Post by Naj on May 21, 2007 11:52:18 GMT -5
FALL TV | CBS devotes two-thirds of prime-time programming to whodunits; midseason swinger series is set in Chicago
May 17, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
The Crime Broadcasting System will keep blood and guts flowing in the streets this fall. Of its 21 prime-time hours, 14 will be filled by crime shows. Seven of those use variations of "crime" in the title.
The only murder show CBS is killing is "Close to Home," with Jennifer Finnigan.
» Click to enlarge image
Alex O'Loughlin plays a vampire who has been "undead" for six decades and now takes on other vampires in the new CBS series "Moonlight."
(CBS)
That leaves Kathryn Morris' "Cold Case" and Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Ghost Whisperer" as the only female-fronted fiction on CBS' fall slate. It's no wonder ABC is morphing into the network of strong women. ABC picked "beat 'em" instead of "join 'em."
It's hard to argue with CBS' strategy, though. It's No. 1 in the ratings. It got there by sticking to old-school, macho TV: crime dramas with ensemble casts and traditional sitcoms riddled with laugh tracks.
CBS is replacing "The Class" with "The Big Bang Theory," a comedy from the makers of "Two and a Half Men." It's about two geeks who crush on their sexy waitress neighbor.
The network claims its new shows take a "diverse" break from crime waves. But two of three new fall dramas flash the gore:
• "Moonlight" stakes out a good vampire who's a crime-dog private eye, in the bloody vein of CW's "Angel" (R.I.P.).
• The "Cop Rock"-like "Viva Laughlin" makes cast members lip-sync to hit songs while a casino boss wannabe gets "embroiled in a murder investigation."
Out of character for CBS, "Cane" finds Jimmy Smits running a Cuban-American sugar and rum trade. And the one new drama for midseason is "Swingtown," where swingers swap in "an affluent Chicago suburb" in the 1970s.
So instead of "CSI: Chicago," our town gets sexaholics. Now that's what I call a taste of Chicago.
SCHEDULE
New shows in bold
SUNDAY
6 p.m. ''60 Minutes''
7 p.m. ''Viva Laughlin''
8 p.m. ''Cold Case''
9 p.m. ''Shark''
MONDAY
7 p.m. ''How I Met Your Mother''
7:30 p.m. ''The Big Bang Theory''
8 p.m. ''Two and a Half Men''
8:30 p.m. ''Rules of Engagement''
9 p.m. ''CSI: Miami''
TUESDAY
7 p.m. ''NCIS''
8 p.m. ''The Unit''
9 p.m. ''Cane''
WEDNESDAY
7 p.m. ''Kid Nation''
8 p.m. ''Criminal Minds''
9 p.m. ''CSI: NY''
THURSDAY
7 p.m. ''Survivor: China''
8 p.m. ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''
9 p.m. ''Without a Trace''
FRIDAY
7 p.m. ''Ghost Whisperer''
8 p.m. ''Moonlight''
9 p.m. ''Numb3rs''
SATURDAY
7 p.m. Crime drama reruns
9 p.m. ''48 Hours Mystery''
CANCELED
"The Class," "Close to Home," "Jericho"
ON THE MOVE
"Shark," from 9 p.m. Thursdays to 9 p.m. Sundays
"Without a Trace," from 9 p.m. Sundays to 9 p.m. Thursdays
RETURNING LATER
"The Amazing Race," "The New Adventures of Old Christine
Here
May 17, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
The Crime Broadcasting System will keep blood and guts flowing in the streets this fall. Of its 21 prime-time hours, 14 will be filled by crime shows. Seven of those use variations of "crime" in the title.
The only murder show CBS is killing is "Close to Home," with Jennifer Finnigan.
» Click to enlarge image
Alex O'Loughlin plays a vampire who has been "undead" for six decades and now takes on other vampires in the new CBS series "Moonlight."
(CBS)
That leaves Kathryn Morris' "Cold Case" and Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Ghost Whisperer" as the only female-fronted fiction on CBS' fall slate. It's no wonder ABC is morphing into the network of strong women. ABC picked "beat 'em" instead of "join 'em."
It's hard to argue with CBS' strategy, though. It's No. 1 in the ratings. It got there by sticking to old-school, macho TV: crime dramas with ensemble casts and traditional sitcoms riddled with laugh tracks.
CBS is replacing "The Class" with "The Big Bang Theory," a comedy from the makers of "Two and a Half Men." It's about two geeks who crush on their sexy waitress neighbor.
The network claims its new shows take a "diverse" break from crime waves. But two of three new fall dramas flash the gore:
• "Moonlight" stakes out a good vampire who's a crime-dog private eye, in the bloody vein of CW's "Angel" (R.I.P.).
• The "Cop Rock"-like "Viva Laughlin" makes cast members lip-sync to hit songs while a casino boss wannabe gets "embroiled in a murder investigation."
Out of character for CBS, "Cane" finds Jimmy Smits running a Cuban-American sugar and rum trade. And the one new drama for midseason is "Swingtown," where swingers swap in "an affluent Chicago suburb" in the 1970s.
So instead of "CSI: Chicago," our town gets sexaholics. Now that's what I call a taste of Chicago.
SCHEDULE
New shows in bold
SUNDAY
6 p.m. ''60 Minutes''
7 p.m. ''Viva Laughlin''
8 p.m. ''Cold Case''
9 p.m. ''Shark''
MONDAY
7 p.m. ''How I Met Your Mother''
7:30 p.m. ''The Big Bang Theory''
8 p.m. ''Two and a Half Men''
8:30 p.m. ''Rules of Engagement''
9 p.m. ''CSI: Miami''
TUESDAY
7 p.m. ''NCIS''
8 p.m. ''The Unit''
9 p.m. ''Cane''
WEDNESDAY
7 p.m. ''Kid Nation''
8 p.m. ''Criminal Minds''
9 p.m. ''CSI: NY''
THURSDAY
7 p.m. ''Survivor: China''
8 p.m. ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''
9 p.m. ''Without a Trace''
FRIDAY
7 p.m. ''Ghost Whisperer''
8 p.m. ''Moonlight''
9 p.m. ''Numb3rs''
SATURDAY
7 p.m. Crime drama reruns
9 p.m. ''48 Hours Mystery''
CANCELED
"The Class," "Close to Home," "Jericho"
ON THE MOVE
"Shark," from 9 p.m. Thursdays to 9 p.m. Sundays
"Without a Trace," from 9 p.m. Sundays to 9 p.m. Thursdays
RETURNING LATER
"The Amazing Race," "The New Adventures of Old Christine
Here
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