The CW Caps Off Upfront Presentation Week

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERThursday, May 20, 2010 CBS in 2010-11:Five New Fall Series; Changes on Five Nights The CW in 2010-11:Two New Series, Changes on All Five Nights Ratings Box:What’s Hot/What’s Not On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest TV Trivia Time: Staying Intact ________________________________________________________________________________ Note: Due to the early release of The Programming Insider, the overnight (metered market) results for Wednesday, May 19 were not available today. But don’t forget to click on PIFeedback.com for the fast affiliate numbers by approximately 12 p.m. ET. ________________________________________________________________________________ CBS in 2010-11:Five New Fall Series; Changes on Five Nights CBS, the most-watched network, will introduce five new series (sitcoms Mike & Molly and $#*! My Dad Says; and dramas The Defenders, Blue Bloods and the revival of Hawaii Five-O), impacting five nights of the week (and 18 percent of the schedule). Not resting on its laurels, five returning series (Survivor, The Big Bang Theory, Medium, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami) will shift to new time periods. Perennial Thursday occupant Survivor, which will be set in Nicaragua this fall, moves to Wednesday at 8 p.m., leading into returning Criminal Minds and new drama The Defenders. Survivor, no doubt, will be quite an improvement over former sitcom occupants The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried and Accidentally on Purpose. Breakout The Big Bang Theory, meanwhile, vacates its cushy Monday 9:30 p.m. time period (for new comedy Mike & Molly) for the untested Thursday 8 p.m. half-hour, leading into new sitcom $#*! My Dad Says. The last time CBS aired two comedies in the Thursday 8 p.m. hour was in the 1965-66 season with Gilligan’s Island and My Three Sons. Yes…45 years! Also moving elsewhere on CBS is Medium to Friday at 8 p.m., CSI: NY to Friday at 9 p.m. (into new 10 p.m. drama Blue Bloods), and CSI: Miami to Sunday at 10 p.m. (out of sophomore Undercover Boss). While many were expecting CSI and The Mentalist to flip time periods on Thursday, both will remain intact next season, as will the entire Tuesday and Saturday slates. Mirroring ABC and NBC, CBS is not even attempting to program aggressively on Saturday (and this is the one network that really could). Not returning next season on the Eye net are comedies The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried and Accidentally on Purpose; and dramas Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs and recently introduced Miami Medical. One confirmed show slated for midseason is the still untitled spin-off from Criminal Minds. Here is CBS’ fall 2010 schedule, with the new shows capped, followed by the new program descriptions. Monday 8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother 8:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men 9:30 p.m. MIKE & MOLLY10:00 p.m. HAWAII FIVE-O Tuesday 8:00 p.m. NCIS 9:00 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00 p.m. The Good Wife Wednesday 8:00 p.m. Survivor (new day)9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds10:00 p.m. THE DEFENDERS Thursday 8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (new day and time) 8:30 p.m. $#*! MY DAD SAYS 9:00 p.m. CSI10:00 p.m. The Mentalist Friday 8:00 p.m. Medium (new time) 9:00 p.m. CSI: NY (new day and time)10:00 p.m. BLUE BLOODS Saturday 8:00 p.m. Crimetime Saturday (drama repeats) 9:00 p.m. Crimetime Saturday (drama repeats)10:00 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery Sunday 7:00 p.m. 60 Minutes 8:00 p.m. The Amazing Race 9:00 p.m. Undercover Boss10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami (new day) New Program Descriptions CBS Comedy $#*! My Dad SaysWilliam Shatner headlines this comedic tale of an outspoken old man who can no longer take care of himself and the son who moves back home as his caregiver. Mike & MollyA couple (Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell) meet in a support group for overeaters in this multi-camera sitcom from Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre. Drama Blue BloodsFormerly known as Reagan’s Law, a multigenerational family of New York based cops is the focus. The ensemble cast includes Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Flex Alexander, Len Cariou, Will Estes and Dylan Moore. Defenders Jerry O’Connell and former According to Jim star Jim Belushi play two outspoken Las Vegas attorneys who do whatever it takes to defend their clients. The cast includes Vigman, Jurnee Smollett, Tanya Fischer and Teddy Sears. Hawaii Five-OThe daily operations of the fictional Hawaiian State Police department are the focus of this revival of the classic 1968-80 crime drama. Alex O’Loughlin steps in for Jack Lord as Det. Steve McGarrett, with Scott Caan as Danny Williams and Lost star Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly. Criminal Minds Spin-Off (midseason)The action follows another group of BAU operatives headlined by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker. The cast includes Beau Garrett, Matt Ryan and Michael Kelly. ____________________________________________________________________________ The CW in 2010-11:Two New Series, Changes on All Five Nights The CW will introduce two new dramas next season (Hellcats and Nikita), with changes on each of its five evenings. Included will be new time periods for 90210, One Tree Hill, Life Unexpected and Supernatural. Only six of the 10 hours of The CW’s schedule (or 