CBS Presents at TCA

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERTuesday, August 4, 2009 LIVE FROM THE SUMMER TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION PRESS TOUR IN PASADENA, CA CBS CBS Executive Session:Nina Tassler On the CBS Panel Front:-The Good Wife-Accidentally on Purpose Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest_______________________________________________________________________________ CBS Executive Session:Nina Tassler As always, CBS has the strongest primetime line-up with a deft combination of solid dramas, laugh-out loud sitcoms (including two-year-old The Big Bang Theory), quality non-scripted programming and, of course, granddaddy 60 Minutes. CBS has, in fact, led the season in total viewers for six out of the last seven seasons. But the network could have architected a stronger fall 2009 line-up. Relocated How I Met Your Mother is not necessarily capable of anchoring Monday. Two back-to-back hours of NCIS might be one too many (NCIS: Los Angeles would have been a better option to solidify Thursday or Sunday). And Three Rivers is my personal pick for the first cancellation of the season (a serious medical drama out of The Amazing Race on Sunday…not!). In an opening session with Nina Tassler, the network president began by citing a rejuvenated David Letterman. “We feel that we are poised, ready to grow,” said Tassler. “We’ve got the new shows coming in at 10 p.m., between Good Wife and The Mentalist moving to the hour on Thursday. It’s going to do well. It generates billions of dollars for us in revenue between foreign sales, syndication. The 10 p.m. hour is a great business, and it’s only going to boost Dave as well.” Shifting to Friday at 9 p.m., current Canadian occupant Flashpoint will be back for at least nine more episodes, while NBC’s former Medium steps in. “On behalf of the studio, I don’t think NBC really treated the show the way it should have been treated, where it was put on the schedule and how it was supported,” noted Tassler. “To get Emmy-winner Patricia Arquette on Friday night for us was a home run.” CSI, the backbone of CBS’ Thursday line-up, meanwhile, has some plans to regain the lost audience. “We listened to viewers, we listened to research, we talked to producers, and what they wanted was to see the group back together,” said Tassler. “The challenge was introducing Lawrence Fishburne in a way that, as an outsider coming in, he didn’t just sort of insert himself right from the start in an authoritative position; that he earns his way into a place of authority amongst the team. So there was a gradual introduction to the character. He was an outsider, but fans wanted to see him in a more take-charge capacity. You’re going to see all of that this season.” To the masses wondering why still potent Without a Trace was canceled, according to Tassler: “Every show has its own life cycle, and the decision to cancel it weighed against the new shows that we had out of development coming to the fall schedule this year. We had a very strong development season. We have a very strong schedule. So it allowed us to make those tough decisions. But, obviously, we feel it was better to go out for the show — it was at a creative high point in its career versus then having any kind of downturn. Regardless, it was a very tough decision.” What Tassler failed to mention, of course, is that Without a Trace skews older, which is never a positive in this youth-driven business. As to the question regarding Ben Silverman’s departure at NBC: “Well, you know, I’m really just a “D girl.” So I won’t comment.” (Laughter) Nice comeback, Nina Tassler!________________________________________________________________________ On the CBS Panel Front: The Good WifeTuesday 10 p.m. -The Premise:After a Chicago District Attorney resigns in disgrace and is set to prison, his stay-at-home wife must go back to being a lawyer to support the family. Julianna Margulies (ER), Matt Czuchry and Christine Baranski (Cybill) star. -Lead-in: NCIS: Los Angeles -Competition: The Forgotten (ABC), The Jay Leno Show (NBC) -Who Was on the Panel:Juliana Margulies and executive producer/creators Robert King and Michelle King. -The Scoop:Juliana Margulies on why she decided to give series television another shot (after recently failing on legal drama Canterbury’s Law on Fox): “I’ve had a great 10 years away from ER. I’ve been able to do a lot of theater and films and miniseries, and I’ve never stopped working. I took not quite a year off after I had my baby. I did one movie in one