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« Roush Dispatch
CBS: Playing to Its Strengths
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in The New Adventures of Old Christine by Mitchell Haddad/Warner Bros./CBS
We’ve all seen how troublesome and treacherous it is when a network like CBS goes too far “outside the box” with risky shows like Jericho, Viva Laughlin and, most recently and infamously, Moonlight. (See my earlier Dispatch.) While fans lick their wounds over the shows that didn’t make it—a common occurrence this time of year, as the fate of dozens of shows get decided—the networks move on. And so do we. (Cries of boycotts notwithstanding.)
On paper anyway, CBS’s new fall lineup looks pretty solid to me. (I’ll weigh in again later, if warrented, after screening the clips during CBS’s Upfront presentation Wednesday afternoon at Carnegie Hall.) As with ABC, there’s a fair amount of schedule stability, with 18 returning series. Some might consider it boring to play it this safe. But in the wake of a turbulent strike year (and let’s pray there isn’t a sequel with the actors this summer), it probably makes sense to plot an immediate future that colors mostly between the traditional lines.
And who’s to say that a few of the new shows won’t cause a stir—like the sci-fi mystery procedural Eleventh Hour, starring newly Tony-nominated Rufus Sewell. That show, from the ubiquitous Jerry Bruckheimer, gets the plum Thursday spot after Survivor and CSI.
Eleventh Hour unseats Without a Trace, which moves to CBS’s chronically troublesome time period of Tuesday at 10 pm/ET, where it will again face off against ABC’s Eli Stone, as it did this spring, while providing a strong crime-drama alternative to NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Another veteran show on the move: The Unit, which takes over for the defunct Shark on Sundays at 10 pm/ET, following Cold Case. (And earlier in the night, the welcome return of The Amazing Race.) The survival of The Unit will likely come as a relief to fans of the military drama that has been living in limbo for the back half of this season.
Taking advantage of the enviable Tuesday-night hammock between megahit NCIS and the transplanted Trace: another high-concept procedural, The Mentalist, starring network favorite Simon Baker (The Guardian) as an unusually intuitive and cocky detective who works for the California Bureau of Investigation.
For me, the biggest reason to celebrate CBS’s new schedule is the decision to open up a second block of comedy beyond Mondays. The result: a full-season pickup for the underrated The New Adventures of Old Christine, which moves to Wednesdays at 8 pm/ET, where it will be paired with the new Project Gary, starring Jay Mohr as another divorced parent managing a hectic personal life. Earning the post-Two and a Half Men slot on Mondays this fall: Worst Week, a relationship comedy about a hapless guy who keeps trying but desperately failing to get on the good side of his future in-laws (including That ’70s Show’s masterful Kurtwood Smith).
Ince again, the network’s biggest risk can be found on Fridays at 9 pm/ET, where a romantic dramedy titled The Ex List (starring Grey’s Anatomy scene-stealer Elizabeth Reaser, the former “Jane Doe”) hopes to retain or even build on Ghost Whisperer’s largely female following. Unless there’s a vampire lurking on this woman’s “ex list” as she goes in search of a soulmate, I’m betting the disgruntled Moonlight fan base will be a tough sell on this one. At least until the reviews come out. (I hear it’s good.)
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May 14, 2008 11:33 AM
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I'm just so happy The Unit is back!!!!!!!
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May 14, 2008 12:06 PM
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I don't care if The Ex-List is the best reviewed new show of the season, this Moonlight fan won't watch it. I may have given CBS another chance if they hadn't been so cruel to Moonlight fans, acting like it was canceled one week, promoting a season finale the next week, and then canceling it the week after. And then today I read an article where one of the CBS execs. is "chuckling" at all of the Moonlight fans. CBS went out of its way to yank our chain and I hope they got a big laugh out of it.
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May 14, 2008 3:40 PM
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A romantic dramedy after Ghost Whisperer? I don't think so. Not only because the genres don't go well together, but because I haven't enjoyed Ms. Reaser's work on G.A. at all. Her character on that show has become a despicable human being, and her portrayal has failed to make her sympathetic at all. Maybe the show will be great but, right now, I have no interest whatsoever in watching it.
