This is a breakdown of CBS scripted shows and their renewal and cancellation prospects. For the main post containing unscripted shows click here. For the Renew/Cancel Indexes for the other networks click these links:
Until CBS's new shows start this spring, the current questions hanging over its schedule are which of its three struggling comedies (The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, and Worst Week) will be cancelled. Newcomer Worst Week got the best slot in CBS's lineup for a new comedy, but has barely performed above average for the net. Reports are that CBS expected much more in that prime timeslot and that Worst Week will not be coming back next season.
I've heard directly from a lot of fans of The Unit asking about their show's prospects. Sadly, I've had to tell them they don't look good. A unlikely recovery now that Sunday Night Football is over seems like its only hope.
While the Renew / Cancel index is most geared toward predicting potential renewal for *next* season, my color coding of the shows are guesses on what might happen this season: Cancelled/Not Returning, Not Likely To Be Renewed, or Renewal Likely for 2009-10.
| PROGRAM | Net | STD 18-49 (LIVE+SD) (000) | Network Avg. STD 18-49 | Renew/ Cancel index | Status |
| THE EX LIST | CBS | 2,443 | 3,960 | 0.62 | cancelled |
| NEW ADVS OF OLD CHRISTINE (1) | CBS | 2,808 | 3,960 | 0.71 | |
| FLASHPOINT* | CBS | 2,994 | 3,960 | 0.76 | |
| GARY UNMARRIED | CBS | 3,016 | 3,960 | 0.76 | |
| NUMB3RS* | CBS | 3,045 | 3,960 | 0.77 | |
| THE UNIT | CBS | 3,193 | 3,960 | 0.81 | |
| GHOST WHISPERER* | CBS | 3,441 | 3,960 | 0.87 | |
| WITHOUT A TRACE | CBS | 3,518 | 3,960 | 0.89 | |
| COLD CASE | CBS | 3,544 | 3,960 | 0.89 | |
| ELEVENTH HOUR | CBS | 3,888 | 3,960 | 0.98 | |
| WORST WEEK | CBS | 3,903 | 3,960 | 0.99 | |
| The Big Bang Theory | CBS | 4,588 | 3,960 | 1.16 | |
| NCIS | CBS | 4,592 | 3,960 | 1.16 | |
| CSI: NY | CBS | 4,671 | 3,960 | 1.18 | |
| THE Mentalist | CBS | 4,830 | 3,960 | 1.22 | |
| CSI: MIAMI | CBS | 4,866 | 3,960 | 1.23 | |
| How I Met Your Mother | CBS | 5,019 | 3,960 | 1.27 | |
| Criminal Minds | CBS | 5,072 | 3,960 | 1.28 | |
| Two and a Half Men | CBS | 6,299 | 3,960 | 1.59 | |
| CSI | CBS | 6,669 | 3,960 | 1.68 |
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*Friday night - Friday is quickly becoming an 18-49 wasteland, so these shows may be allowed a lower threshold for success than shows on other nights.
(1) CBS has tried to create a second "comedy block" this season on Wednesday by moving The New Adventures of Old Christine from Monday and slotting freshman Gary Unmarried. Both have been among CBS's worst scripted performers, but will Christine be given the benefit of the doubt?
The Renew/Cancel Index is a show's Season To Date adults 18-49 viewership divided by its networks Season to Date average 18-49 viewership.
How did we come up with our Index? We found that last season, the future of a show was nearly directly related to its adults 18-49 average viewers divided by its networks 18-49 average viewers. Many other factors may matter, but they all seemed to boil down to that one number. Because American Idol so skewed Fox's 18-49 average, and would make nearly all Fox shows fall into the "cancel" range, for Fox, I used the last STD 18-49 average *before* Idol. Last season, if a show had better than 92% of its network's average 18-49 viewership (0.92 in our index) it was pretty safe, below that level it was in danger.
Remember that plenty can change before the end of the season, particularly for the shows with indexes between 0.80 and last season’s renewal line of 0.92. The list is presented in a (and has to be, since I cannot predict future ratings) “what would happen if the season ended today” mode. Could the renewal line be 0.86 this season? Possibly. It might also be 0.95. Might it be 0.70? No chance.
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2008 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved. All viewership numbers are Live+SD.
PLEASE KEEP GARY UNMARRIED!!!!!!!!!
CHRISTINE IS STAYING NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!