40 percent) will return intact, which is a bold and gutsy move in a season that could warrant a number of positive surprises. Returning 90210 will shift from Tuesday to Monday at 8 p.m., into young female magnet Gossip Girl. Veteran One Tree Hill, a “bubble” series in the true sense of the word, will move to Tuesday at 8 p.m., leading into sophomore Life Unexpected, which was granted a renewal, in part, due to its solid core following. Wednesday returnee America’s Next Top Model will lead into Hellcats, the story of cheerleaders in Memphis, Tennessee, while sophomore The Vampire Diaries will segue into new action-adventure Nikita, which is based on La Femme Nikita. Former Thursday 9 p.m. occupant Supernatural moves to Fridays at 9 p.m. out of the final season of Smallville. This is the first time in recent memory that The CW has architected a schedule of all original programming (and not an unnecessary repeat of America’s Next Top Model on Friday). At present, the network has not announced any specific plans for midseason. Here is The CW’s fall 2010 schedule, with the new shows capped, followed by the new program descriptions. Monday 8:00 p.m. 90210 (new night) 9:00 p.m. Gossip Girl Tuesday 8:00 p.m. One Tree Hill (new night) 9:00 p.m. Life Unexpected (new night) Wednesday 8:00 p.m. America’s Next Top Model 9:00 p.m. HELLCATS Thursday 8:00 p.m. The Vampire Diaries 9:00 p.m. NIKITA Friday 8:00 p.m. Smallville 9:00 p.m. Supernatural (new night) New Program Descriptions Dramas HellcatsAfter a pre-law student (Aly Michalka) loses her scholarship, she has to join the college’s competitive cheerleading squad. The ensemble cast includes Aly Michalka, Ashley Tisdale, Ben Browder, Elena Esovolova, Gail O'Grady, Heather Hemmens, Matt Barr, Robbie Jones and Sharon Leal. NikitaBased on the franchise, Maggie Q (Mission Impossible III) plays a spy and assassin for a top U.S. government agency who will stop at nothing to bring their powerful operation to an end. The cast includes Melinda Clarke, Lyndsy Fonseca, Ashton Holmes, Tiffany Hines, Aaron Stanford and Shane West.____________________________________________________________________________ On the Air Tonight:Prime-Time Programming Options Thursday 5/20/10Night 22 of the May 2010 Sweeps ABC: 8:00 p.m. FlashForward 9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy 10:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy (season finale) CBS: 8:00 p.m. The Mentalist 9:00 p.m. CSI (part two, season finale)10:00 p.m. The Mentalist (season finale) NBC: 8:00 p.m. Community (season finale) 8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation (season finale) 9:00 p.m. The Office (season finale) 9:30 p.m. 30 Rock (season finale)10:00 p.m. The Marriage Ref (season finale) Fox: 8:00 p.m. Bones (season finale) 9:00 p.m. Fringe (part two, season finale) CW 8:00 p.m. Smallville (R, two hours)______________________________________________________________________ TV Tidbits:Notes of Interest -Plain Jane on The CW This Summer:The CW will introduce a new non-scripted series this summer called Plain Jane, which will feature a woman receiving a full fashion makeover each week. Once the transformation is complete, the “Plain Jane” will surprise her unsuspecting crush with the new look and reveal her feelings to him. At that point, a love connection is…or isn’t…made. Louise Roe hosts and eight episodes have been ordered. -Fans of Ghost Whisperer, Take Note:ABC is in conversations to keep veteran drama Ghost Whisperer alive, which was officially axed by CBS (and replaced by similar appear Medium in the Friday 8 p.m. hour). Stay tuned. -The Kilborn File on the Fox Television Stations:Former late night host Craig Kilborn will be featured in a six-week test run on the Fox Television Stations this summer in a new half-hour called The Kilborn File. The program will feature Kilborn offering his humorous take on pop culture and current events in an arena with celebrities and human interest guests. It debuts on Monday, June 28 on the Fox Television Stations in New York (7 p.m.), Los Angeles (6:30 p.m.), Philadelphia (7 p.m.), Boston (7 p.m.), Detroit (7:30 p.m.), Phoenix (10:30 p.m.) and Austin (10 p.m.). _________________________________________________________________________ TV Trivia Time:Staying Intact Which one of the following returning series will not be moving to a new time period next season? a) Chuck (NBC)b) CSI: NY (CBS)c) Glee (Fox)d) The Middle (ABC)e) 30 Rock (NBC) The answer to yesterday’s question… Four of the following five stars will be featured on a new ABC series next season. Which one will not? a) Dana Delanyb) Michael Imperiolic) Rob Morrow d) Matthew Perry e) Jimmy Smits Is: e) Jimmy Smits, who will headline new NBC Friday drama Outlaw. As for the upcoming ABC stars: Dana Delany - Body of Proof: Friday 9 p.m.Michael Imperioli - Detroit 1-8-7: Tuesday 10 p.m.Rob Morrow – The Whole Truth: Wednesday 10 p.m.Matthew Perry – Mr. Sunshine (midseason) -Current kudos goes to:Michelle Yarborough Bauer, Barbara Berman, Gerry Bixenspan, Lisa Blatt, Barbara Bloomfield, Burt Benoliel, Cory Chapman, Steve Clements, Larry Collins, Harold Cooper (2x), Larry Corsa, Mike Dugger, Deborah Engel, John Ferlazzo, Maureen Goldman, Shannon Herlihy, Bob Ingersoll, David Jackino, Irene Kirschner, Synda Kollman, Tom Lawrenson, Patty Lynch, Debbie Mirr, Michael Murphy, Aaron Paquette, Pat Patton, Greg Phelan, Colleen Roth, David Shearer, Dewayne Snype, Ronnie Tallant, Carol Teichman, Evan Weinstein, Jim Wilson

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The CW Caps Off Upfront Presentation Week

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