The CBS Upfront

So...

CBS just unveiled their 2010 fall TV schedule at their "upfront" presentation in NY this morning. It's a risky schedule, with lots of changes. CBS is kind of known as the old folks network, something they have been working hard to change, so this is an interesting move because old folks don't usually like it when they can no longer figure out what night their favorite program is on.

Oh, and they are cancelling a whole heap of shows, which old folks don't like, either. Here's the list: The New Adventures of Old Christine, Ghost Whisperer, Gary Unmarried, Accidentally on Purpose, Cold Case, Miami Medical, Numb3rs. I guess CBS didn't have room for them with their hot new schedule. Too bad there wasn't a way for them to save money on making new shows that, let's be honest, will probably fail, and combine some of these just cancelled shows to create some new super-hybrid-hits. Think about it. The New Adventures of Gary Unmarried? I mean, aren't The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried basically the same show about newly divorced parents trying to retain custody of their kids, while navigating the dating world again, only one is with a man in the lead role and one is with a woman? Why not make it a show where we combine the two lead roles into one... so it'd be about a hermaphrodite trying to raise his/her kids, while looking for love in all the wrong places? Heck, you can still use Jay Mohr as the lead. Or how about Cold Whisperer, about a girl with a remarkable gift for understanding diseases, who is hired to help nurse an injured detective back to health following a tragic allergic reaction. Ghost Medical, anyone? I'd certainly watch a bunch of dead people trying to operate on the living.

On the returning side, CBS is moving Big Bang Theory from Mondays to Thursdays to try a little comedy out that night. Survivor then moves a day up to Wednesday nights. Perhaps most interesting is CSI: Miami moving to Sunday nights, to be replaced by the new version of Hawaii 5-0 on Mondays. Hawaii 5-0 is the hottest CBS drama pilot right now. I like the casting, but I hate that it's another remake.

Other new shows worth noting are Mike and Molly, another one from the guy who made Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, only this time it's more of a love story. There's also The Defenders, which has a terrible cast (Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as "colorful" Vegas defense attorneys.) God that already sounds annoying. Blue Bloods is a Tom Selleck vehicle being put out to pasture on Friday nights. Hmmm... Friday seems to be heating up for scripted shows this year...

Oh, and last but not least is $#*! My Dad Says. That title is already a set-back. FYI, this is the show where William Shatner plays an eccentric father (big stretch) who says crazy stuff about his kid, who then tweets about it. They say the pilot turned out funny, but I haven't seen it yet.

Well, that's it for CBS. Anyone still awake?