I hope ABC still has interest in picking up Old Christine should CBS cancel it. If so CBS may have more room for other shows as well as Christine doing well for ABC.
worst week is canned. christine is renewed and gary unmarried is on the fence.
thats how i see it anyway
I agree but CBS may surprise us and cancel Christine as well. They may try to save Gary but if if the wednesday night comedies don’t do well they could both be gone. Worst Week is a definite for cancellation.
I think ABC wanted Old Christine last year.. this year? hell no. their comedy development is *decent* (with to ABC comedy standarts) with Lauren Graham, Courteny Cox, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton in different pilots.
worst week is gone gary is uncertain but i think as christine is established it will be renewed if only because of its syndication potential after a couple more seasons
christine will have produced 67 eps after this season so sydication is only 33 eps away thats just another season and a half
Well shows doen’t necessarily need to reach 100, over 85 is probably the best bet. So if Christine gets 1 more 22 episode season (by either CBS or ABC) than it will have 89 episodes, which is a good number for syndication. I definitely think the show has what it takes to reach that number. This situation reminds me of the 2004-2005 season where CBS had a lot of comedies and 2 new ones from the fall (Listen Up and Center of the Universe) Worst Week is similiar to Universe in that it produced a lower number of episodes and is finishing up early. Gary is similar to Listen Up because it got a full season but unfortunately was axed anyway. There was also a returning midseason comedy that year (Yes, Dear) as is this year (Rules of Engagement). Both freshman comedies can be axed or maybe Gary will be saved, the only thing I know for sure is that Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother are definites to return next year, and Worst Week is dead no matter what.
CBS isn’t as harsh as the competition. Old Christine will return, I think.
Gary Unmarried is sooooo funny! I hope they keep it! Heres how i think the situation is right now…
Worst Week: Cancelled ( given the best timeslot, and wasnt able to do anything with it, CBS expected alot more)
Old Christine: Renewed (It has syndication on its side, and another season would get it very close to that magic number, 100)
Gary Unmarried: A Hesitant Renewed (This could go either way, its real close, it all depends on if CBS wants to give it another shot, or just find a new comedy. Im taking a hunch and saying CBS will give it another try, but I could be wrong)
I think unless Gary is really cheap to make it will be canceled. Christine might be given another shot in a different time slot next year, and I have no idea what will happen with Worst Week. Maybe it will depend on the pilots for next season? Unit is dead too, I only found first season to be interesting, I hated everything from S2.
Old Christine its from Warner Bros. Television, not CBS Paramount Television so the $$$ will go to Warner.
The thing is the past few weeks Christine has had better viewer and demo numbers than Gary Unmarried, so I think it will be the one of those two (if not both) CBS decides to keep.
Worst Week is definitely a goner – Gary Unmarried is very much on the fence. I think it’s going to come down to what they do about Old Christine that makes or breaks Gary. I could see CBS renewing Old Christine and pairing it with a full season of Rules on Wednesday nights, if CBS wants to take the gamble on Wednesdays again.
Hopefully, Old Christine will be renewed. Not only is it close to syndication, but it gets decent numbers for having no lead-in. Also, CBS and Warner Brothers are having a huge dispute of Two and a Half Men. There might be something in the settlement having to do with their other CBS shows (OLD CHRISTINE). Just an idea.
I hate all 3 of these comedies but agree that Christine has the best chance of staying. I think they should forget Wednesday comedies and find a good show at 9:30 on Mondays (not Rules of Engagement which is as bad as these 3).
Christine will survive. The show is getting close to 100, Julia gets nominations and this whole wensday block was just an experiment anyway. Next year they probolly will put another lame cop drama there and Christine will return to the top using good ole 2 and a half men lead. Worst week and Gary are gone do.
Once they trash Worst Week, I think Gary Unmarried would thrive in that post-Two and a Half Men timeslot. Worst Week is too different compared to the 3 shows on before it, Gary Unmarried seems like a better fit within that grouping.
“Still Standing” produced 88 episodes and was picked by Lifetime and was syndicated. Maybe it would be slightly better if it got a fifth season which did not thanks in part to Old Christine and HIMYM.
Still Standing was a brilliant show. I fell in love with it after it was canceled and I couldn’t understand WHY it was canceled. I mean, it’s one of the funniest sitcom’s I’ve ever seen.
I wish Lifetime funded some episodes for it as I think it would be amazing for it to come back again!