CBSLooks like Ashton Kutcher's gonna have some nerdy friends this fall!
CBS unveiled its new fall schedule this morning, and, in a somewhat surprising move, is transplanting two of its biggest shows, Two and a Half Men and 2 Broke Girls, to new timeslots.
Check out where they're heading and what the CBS brass just said about why CSI Miami and Unforgettable were canceled...
Two and a Half Men is moving to Thursdays at 8:30, meaning that the network's biggest comedy, Big Bang Theory, will serve as its lead-in. Why is CBS linking up its two best-known comedies? The decision seems to be preventing Men from hemorrhaging more viewers, as CBS typically uses its biggest comedies to launch new series.
CBS President Nina Tassler told reporters this morning: "Big Bang Theory is a remarkably broad show, and we needed to find a show that is as broad as it [to put after it]." She's using Men's old Monday timeslot to launch a new comedy from the creators of Will & Grace called Partners (starring David Krumholtz and what Tassler calls a "new breakout star," Ugly Betty's Michael Urie). "We want to put it in a spot where it won't have pressure," Tassler explains.
The CBS bosses spent much time during their press conference with reporters touting the success of freshman comedy 2 Broke Girls, which is moving to Mondays at 9. It is "the No. 1 new show this year. It built on How I Met Your Mother, and we like to put shows that have momentum into key timeperiods," senior executive vice president Kelly Kahl explained.
So what about the network's two most notable cancellations: CSI: Miami and Unforgettable?
Tassler says of the decision to keep CSI: NY over CSI: Miami: "It was a very tough choice. It really was about servicing the schedule...Looking at them both, they were very very close. It was just a matter of looking at the schedule and what worked the best." She added, "We liked the idea of moving The Mentalist to Sundays" and it "made more sense to keep CSI: NY in its original timeslot."
As for the Poppy Montgomery crime drama Unforgettable, which also was not renewed: "It wasn't what went wrong [with Unforgettable]," Tassler explained, "it was what went right with the new pilots. It started very strong in the beginning of the season. They were continuing to produce great episodes…The producers were very open and we were working together…It's just the nature of the business. Some shows work, some shows don't."
And because you are all waiting on pins and needles about Rules of Engagement, Tassler tells us they're still considering it and nothing has been decided yet.
Here's CBS' full fall schedule:
(New series are bolded)
MONDAY
8 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
8:30 p.m. Partners (new comedy with Krumholtz and Urie)
9 p.m. 2 Broke Girls
9:30 p.m. Mike & Molly
10 p.m. Hawaii Five-O
TUESDAY
8 p.m. NCIS
9 p.m. NCIS:Los Angeles
10 p.m. Vegas (1960's crime drama with Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis)
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Survivor
9 p.m. Criminal Minds
10 p.m. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
THURSDAY
8 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. Two and a Half Men
9 p.m. Person of Interest
10 p.m. Elementary (Sherlock Holmes reboot with Johnny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu)
FRIDAY
8 p.m. CSI: NY
9 p.m. Made in Jersey
10 p.m. Blue Bloods
SATURDAY
8 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
9 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery
SUNDAY
7 p.m. 60 Minutes
8 p.m. The Amazing Race
9 p.m. The Good Wife
10 p.m. The Mentalist