Fox ‘s Baywatch has been in production in Los Angeles for two months now, so it will be ready for fall. But the high-profile reboot will not premiere then. Instead, the network is planning a January launch . Why?

“We have a rich history of launching series midseason, we just did it most recently with Best Medicine and Memory of a Killer and Doc before that; it goes all the way back to Empire and the 9-1-1 s and The Resident, ” Fox Television Network President Michael Thorn said during a press call on Sunday, ahead of Fox’s Monday upfront presentation. “Obviously, Baywatch is a huge, huge priority for us, and we think we have a great opportunity to set the show up for success there.”

Fox executives wouldn’t say whether the show will debut behind a big NFL game, which appears likely, as they are waiting for the NFL schedule to come out later this week before finalizing their launch plans.

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Thorn gave a subtle update about how the network feels about what they have seen so far.

“We’re…