Upfronts: CBS

For a leading network, there was, as expected, not that much turnover in shows, as they Eye will debut five shows in the fall. They were the first to drop a bomb as to what wasn't coming back, so to speak.

What's gone? - starting here to note the cancellation of Jericho, which started strong but suffered in the ratings after its mid-season vacation. Whoever thought that was a good idea, especiall for serial dramas, is hopefully no longer employed in television. It's too bad the show had to suffer for the decisions of programmers; it wasn't the best show on TV, but it was a nice change from the usual CBS fare.

Also getting the heave-ho, in less surprising fashion, were The Class, Close to Home.

What's back - Rules of Engagement got picked up, and will take the 9:30 slot on Monday. Without a Trace returns to Thursday at 10, and gives its old Sunday at 10 timeslot to Shark. Both are reasonable moves, I think. Moreso than keeping Engagement.

What's New - The new comedy on Monday is The Big Bang Theory, which features two geniuses who have a hottie move in next door. Comedy ensues. I'd feel less charitable about this if it weren't airing between How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. It's also from Chuck Lorre, the producer of the latter show.

Cane features Jimmy Smits as the leader of a Miami family who is trying to protect its rum and sugar interests from family and business intrigues. It's got a pretty good cast, adding Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno among others. Aaron Barnhart wasn't sure how this will succeed in the slot that saw Smith die an early death, but I think this show is sufficiently different that it won't go down like every heist-related program that's aired in the past year or so.

Jericho's replacement on Wednesdays is Kid Nation, where a group of minors is brought into a ghost town and given 40 days to turn it into a running community, with government, services, the works. I suppose it's more family-friendly than post-nuke Kansas, but I have no idea how this is going to work with the rest of CBS's night. Maybe it'll counter-program the dramas on other networks. Still, odd.

Replacing Close to Home on Fridays is Moonlight, which follows the adventures of a vampire-turned-detective. No word yet if they're using Angel spec scripts or just re-shooting episodes wholesale. It figures to pair well with Ghost Whisperer, though I wonder if it will be too "edgy" for the average CBS viewer and not enough so for former Angel viewers.

I'm pretty interested in how Sunday will turn out, as the venerable 60 Minutes will lead into Viva Laughlin, the US version of the British show Viva Blackpool. It's the story of a guy trying to open a casino in the face of family drama, a murder investigation, and musical numbers. Hugh Jackman has a recurring role, which seems like overkill. He needs this work? This might be a little too loopy to lead into Cold Case, but it'd be a nice change from the usual stuff that is on early Sunday nights.

The most notable mid-season replacement is Swingtown, a drama about wife-swappers in '70s era suburban Chicago. The only notable name among the cast is Grant Show. I'm not sure where this would go in the line-up, though I assume it'll either take Cane's place if that falters, or at 10 on Friday if Moonlight tanks and they move Numb3rs to 9. I can't see this show airing in any other time slot, given the subject matter.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler noted that the network wanted the new shows this year to be "daring and different," and with more variety (a good thing given their reliance on procedurals). I think they've succeeded in the variety aspect, and the shows are at least different from the expected CBS standpoint. I'm not sure if they're daring, though. I will say that I'm moderately interested in Cane and Viva Laughlin, which is more interest than I've had in the new stuff that NBC and ABC is rolling out.