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Posted by on May 15, 2013 in Main Course, Russ Stevens, Television | 0 comments

TV Upfront Presentation Season: CBS

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Everyone makes fun of CBS for being the network for old people.  To some degree that still holds true, but at the end of the season, and for the first time in 10 years, CBS will be the #1 network in total viewers and in that coveted 18-49 demo.  Yes, we can all argue all we want about the fact that TV viewing metrics are stupid and antiquated, but even if they are, CBS is crushing everyone else.  The Big Bang Theory is a juggernaut.  How I Met Your Mother is going strong into a 9th and final season, and all of CBS’ generic cop-based procedurals do extremely well.  So what does the network that has everything do for next year?

New Shows: We Are Men, Mom, The Millers, The Crazy Ones, Hostages, and Intelligence

As you can see, CBS really did not have to pickup very many shows whatsoever.  4 half hour comedies and 2 dramas.  With CBS, I can never figure out for the life of me, what will end up being successful and what wont be.  Most of their shows are creatively vacant, but people still watch.  So trying to pick a hit out of this bunch will be tough.  However, I think Mom stands the best chance of being a breakout hit.  It will follow 2 Broke Girls, and it comes from Chuck Lorre, who is the CBS sitcom-whisperer (Big Bang, Two and Half Men), so that might work for them.  Midseason entry Intelligence also seems like a lock for CBS.  It’s their textbook brand of generically looking white dudes, with a team of diverse crime-solvers who are basically all military cops.

As far as not-hits,  We Are Men, sounds incredibly uninspired and is in the tough to program 8:30 slot, so if I had to guess, it will have a short life.  Hostages is CBS attempt at a limited series (which is all the rage on TV these days), but it sounds too close to NBC’s Kidnapped from a few years back, and I just can’t see people ready for such a dark show after all that single camera laughing.  Basically CBS is betting on itself to do more of the same.  They will now have two, two-hour blocks of comedy, none of which looks good, and they will crush in the ratings.  I foresee CBS winning the total viewer crown again, but giving the demo crown back to Fox.  NBC and ABC are in a fight for the third spot. The CW…well…um…you guys are cute.

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