16 May 2007

Upfronts: Day 3


CBS has found itself over the last couple of years, one of the most stablest of the five networks. It has well established shows and thus when it has to add new ones, it finds it can add them next to their hit programs.

Sunday launches with that old chestnut, 60 Minutes followed by the oddest new show, Viva Laughlin, which is based on the BBC format Viva Blackpool, and is about a man's dream of opening a casino in Laughlin, Nevada only to find its compromised by his family, his rivals and his involvement in a murder investigation. Musical numbers unexpectedly ensue. Returning Cold Case and new timeslot for Shark fill out the night.

Monday returns with How I Met Your Mother, followed by the new comedy The Big Bang Theory, about two geniuses who get lucky when a beautiful young woman moves in next door and decides to teach them a few things about the world outside of physics. Two and a Half Men returns next, followed by the returning Rules of Engagement. CSI: Miami finishes out the night.

Tuesday starts with the returning NCIS , followed by The Unit. The lone new show that night is Cane, a series about a South Florida family that runs their successful rum and sugar business while dealing with both professional and personal turmoil.

Wednesday starts with a reality show called Kid Nation -forty kids between the ages of 8 and 15 are given 40 days to build a new community -- complete with their own cooking, businesses and government -- in the ghost town of Bonanza City, New Mexico. Criminal Minds returns at 9 followed by the next season of CSI: NY.

Thursday brings back another edition of Survivor, this time set in China. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation haunts the 9pm hour followed by the relocated Without a Trace at 10.

Friday has another season of Ghost Whisperer, followed by Moonlight, about a man who’s been vampire for 60 years, and works as a private investigator, dealing with the difficulties of immortality, a slew of undead adversaries and his love for a mortal woman. Another words, Angel without the biting satire. Numb3rs returns to end the night.

Waiting in the wings: Swingtown about the residents of a Chicago suburb in the '70s who are into couple swapping, open marriages and key parties, but they soon come to realize that their alternative lifestyle comes with its own complications. Nope, this may be odder than Viva Laughlin -and especially for the often time conservative tiffany network.

Off to the cancellations bin include: The Class, Close to Home, Jericho, The King of Queens, Smith, Three Lbs., and Waterfront.

Tomorrow: The CW and FOX

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Moonlight sounds like the old Canadian series "Forever Knight" about a vampire who works as a police detective, with characters from his previous lives, plus current day stuff. It used to be fun to watch to pick out where they were filming each location shoot.

Looks like most of the new stuff I'll be giving a pass to.