CBS’s Schedule Adds 4 Comedies, Each Guarded by a Successful One

The network will add just one new hourlong series in the fall, a drama called “Hostages,” starring Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott.

Large swaths of this season’s schedule are expected to remain intact next fall, like the combination of “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” on Tuesdays, and its four franchises on Sundays, “60 Minutes,” “The Amazing Race,” “The Good Wife,” and “The Mentalist.”

That’s because CBS is in an enviable position, with higher ratings than any other broadcaster and fewer failures from the current season. “This is a schedule built to last,” said CBS’s scheduling chief Kelly Kahl.

The network’s plans for the fall were revealed at a news conference on Wednesday morning. The new shows will be previewed for advertisers at CBS’s annual upfront presentation in the afternoon.

Nina Tassler, the president of entertainment for CBS, said her goal was “more originals, fewer repeats.”

Programmers at the other major networks have spoken similarly, but it is likely to be easier for CBS to accomplish in the coming season because it renewed so many shows this spring, continuing a trend that is several years old.

The first of its new comedies, “We Are Men,” will come on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., supported by the final season of “How I Met Your Mother” at 8. The second new one, “Mom,” from the uber-producer Chuck Lorre, will follow another of his shows, “2 Broke Girls,” at 9.

The network’s other two new comedies, “The Millers” and “The Crazy Ones,” will be shown on Thursday nights, sandwiched between “The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men.” The CBS fall schedule follows, with new shows in italics:

MONDAY

8:00-8:30

How I Met Your Mother

8:30-9:00

We Are Men

9:00-9:30

2 Broke Girls

9:30-10:00

Mom

10:00-11:00

Hostages

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00

NCIS

9:00-10:00

NCIS: Los Angeles

10:00-11:00

Person of Interest

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00

Survivor

9:00-10:00

Criminal Minds

10:00-11:00

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

THURSDAY

8:00-8:30

The Big Bang Theory

8:30-9:00

The Millers

9:00-9:30

The Crazy Ones

9:30-10:00

Two and a Half Men

10:00-11:00

Elementary

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00

Undercover Boss

9:00-10:00

Hawaii Five-0

10:00-11:00

Blue Bloods

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30

Comedy repeat

8:30-9:00

Comedy repeat

9:00-10:00

Drama repeat

10:00-11:00

48 Hours

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00

60 Minutes

8:00-9:00

The Amazing Race

9:00-10:00

The Good Wife

10:00-11:00

The Mentalist

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/business/media/cbss-schedule-adds-4-comedies-each-guarded-by-a-successful-one.html?partner=rss&emc=rss