CBS Slots Four Sitcoms, One Drama For Fall

CBS is the top-rated network in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic for the first time since 1991-92. So, its plan is to build on that success without messing things up too much. The network is unveiling its fall 2013 lineup to advertisers at its upfront presentation in New York City today. CBS will add four comedies this fall and one drama.

The comedies include Mom from Chuck Lorre, who created two of TV’s most successful but aging comedies, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men. Mom stars Anna Faris as a sober single mother. More important, it will lead out of 2 Broke Girls on CBS’s top-rated Monday comedy block.

New on Monday at 8:30 p.m. is We Are Men, an ensemble comedy with Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn and Jerry O’Connell. The guys bond over rotten love lives.

The new drama Hostages from CSI’s Jerry Bruckheimer will be on Mondays at 10 p.m. The show, with Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott, is about a surgeon and her family who are taken hostage by rogue FBI agents.

Meantime, in midseason the drama Intelligence will air in Hostage’s time slot. It stars Josh Holloway as an intelligence officer who is implanted with a microchip. CSI’s Marg Helgenberger costars.

Tuesday continues with two of TV’s highest-rated shows, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. The returning drama Person of Interest will move to Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

Wednesdays will remain intact with Survivor, Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

CBS’s emphasis on comedies is most apparent on Thursdays where it will now have a two-hour comedy block, led off by TV’s No. 1 sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. That will lead into the Millers. The new Will Arnett sitcom is about a divorced news reporter who gets caught up in his parents’ marital problems.

The Crazy Ones follows at 9 p.m. The sitcom is about dad-daughter advertising executives with Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. It leads into Two and a Half Men.

The returning Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary caps off the night at 10 p.m.

Fridays is mostly unchanged with Undercover Boss at 8 p.m. and Blue Bloods at 10 p.m. The returning Hawaii Five-0 is moving into the 9 p.m. slot.

Saturdays will now have a rerun-comedy block until CBS’ 9 p.m. crime-focused drama reruns. 48 Hours remains at 10 p.m.

Sundays on CBS will go unchanged with 60 Minutes, the Amazing Race, the Good Wife and the Mentalist.

Here’s the full schedule (new series in bold face, NT=new time)

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

8:30-9:00 PM              WE ARE MEN

9:00-9:30 PM              2 BROKE GIRLS

9:30-10:00 PM            MOM

10:00-11:00 PM          HOSTAGES

                                    INTELLIGENCE (Mid-Season)

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM            NCIS: LOS ANGELES

10:00-11:00 PM          PERSON OF INTEREST (NT)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

THURSDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              THE BIG BANG THEORY

8:30-9:00 PM              THE MILLERS

9:00-9:30 PM              THE CRAZY ONES

9:30-10:00 PM            TWO AND A HALF MEN (NT)

10:00-11:00 PM          ELEMENTARY

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              UNDERCOVER BOSS

9:00-10:00 PM            HAWAII FIVE-0 (NT)

10:00-11:00 PM          BLUE BLOODS

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              COMEDYTIME SATURDAY

8:30-9:00 PM              COMEDYTIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM          48 HOURS

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM              60 MINUTES

8:00-9:00 PM              THE AMAZING RACE

9:00-10:00 PM            THE GOOD WIFE

10:00-11:00 PM          THE MENTALIST