CBS Changes Every Night of the Week

CBS, the most-watched network, will introduce five new shows this fall (three dramas, two sitcoms), with changes impacting every evening of the week. All three members of the CSI franchise, surprisingly, made the cut, but granddaddy CSI, which heads into season 12, shifts to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. (in place of canceled Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior). Also relocating to a new night is Emmy favorite The Good Wife, which moves to Sundays at 9 p.m. (in place of Undercover Boss, which returns in midseason), and, oddly, returning comedy Rules of Engagement, which will anchor Saturday at 8 p.m. Leading out of Rules of Engagement will be sitcom repeats. After years with no network willing to take a risk on Saturday, consider unfortunately doomed Rules a step in the right direction. Earlier in the week, How I Met Your Mother has a new lead-out, 2 Broke Girls, a comedy focused on two young Brooklyn waitresses hoping to launch a successful business. Airing out of returning NCIS and spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles in the Tuesday 10 p.m. hour is new crime solver Unforgettable, the story of a former police detective with an unusual ability. Thursday will feature two new occupants: sitcom How to Be a Gentleman at 8:30 p.m., followed by J.J. Abrams thriller Person of Interest at 9 p.m., while drama A Gifted Man steps into the perennially troubled Friday 8 p.m. hour. Unlike the competition, CBS has the benefit of proven lead-in support for three of its five new entries: 2 Broke Girls, Unforgettable, and How to Be a Gentleman. And a lineup housed with so many hits gave the Eye net the luxury of actually trying to program Saturday. But renewing all three hours of the declining CSI franchise sounds like shades of the once prosperous Law & Order trio on NBC, and there is no reason to think viewers will find Rules of Engagement on Saturday, which has never stood on its own (on a new night, no less). Upcoming on CBS in midseason is crime drama The 2-2 from Robert De Niro and the aforementioned return of nonscripted Undercover Boss. Not returning are $#*! My Dad Says, The Defenders, and recent entries Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Mad Love. Here is CBS’s fall 2011 lineup (with new shows bolded in caps). Monday 8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother 8:30 p.m. 2 BROKE GIRLS 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men 9:30 p.m. Mike & Molly 10:00 p.m. Hawaii Five-O Tuesday 8:00 p.m. NCIS 9:00 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00 p.m. UNFORGETTABLE Wednesday 8:00 p.m. Survivor: South Pacific 9:00 p.m. Criminal Minds 10:00 p.m. CSI (new day and time) Thursday 8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory 8:30 p.m. HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN 9:00 p.m. PERSON OF INTEREST 10:00 p.m. The Mentalist Friday 8:00 p.m. A GIFTED MAN 9:00 p.m. CSI: NY 10:00 p.m. Blue Bloods Saturday 8:00 p.m. Rules of Engagement (new day and time) 8:30 p.m. Comedytime Saturday (repeat sitcoms) 9:00 p.m. Crimetime Primetime (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. The Good Wife (new day and time) 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami New Program Descriptions COMEDY How to Be a Gentleman Described as a male buddy sitcom, an uptight magazine writer learns the lessons of life with the help of his old high school friend. Dave Foley, David Hornsby, and Kevin Dillon star. 2 Broke Girls Two struggling waitresses at a Brooklyn diner (Beth Behrs and Kat Dennings) aspire to open their own cupcake shop, but the catch is the $250,000 in startup capital needed to make their dream come true. DRAMA A Gifted Man The life of a brilliant surgeon (Patrick Wilson) changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching the meaning of life from the “hereafter.” Person of Interest From Lost creator J.J. Abrams, an ex-CIA agent (Jim Caviezel), presumed dead, and a scientist (Kevin Chapman) team up to attempt to prevent crimes before they occur. The 2-2 (Midseason) Six young NYPD rookies are the focus of this crime solver starring Leelee Sobieski, with Academy Award winner Robert De Niro listed as one of the producers. Unforgettable An ex-cop with the ability to remember everything is drafted back onto the force. Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) stars.

Convergent TV

CBS Changes Every Night of the Week

All three CSI franchises make the cut

Marc Berman

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Marc Berman