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May 14, 2008 4:29 PM
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i hope that old christine meets cbs's expectations on Weds at 8 because cbs has proven in the past that it cannot open up a comedy beachhead on wed nights unless it has a king of queens type audience to follow it. (out of practice--paula marshall's last show ironically, could have still been on the air if people had actually followed it to wed nights two years back.)
the unit on sunday nights doesn't make sense to me, why not have left it where it was on tues, and moved the comedies to after 60 minutes and just shift amazing race and cold case down an hour no?
also why was shark axed again? 10 mil viewers a week not enough??? but that's what The Unit does, and cbs thinks the unit will be able to do better in sharks old timeslot???? sigh. without a trace would have benefited a lot if they just left the unit (or even shark) in the 9 spot on tues.
also is worst week better or worse then david spade/puddy...its a big question cause it determines whether or not i watch sarah connor (or whatever fox does) at that hour.
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May 14, 2008 4:43 PM
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also wouldn't the 11th hour make mo sense between ghost whisperer and numbers..it bridges the gap between supernatural and proceedural????
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May 14, 2008 4:45 PM
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I don't understand the reasoning of the suits at CBS. Who do they think was watching Moonlight? It was women, idiots! Legions of us. Count me among the disgruntled fans who will not be watching The Ex List. From what I read about it, it sounds lame anyway.
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May 14, 2008 5:49 PM
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Well, as far as protesting canceled shows I've been there, done that, handed out flyers at the Smithsonian, and still have the t-shirt (Farscape). We got a miniseries for our efforts, which was nice but I'm not going to expend all that effort over a TV show ever again.
I'm really not interested in CBS's so called "strengths" since they apparently consider shows like Moonlight a detriment. They obviously don't value the viewers that a show like Moonlight brings in, so I'll gladly go elsewhere, along with the rest of my highly desirable demographic.
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May 14, 2008 7:52 PM
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I'm not investing my interests in any network programs anymore. I will continue to watch my shows on DVD's so the networks will have to figure out a new way to advertise to someone like me (in the coveted demo with spending cash). I'm not going to get involved in new shows anymore at all.
Yes, I am a Moonlight fan, but the only things I watched on TV were Idol and Moonlight, the rest of the shows I watch are on my DVD collection of series. So instead of getting wrapped up in a new series to have it yanked away, I'll save my views for cable, movie channels and DVD's. Specially with a network like CBS who are known to not stand by a new program.
Adios CBS.
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May 14, 2008 10:24 PM
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Wow, can you say BITTER regarding the Moonlight fans? First (for disclosure purposes), I didn't watch Moonlight. But if I boycotted every network that canceled a show I loved, I wouldn't have much to watch. I wouldn't be able to watch Fox (John Doe, Arrested Development), ABC (Eyes), NBC (Boomtown), CBS (Jericho), USA (The 4400), etc... It's a shame when shows get canceled, but TV is a business.
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May 15, 2008 10:01 AM
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I agree with you TVJeff, "TV IS a business" but that's why we are questioning it, and if you've read the TV Guide Editors comments they TOO questioned Moonlight's being cancelled. It was one hot show with passionate addicted fans, and IF you'd watched the show, you'd know more of where we're coming from. It just DIDN'T make sense, and Matt, THANKS for being one of the people that didn't understand why it happened. At least for a while we were able to enjoy it, and we DO owe CBS thanks for bringing it back after the strike, even though they weren't bright enough to want to keep it on the air!
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May 15, 2008 10:08 AM
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The Ex-List...I will never watch anything in the 9 pm slot again on the superatively stupid CBS..."they want to attract female viewers....who the hell do they think was watching Moonlight...drones for christ sake". What a bunch of as*holes. 7.5-8 million female viewers of Moonlight wasn't enough...they think another bit*h will multiply the numbers...I think not....and one more thing...Ghost Whisperer sucked..I never watched it.
I hope CBS crashes and burns.
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May 15, 2008 12:51 PM
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I've got a question for you, Matt, and no, it's not about Moonlight, I'm all talked out and wiped out about that, it's about SHARK. With the "finale" next week actually BEING the finale, and it having his nemisis after his daughter, IF it ends as a cliff hanger (ala Las Vegas), are we EVER going to have anyone give us an ANSWER as to what was planned? Sorry to see this show go. Enjoyed it, and think Woods was fantastic, but I'm not going to cry blood tears as I have for Moonlight, just had this one thought/regret I'm turning to you for.
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May 15, 2008 1:06 PM
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As I recall, no one thought Ghost Whisperer would make it beyond 13 episodes partly because of disgruntled Joan of Arcadia fans.
If the Ex List is good, people will come, despite what the disgruntled Moonlight fans say. (Me being one of them.)
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May 15, 2008 4:19 PM
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