CBS really tries to be hip, you know. For next fall, it has a drama from a producer and co-star of "Lost"; it has the first medical show in which a surgeon confers with his late ex-wife. And its two new comedies will both be about mis-matched friends in the city.
Still, don't expect any head-long plunge into "Lost" madness. This is still CBS, which knows its audience and stays steady, at the top of the ratings. This morning, it announced its fall schedule; here's the story I sent to papers:
By MIKE HUGHES
Two of CBS' top dramas will jump to new
nights this fall. It will be “CSI” at 10 p.m. Wednesdays, “The
Good Wife” at 9 p.m. Sundays.
That's part of a schedule that dumps
some borderline shows – “The Defenders,” “Mad Love,”
“(Bleep) My Dad Says” – but keeps others. “CSI: NY” stays
on Fridays, “Rules of Engagement” goes to Saturdays and
“Undercover Boss” waits for mid-season.
“We need another night,” quipped
Nina Tassler, the CBS programming chief. “We need a Schursday.”
Unlike others – ABC and NBC canceled
all of the shows they debuted last fall – CBS renewed three of its
five fall shows, “Hawaii Five-0,” “Blue Bloods” and “Mike &
Molly.” That made it hard to find places for new ones; older shows
were moved to make room.
“CSI” should be comfy on
Wednesdays, but on Sundays “The Good Wife” will face “Desperate
Housewives” and (barring a strike) football. “This is a quality
night,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS' scheduling chief, citing “60
Minutes” and “Amazing Race” awards. “This is where you put
your quality shows.”
Just as risky is the notion of plugging
Thursdays with the offbeat “Person of Interest.” Michael Emerson
(“Lost”) plays a man whose computer can identify people who will
commit or be victim to crimes; Jim Caviezel plays the agent who must
stop them.
That's being produced by J.J. Abrams,
whose previous shows – “Lost,” “Fringe,” “Alias” –
wouldn't fit CBS' line-up. This one will, Kahl insisted; “there's
no complex mythology.”
Tassler agreed. “It's got a little
bit of genre to it – just enough for our viewers.”
The same could be true of “A Gifted
Man” on Fridays, A surgeon (Patrick Wilson) adds human skills while
imagining talks with his late ex-wife. Tassler called it “a little
'Ghost Whisperer,' a little 'House.'”
The third new drama, “Unforgettable,”
gets the “Good Wife” spot on Tuesdays. Poppy Montgomery plays a
police detective who can remember most details of her life; that's a
syndrome, Tassler said, experienced by some real people – including
actress Marilu Henner, a consultant for the show.
Those are part of a rare year for CBS.
It only filmed seven drama pilots, Tassler said; three are on the
fall schedule, a fourth (from Robert De Niro's company) will be
mid-season and a fifth (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar) will be on
the CW network.
For comedies, the key is “Two and a
Half Men.” Tassler wouldn't say how the show will deal with the
departure of Charlie Sheen and the arrival of Ashton Kutcher.
Her two new comedies are about
mismatched friends in the city. “How to be a Gentleman” has an
etiquette columnist and a personal trainer; “2 Broke Girls” has
waitresses, one a former trust-funder.
They inherit spots (8:30 p.m. Thursdays
and Mondays) where “Rules of Engagement” prospered. To make room,
“Rules” goes to Saturdays – the first non-rerun, scripted fall
show there in years.
“Are we expecting sky-high ratings?”
Kahl asked. “No, this is Saturday night. But we have to try.”
The fall line-up:
– Mondays: “How I Met Your Mother,”
8 p.m.; “2 Broke Girls,” 8:30; “Two and a Half Men,” 9; “Mike
& Molly, 9:30; “Hawaii Five-0,” 10.
– Tuesdays: “NCIS,” 8 p.m.;
“NCIS: Los Angeles,” 9; “Unforgettable,” 10.
– Wednesdays: “Survivor,” 8 p.m.;
“Criminal Minds,” 9; “CSI,” 10.
– Thursdays: “Big Bang Theory,” 8
p.m.; “How to be a Gentleman,” 8:30; “Person of Interest,” 9;
“The Mentalist,” 10.
– Fridays: “A Gifted Man,” 8
p.m.; “CSI: NY,” 9; “Blue Bloods,” 10.
– Saturdays: “Rules of Engagement,”
8 p.m.; Comedy reruns, 8:30; Drama reruns, 9; “48 Hours Mystery,”
10.
– Sundays: “60 Minutes,” 7 p.m.;
“Amazing Race,” 8; “The Good Wife,” 9; “CSI: Miami,” 10.