little thing, but what’s different now is that I’m a mom and a wife and I need to stay in one place. For me, television is the medium for women. The richest characters I can find are on television. And it’s a lovely entry back into a place where, to now being be a mom and be able to play this role from a very different point of view, I never would have known the things that I know now back then. It’s a different phase of life. I’m embracing the change because it is a very different world in TV now. When I was on ER, we got a 44 share almost every week. So now, I’m like what’s a hit? A hit is 9-something? I can’t believe the difference in TV now.” -The Reality:Although the compatibility out of NCIS: Los Angeles should be solid (resulting in a potential time period win in total viewers), the expected older skew could be detrimental. Look what happened to former time period occupants Without a Trace and Judging Amy, after all. Both shows had ample tune-in, but too much grey in the mix was not appealing to CBS. Will the Eye net change its tune and welcome the 50+ crowd in an hour that leads into the late local news? Personally thinking, I think it should. But I am not sure it will. -Chance of Survival for The Good Wife (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):5-1 -Did You Know?:Six years into her run as Nurse Carol Hathaway on ER, Juliana Margulies was offered a mammoth $27 million to renew her contract. But she turned it down to pursue other opportunities. ------------------------- Accidentally on PurposeMonday 8:30 p.m. ET -The Premise:Former Dharma & Greg star Jenna Elfman plays a 39 year-old San Francisco movie critic who gets pregnant after a one night with a man 10 years her junior. The cast includes Ashley Jensen, Grant Show (Swingtown), Jon Foster, Lennon Parham and Nicolas Wright. -Lead-in: How I Met Your Mother-Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Heroes (NBC), House (Fox), One Tree Hill (CW) -Who Was on the Panel:Jenna Elfman, Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, Lennon Parham, Grant Show, Nicolas Wright and executive producer/show runner Claudia Lonow. -The Scoop:Jenna Elfman on returning to the world of sitcoms: “I have been doing nothing but trying to find another show to do on television that makes me happy, that inspires me, that I feel like I’m in a comedy sandbox doing what I love to do, and I have that with this. So I am honestly so grateful. But it’s been sort of from one development deal to another and certain attempts and misses here and there, but just nonstop nose to the grindstone. Boy, it was a real test of my endurance, mentally, you know, because it was very challenging. Many times I would go in my backyard, and I would call my agent and go, “I think I’m just going to move to Montana and quit. I swear. I can’t take it.” I get really frustrated. But that kind of just goes to show you how hard it is to find great comedies right now.” Memo to Jenna Elfman: You may be thinking about Montana again sooner than you might have hoped. -The Reality:While you can’t deny Jenna Elman’s success on Dharma & Greg, that sitcom worked because a) you could relate to the characters; b) the characters were appealing; and c) it was very funny in the early seasons. Based on the pilot, Accidentally on Purpose is missing all three elements. The overall situation seems both stale and forced, and leading out of relocated How I Met Your Mother is not as beneficial as former occupant The Big Bang Theory would have been. But since you cannot totally judge a show by the pilot, Accidentally on Purpose needs to slow down the pace and focus more on the true personality of the characters. Don’t forget that professional backburner The Rules of Engagement can always step in. -Chance of Survival for Accidentally on Purpose (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):6-1 -Did You Know?:In between Dharma & Greg and Accidentally on Purpose, Jenna Elfman tried to be the next Mary Tyler Moore in 2006 CBS sitcom Courting Alex. Despite the hefty lead-in support from Two and a Half Men, “love was not all around” and it only lasted 13 weeks. Claudia Lonow, meanwhile, honed her acting skills as troubled daughter Diana on long-running CBS serial Knots Landing. After she hooked up with Chip (who murdered Ciji) all hell broke lose and evil Chip ultimately met his maker by falling on a pitchfork. Ouch! Speaking as a true fan of Knots Landing, Claudia Lonow has aged well. Karen and Sid would be proud! Claudia Lonow on Knots Landing: “After every take, everybody