Fox Adds Fringe Episode, Bumps Back American Idol

We may need to amend our Return Date Calendar a bit.

In an attempt to counter-program against the first Monday night episode of Chuck on NBC, Fox has shifted around its January lineup.

The return of House has been moved up from January 25 to January 11; while the network is actually adding a season one installment of Fringe to the mix. In an unusual move, an unaired first season episode of the sci-fi series will air that night - it's titled "Unearthed" and it features the now-deceased Charlie.

Meanwhile, American Idol premieres on January 12, as the season nine poster above teases.

But its results show will move to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, starting on January 27, as Fox has flip-flopped the scheduling of Idol and its new drama, Human Target.

It's confusing, but don't worry: we have a feeling Fox will remind you with a few commercials for the reality show here and there.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.