Although FOX seems to have won in the ratings every year in recent history, it seems like CBS is the most stable network having the schedule with the most "hits'. While some of those staple shows have gotten a bit stale (CSI and Two and a Half Men), they still have a pretty solid schedule that doesn't need much work beyond some "tweaking." The only show I watch on CBS is How I Met Your Mother and occasionally Person of Interest. Otherwise, none of the comedies resonate with me (sorry, 2 Broke Girls, I know I should like you, but I don't) and everything else feels like it is aimed at people that are into procedurals or in are older than 65. Unlike NBC, FOX and ABC this year, CBS remains a pretty drama heavy network with comedies only on two nights (Monday and Thursday) and only one new comedy on the Fall schedule. The theme of CBS' schedule this year is to use their current shows to protect their new ones - a good strategy for programming - and yet when I look over these shows, most of them bore me to tears.
COMEDY
The biggest move in CBS' schedule is Two and a Half Men going from Monday night to Thursday at 8:30pm (it will now follow The Big Bang Theory). An interesting and ironic move as it was Two and Half Men that launched Big Bang in to ratings star-dom, and now it is being placed behind it to try to gain some of the ratings glory it has lacked ever since Charlie Sheen "left" the show. 2 Broke Girls has been moved into the Monday 9pm tent-pole slot with new comedy Partners sandwiched in between it, and How I Met Your Mother.
Partners – From the creators of Will & Grace - this show is based on their life and their bromance (their word, not mine) as life-long best friends and business partners. CBS gave us a behind the scenes look as opposed to trailers (watch here), so not sure we get a good sense of what this, and the other CBS shows, will really be like. Michael Urie certainly looks like he's playing a great character, but I am confused as to what Brandon Routh is doing in a comedy. Given its time slot I'm sure it will do well, but I still think I might be flipping channels once HIMYM is over.
DRAMA
Although they lost one of the CSI's (Miami), CBS is still sticking with its tried and true procedural formula.
While most of the dramas will stay in their current time slot, The Mentalist has moved time slots and will now be after The Good Wife, a seemingly good decision, I suppose? CBS also has some pretty big drama additions to their schedules on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights, and while Vegas looks like it could be pretty good, the biggest gamble has got to be Elementary which is a modern reboot of the Sherlock Holmes story.
Vegas – Another early 60s period piece - this one revolving around Las Vegas. I think after Mad Men has done this time period so brilliantly, and The Playboy Club did not, I don't need another 60s show. Only hope is that I don't think a cast this good should be ignored. Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie Anne-Moss…pretty stellar.Its competition is Parenthood and Private Practice, so I doubt that it will have trouble taking a pretty big chunk of the audience for the night..but the question is will it be big enough to reach a bigger audience than Tuesday nights have historically brought in. Behind the Scenes preview here.
Elementary – Jonny Lee Miller plays Sherlock and Lucy Liu plays Watson. Yes, you read that right, Watson is a girl. I'm all for playing with gender roles in classic stories (if it serves a purpose and is actually interesting) but I think my biggest problem with this show is that it just feels like a broadened, watered down version of the Sherlock/Watson dynamic. This might work out for CBS, but I can't imagine it can be any better than the recent Sherlock, and frankly, I would just rather watch that. Behind the scenes preview here.
Made in Jersey – Looks like My Cousin Vinny: The Lawyer Years…and while I like Janet Montgomery (I was probably one of two people in the country that watched Human Target) I don't think this Behind the Scenes preview does much to help the show because I can't get her British accent out of my head. I know that "anyone can play anyone," but I can't get past it. She also seems too refined to play a true "Jersey Girl", but perhaps I am in the minority to think this. In the end, it's another CBS drama I probably wouldn't watch anyway.
CBS FALL 2012-13 SCHEDULE (*New programs in UPPER CASE)
MONDAY
8-8:30 pm "How I Met Your Mother"
8:30-9 pm "PARTNERS"
9-9:30 pm "2 Broke Girls"
9:30-10 pm "Mike & Molly"
10-11pm "Hawaii 5-0"
TUESDAY
8-9 pm "NCIS"
9-10 pm "NCIS: Los Angeles"
10-11 pm "VEGAS"
WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm "Survivor"
9-10 pm "Criminal Minds"
10-11 pm "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
THURSDAY
8-8:30 pm "The Big Bang Theory"
8:30-9 pm "Two and a Half Men"
9-10 pm "Person of Interest"
10-11 pm "ELEMENTARY"
FRIDAY
8-9 pm "CSI: NY"
9-10 pm "MADE IN JERSEY"
10-11 pm "Blue Bloods"
SATURDAY
8-9 pm "Crimetime Saturday"
9-10 pm "Crimetime Saturday"
10-11 pm "48 Hours Mystery"
SUNDAY
7-8 pm "60 Minutes"
8-9 pm "The Amazing Race"
9-10 pm "The Good Wife"
10-11 pm "The Mentalist"
