'The Following' and 'American Idol' get January premiere dates on FOX

FOX has set premiere dates for several of its midseason shows. "American Idol," "The Following" and "Touch" will all debut in a two-week span in January and February.

"American Idol" will kick off its 12th season -- and first with judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban -- with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, Jan. 16, followed by a one-hour show on Thursday, Jan. 17.

"The Following" stars Kevin Bacon as a retired FBI profiler pressed back into service to track a serial killer (James Purefoy) and his acolytes. It debuts at 9 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 21, in the spot currently occupied by "The Mob Doctor."

Expect to see heavy promotion of "The Following" during FOX's NFL telecasts in the weeks leading up to the premiere.

"Touch," which the network bumped from its fall berth earlier this month, will now debut at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1. It will take over for "Fringe" following that show's series finale.

Not on FOX's midseason list at the moment is new comedy "The Goodwin Games." It's likely to premiere in the spring, possibly after "Ben and Kate" ends its 19-episode season.