had a mirror — we were always sitting on a couch or at a dining table, drinking coffee. The mirrors would come out, and like a team of people.” -------------------- Upcoming NCIS: Los Angeles and Three Rivers did not have individual panels today because they were represented at set visits last week. NCIS: Los AngelesTuesday 9 p.m. -The Premise:Spun-off from sleeper success NCIS (itself a spin-off from JAG), Chris O’Donnell and rapper/sitcom star LL Cool J head line this ensemble drama about the people who work in the undercover unit of NCIS in Los Angeles. -Competition: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), The Biggest Loser (NBC), So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), Melrose Place (CW) -Who Was on the Panel (at the Set Visit):LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell, Rocky Carroll, Peter Cambor, Adam Jamal Craig, Linda Hunt, Daniela Rush and executive producer Shane Brennan. -The Scoop:Out of NCIS (and spun-off from NCIS), the expectations for NCIS: Los Angeles are higher than any new series. According to Chris O’Donnell: “What’s exciting is having the network behind you and promoting the show. It’s tough whether you are doing a film or a TV show if you don’t have the support and the advertising and the marketing, which is obviously a huge part of it. It does raise some expectations. My biggest concern, and I think most of us, is to please the current NCIS fans because there’s very loyal fans and a huge following. And if new people tune into the show, that’s great. But I feel more pressure to live up to their expectations than I do to the network or the studio expectations, to be honest with you.” -The Reality:Yes, I am concerned that back-to-back hours of NCIS is one too many. The CSI franchise all airs independently, after all. But the compatibility is flawless. Lead-in NCIS is the unsung hero in primetime (and stands up well opposite American Idol). And the pilot was already clearly sampled. If there is one new show that will click, NCIS: Los Angeles is it. Too bad, though, that the idea is not more creative. -Chance of Survival for NCIS: Los Angeles (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):1-1 -Did You Know?:Chris O’Donnell’s first attempt at a regularly scheduled scripted series, Fox dramedy Head Games, lasted for only a handful of episodes in 2005. ------------------------- Three Rivers Sunday 9 p.m. -The Premise:Organ transplants and donation through the eyes of doctors, donors and recipients is the focus of this new medical drama. The cast includes Joaquim de Almedia, Christopher Hanke, Daniel Henney, Justina Machado, Katherine Moennig, Alex O’Loughlin and Julia Ormond. -Lead-in: The Amazing Race (CBS)-Competition: Desperate Housewives (ABC), Sunday Night Football (NBC), Family Guy and American Dad (Fox) -Who Was on the Panel (at the Set Visit):Christopher Hanke, Daniel Henney, Justina Machado, Kate Moennig, Alex O’Loughlin and creator and show runner Carol Barbee. -The Scoop:The premise of the show, according to Carol Barbee: “We are going to tell three stories that will ultimately become one story per episode. So we'll always drop into two separate worlds and introduce you to twoseparate groups of people, and you won't know whois going to be the donor or who is going to be therecipient until something happens and they end up at Three Rivers. The idea of theshooter is that the shooter himself isn't important.It's about how random things happen in this world,about how you think you have all the time in theworld, and you don't. You never know what's going to happen, and the lives that get brought togetherin our show and actually in real life, they're brought together by random events. It is about dropping you into a world where you see these people and what’s at stake in the world and then watching them get some sort of resolution at the end.” -The Reality:Out of escapist The Amazing Race and opposite ABC’s Desperate Housewives, the last thing women (or anyone for that matter) will probably want to watch on the eve of returning to work is a serious medical drama. Unless CBS pushes back the start date, count on Three Rivers as the first new cancellation of the season. Former time period occupant Cold Case could be back at 9 p.m. by the November sweeps (leading into drama repeats). Mark my words when I say that Three Rivers will not last. -Chance of Survival for Three Rivers (Based on a scale of 1-1 to 10-1):10-1 -Did You Know?:The last new drama of a medical nature on CBS, 3 Lbs, lasted a mere three episodes in November 