The big news at CBS is that the network is reducing its Monday comedy block to 1 hour, while leaving 2 sitcom hours on Thursday. Consequently, the network is adding only one new half-hour in the fall. (There was no last-minute pick-up for How I Met Your Dad, which until last week was regarded as a sure thing–rumor has it that the series will now be offered to other networks.) CBS is making plenty of other moves, far more than usual for the network of stability. Here are the details:
MONDAY: As many suspected, CBS will take advantage of its NFL Thursday night games in September and October to start the season with THE BIG BANG THEORY airing at 8PM on Mondays, which will give a huge boost to Season 2 of MOM for as long as it lasts. (2 BROKE GIRLS returns to the 8PM slot in November.) Much more surprisingly, the network is replacing its 2d hour of Monday sitcoms with the new high-tech procedural SCORPION, which will launch against the successful Sleepy Hollow (and, of course, against The Voice), although it will probably skew to an older audience than Sleepy. NCIS LA moves to the troubled Monday 10PM slot, and will definitely give it a ratings upgrade–and also give The Blacklist a stronger challenge than it had all of last season.
TUESDAY: A pair of NCIS hours still start the night, but the 9PM show is the new NCIS NEW ORLEANS, which will doubtless benefit from launching after its mothership just as the LA installment did. PERSON OF INTEREST remains at 10PM.
WEDNESDAY: SURVIVOR and CRIMINAL MINDS stay at 10PM, but the Kevin Williamson thriller STALKER takes over for CSI at 10PM, giving NBC’s Chicago PD much fresher competition.
THURSDAY: The new THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL will fill the night through October, of course. After that, THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE MILLERS, 2 1/2 MEN and ELEMENTARY stay put, with the new multi-camera comedy THE MCCARTHYS filling the 9:30PM slot. It’s not a Chuck Lorre series, but from the sound of it, it’s not far off. Assuming that the now-official final season of 2 1/2 Men holds up as a lead-in, McCarthys should do fine, at least in the short term.
FRIDAY: THE AMAZING RACE moves to the 8PM slot, followed by HAWAII 5-0 and BLUE BLOODS.
SUNDAY: After 60 MINUTES, the new drama MADAME SECRETARY takes the 8PM hour as a classy companion piece (Tea Leoni as the US Secretary of State) to THE GOOD WIFE. 10PM will now belong to CSI, with the mothership airing in the fall and the new spin-off CSI: CYBER taking over in midseason, probably giving the hour a modest upgrade.
On the shelf for midseason: in drama, the final season of THE MENTALIST as well as the new Vince Gilligan/David Shore BATTLE CREEK, and in comedy THE ODD COUPLE and (as always, it seems) MIKE & MOLLY.
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