Some CBS pick-ups are coming through ahead of this week's upfront announcement, notably Hawaii Five-O (starring CBS fan favorite Alex O'Loughlin as well as Daniel Dae Kim from Lost ) and the Criminal Minds spinoff. CBS has also picked up Blue Bloods (starring Tom Selleck) and Defenders (starring TV by the Numbers favorite Jim Belushi).
While it's not yet clear whether Blue Bloods and Defenders will air in the fall, and certainly not clear that this is it in terms of CBS's hour-long scripted pickups, CBS is going to need to make some room somehow.
Quick thoughts:
-The only one hour drama we're certain will get canceled that isn't on a Friday is Cold Case. Given schedule surprises from FOX and NBC, if not for the expense of an older show, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cold Case move to Fridays (because of the expense, I would be).
-CBS could get an extra hour on Sundays depending how it schedules Undercover Boss
-CBS ordered another two cycles of Survivor, but it only ordered one cycle of Amazing Race, that leaves another hour on Sundays for ~half a season
-CBS could clear another hour by nuking the Wednesday comedy block
-I can't imagine Criminal Minds and its spinoff not airing together during the first season
-I doubt CBS would stick Hawaii Five-0 on Sunday nights (and there's no chance of Fridays). I could see it on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Monday's might work too if they want to give it a good lead-in by risking a move of CSI: Miami.
-Conventional Wisdom is that The Good Wife will move to Fridays, though I could see CBS trying it on Sundays too. I also could see CSI: NY bouncing to either Sundays or Fridays. I doubt both shows would move to the same day.
There are numerous possibilities that make some sense, but just to pick one: I'd move The Good Wife to Sunday and CSI: NY to Friday. Sunday isn't quite the death-slot that Friday is, and I'd err on the side of trying to bolster the younger show.
I'd also nuke the Wednesday comedy block. Short of moving one of the Monday 9pm shows to gain a foothold on Wednesdays at 8pm, nothing CBS seems to do work and I can't see CBS spending a lot of money to market Wednesdays at 8pm. Outside of Mondays, CBS has much better luck with procedurals.
Why not stick The Good Wife on Fridays and have it anchor a new all-female driven Friday night with The Good Wife, The Ghost Whisperer, and Medium?
The only thing I can say with any level of certainty is that Hawaii is going to get a favorable slot. Beyond that, CBS schedule is completely up in the air.
People have been suggesting that for the last 6 months. IMO there's much bigger questions about this sked than those about Good Wife, their lowest weekday drama.
Sorry for a new post but it won't let me edit my first:
Sticking Good Wife on Fridays would keep the ever-aggressive scheduling of Fridays by the networks going so far with NBC putting Jimmy Smits on Outlaw on Fridays and Fox having one of the coolest Friday lineups in years with Human Target and The Good Guys.
The Good Wife could become a dominant player on Friday nights and could ensure that CBS keeps its hold on Fridays intact.
I wonder if CBS may decide to nuke comedy on Wednesday but still renew Christine for a mid-season replacement instead of Rules of Engagement. Christine is at 88 episodes, so a 12-13 episode season would make it all that much more attractive in syndication, and it performed decently on Mondays previously. Rules is only at 48 episodes. Gary Unmarried is only 37. While Christine is the only one of the three that CBS doesn't get any backend on, CBS doesn't exclusively own the other two, either.
Do you consider Medium and Ghost Whisperer to be dominant players on Friday? I'm not saying they're not, but rather if they are, I'm not sure how important that is in the scheme of things.
One of the CSI's will be moved, that's for sure.
Good Wife on Sunday, CSI NY on Friday, Hawaii 5-0 on Tuesday
I’d say put “Hawaii Five-O” on Tuesdays at 9PM, after mega-hit “NCIS” for a good lead-in. Move “NCIS: LA” to Wednesdays at 8PM.
Move “CSI: NY” to Fridays at 10PM and “Good Wife” to Sundays at 10PM, or vise-versa.
“Criminal Minds” spin-off is a lock for Wednesdays at 10PM, but maybe in mid-season. If so, one of the other new dramas could air at 10PM on Wed in the fall.
I’d leave most everything else alone at this point. No need to mess up what’s working too much.
The Good Wife will not be a dominant Friday player. It'll hold its own, but especially with FOX and NBC coming hard there will be no domination of any sort, in the 18-49 demo anyway.
Why would the Criminal Minds spin-off be held for midseason? It makes more sense to launch it in the fall when the original is stronger. (Not up against Idol or dealing with spring malaise.)
Most are saying CBS didn't really like the pilot. Also, lots are saying mid-season. We'll see.
Don't you think that shifting Good Wife to Fridays at 8 could help reinvigorate the other two shows at least somewhat?
I don't have the data, but I guess CBS is the weakest of all 4 nets when it comes to Sunday. NBC is 2nd, after Fox and I think that ABC's dramas, even though weakened, beat CBS's Sunday night lineup.
With that in mind, CBS needs to strengthen their Sundays, so I could see Hawaii 5-0 debuting on Sunday nights at 9, with The Good Wife at 10 (B&S is 99.9% getting moved). This, of course, would entail that Amazing Race and Undercover Boss share timeslots (Sun @ 8). And with the decline AR has seen and with UB's concept becoming predictable, I think this is the right move.
Wednesday comedy block will exist, most likely headlined by Mike and Molly. My Dad Says is also going to be on the schedule, it is currently being recast (not Shatner though).
I can see CM2 debuting on Wednesdays at 10 and one of the two new dramas (say, Defenders) going to Tuesdays, 10PM. (PS. I hope you're just being facetious when referring to Jim Belushi as a TVBTN's favorite!)
That leaves Fridays, with Whisperer at 8, CSI NY at 10 and 13 episodes of Medium for 9pm, to be replaced with the fourth (and I'm willing to bet, the last) hourlong pickup for this season, Blue Bloods.
Unless *gasp* they intend on moving the original! One can only hope.
Are Medium's chances of being renewed lower because of the 4 shows CBS picked up? Does it make it in more danger than it was in?
Don't you think that shifting Good Wife to Fridays at 8 could help reinvigorate the other two shows at least somewhat?
No. And some of the themes of Good Wife don't make it a likely candidate for 8pm.
Re The Good Wife:
It is perfect for Sunday night. It's the closest to a family show CBS has and ABC's DH/B&S combo has been working for years. If anything, I think TGW can be revitalized on Sundays.
If it ends up on the Friday night sked, I expect it to be on at 9pm. It's not an 8pm show and CBS won't wanna jeopardize it in its second season by putting it in the 10pm timeslot. If scheduled for Fridays at 9, then I can definitely see it becoming a major player for the night.
Centauri, you honestly don't think it can beat out Dateline and The Good Guys and whatever ABC puts there (Supernanny, Shark Tank)?
No way CBS had the weakest Sundays. Not possible. Even in the fall I would have said not possible, then Undercover Boss came on tore everybody else to pieces. You better check that stat.
Good point about Good Wife's content.
We'll see. All signs point to it being shifted off to Fridays at whatever time. While I think that CSI: NY *could* move to Fridays, I don't know, a lineup consisting of Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and CSI: NY sounds a little odd.
Hey CBS, don't move CSI: NY to Fridays or Sundays. Just let it on Wednesday 10pm because it will only be against LOLA and possibly Castle???