After putting “The Real Love Boat” in drydock, CBS has a mid-season plan for Wednesdays.
The night will no longer be all-reality. This winter, it will juggle reality (“Tough as Nails,” then “Survivor”), game shows (“Lingo” and “The Price is Right at Night”) and an action series (shown here) – a fresh twist on the James Cameron film, “True Lies.”
Action has already been a temporary solution for the night.
Originally, Wednesdays were all-reality: The twin giants — “Survivor” at 8 p.m. and “Amazing Race” at 10 — sandwiched a dating show, “The Real Love Boat.”
But “Love Boat” ratings promptly submerged; after four episodes, the show was pulled from CBS and confined to Paramount+. “Amazing Race” moved to 9 p.m., with the 10 p.m. slot going to reruns – including “So Help Me Todd” on Nov. 16; “Fire Country,” Nov. 23; and “FBI International,” Nov. 30.
Now the night needs a mid-season makeover, with “Amazing Race” and “Survivor” tentatively ending their seasons on Dec. 7 and 14, respectively. The new plan has:
— “Price is Right,” hosted by Drew Carey, at 8 p.m., starting Jan. 4.
— “Tough as Nails” with a two-hour debut at 9 p.m. Jan. 4, then taking the 10 p.m. hour on Jan. 11. Hosted and co-produced by Phil Keoghan, who also hosts “Amazing Race,” the show was a summer success during the pandemic.
— “Lingo,” taking the 9 p.m. slot on Jan. 11. RuPaul Charles is the host and producer.
— “True Lies,” with a two-week introduction. It debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb 24, after comedies … then moves to its regular spot at 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 1 – the night “Survivor” has a two-hour start to its new season.
In the 1994 “True Lies” movie, a guy (Arnold Schwarzenegger) convinced his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) he was a dully bureaucrat, when he actually had perilous secret-agent duties. The TV show gives that a feminist flip: Once the wife (Ginger Gonzaga) learns of the deception by her husband (Steve Howey), she becomes a top agent herself.