2006. _____________________________________________________________________________ Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest -CBS Revives Let’s Make a Deal:This is old news by now. But in an unexpected announcement at the Summer Press Tour, CBS confirmed that a revival of classic game show, hosted by Wayne Brady, will replace departing daytime serial The Guiding Light. It premieres on Oct. 5. -Monty Hall Reminisces About the Original Let’s Make a Deal:“I think, for me, the best moments of the show were when things went wrong, when the door opened when it shouldn’t have opened. And now you’re standing there as the MC, and you’re saying to a contestant, “Now, you can either keep this TV set or go for what’s behind that door.” And before he makes a decision, somebody, the stagehand, opens the door by mistake. Now, there’s a car there. Now, you’ve got to talk yourself out of that situation. But we never did. When they made the mistake, the car belonged to the contestant. So you want it, you got it. Things have happened by accident. The door opens; Carol Merrill is holding onto a little baby elephant with a tether. The door opens; the baby elephant freaks, goes out the back door, down Prospect Avenue and down to downtown Los Angeles. Things happened by accident, which, to me, were the best things that happened on the show because then you can capitalize on it when you like to ad-lib a lot.” ---------- CBS Series Premiere Dates:Just to refresh your memory, what follows are the roll-out dates for the new and returning CBS series. Keep in mind that the start of the new season is now just 49 days away. Survivor: Samoa: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET (18th edition premiere)How I Met Your Mother: Monday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET (5th season premiere)Accidentally on Purpose: Monday, Sept. 21, 8:30 p.m. ET (new)Two and a Half Men: Monday, Sept. 21, 9 p.m. ET (7th season premiere)The Big Bang Theory: Monday, Sept. 21, 9:30 p.m. ET (3rd season premiere)CSI: Miami: Monday, Sept. 21, 10 p.m. ET (8th season premiere)NCIS: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 8 p.m. ET (7th season premiere)NCIS: Los Angeles: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 9 p.m. ET (new)The Good Wife: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 10 p.m. ET (new)The New Adventures of Old Christine: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. ET (5th season premiere)Gary Unmarried: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET (2nd season premiere)Criminal Minds: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET (5th season premiere)CSI: NY: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 p.m. ET (6th season premiere)CSI: Thursday, Sept. 24: Thursday, Sept. 24: 9 p.m. ET (10th season premiere)The Mentalist: Thursday, Sept. 24: Thursday, Sept. 24: 10 p.m. ET (2nd season premiere)Ghost Whisperer: Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. ET (5th season premiere)Medium: Friday, Sept. 25, 9 p.m. ET (6th season premiere, new network)Numbers: Friday, Sept. 25, 10 p.m. ET (56h season premiere)48 Hours Mystery: Saturday, Sept. 26, 10 p.m. ET 60 Minutes: Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. ET (42nd season premiere)The Amazing Race: Sunday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. ET (15th edition premiere, two hours)Cold Case: Sunday, Sept. 27, 10 p.m. ET (7th season premiere)Three Rivers: Sunday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m. ET (new) ---------- -Program Partners Scraps Marie Osmond Talker:Clearances from distributor Program Partners were reported in the low 80 percent range and the scheduled launch date for the long-awaited syndicated talk show hosted by Marie Osmond was Sept. 14. But sluggish ad sales were cited as the reason behind the Osmond talker being pulled before it even aired. “It was my sincere desire to produce an exceptional talk show, produced with the high quality that is associated with the Marie Osmond brand for over four decades,” said Osmond in a prepared statement. “This project, under proper conditions, still remains a strong passion of mine.” Program Partners declined comment on the cancellation. Stations, meanwhile, are expected to fill the lost hour in daytime with repeats of existing product. ________________________________________________________________________ Coming Up Tomorrow: CW and Showtime

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CBS Presents at TCA

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