Upfronts: CBS

You know when you're in a good position? When your fall schedule has as many time changes as new shows. It's good to be the king.

What's back? What's not?  While most of the shows CBS cut were known, we now know for certain that CSI: Miami and Unforgettable are done.The former had been rumored for some time, the latter a case of sliding ratings as the year progressed. A Gifted Man was cut as well, which I think was pretty much expected as well. Rules of Engagement is apparently still in limbo.

What's new? Not a great deal, only four new shows on the fall schedule.

Monday leads with How I Met Your Mother, which is followed by one of the new shows, Partners. Based on the lives of its creators, it has best friends - a no-nonsense architect and his more outgoing co-worker who is gay - whose relationship is tested when the straight one gets engaged. Not the most original territory, but based on the time slot I'm guessing CBS has a lot of confidence in it.

Two Broke Girls moves to 9, where it is followed by Mike & Molly, with Hawaii 5-0 wrapping the night.

Tuesday gives us the NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles double whammy, and wraps with the new drama Vegas, which tries to catch on to the Mad Men vibe by being based on the true story of Ralph Lamb, a rancher and sheriff in 1960s Las Vegas who has to use all of his experience to corral the growing crime and sleaze, most notably in taking on a mobster who just relocated from Chicago, played by Michael Chiklis. Pan Am and The Playboy Club are cautionary tales, but I'd like to think that those lessons are now learned and this turns out to be a good show.

Wednesday is all returning shows, Survivor, Criminal Minds, and the original CSI.

Thursday leads with The Big Bang Theory, which is followed by the relocated Two and a Half Men. Person of Interest follows, and at 10 pm we have the new show Elementary, which is apparently ripping off Masterpiece Mystery by giving us a modern day setting for Sherlock Holmes. He's also moved to New York (thanks to a drug-fueled falling out in London), and his Dr. Watson is an addiction specialist (now without license) played by Lucy Liu. This could be great, but it could also crash and burn.

Friday leads with CSI: NY, which is followed by new show Made in Jersey, about a lawyer from a working class background who uses her street smarts to succeed where her colleagues can only rely on their Ivy League pedigrees. Meh. The night ends with Blue Bloods.

Saturday continues the them from Friday with two hours of Crimetime Saturday and an hour of 48 Hours Mystery.


Sunday brings back the usual lineup of 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and The Good Wife. At 10 we have The Mentalist, creating yet another solid night of programming.

Elsewhere at midseason you have a drama called Golden Boy about the youngest commissioner in NYPD history and how he got to the top post. On the comedy side there's Friend Me, where friends from Indiana move to LA and take different paths to making friends (one in person, on online). One posts a notice for new friends at a coffee house, with the expected results. There's also a reality show, The Job, where contestants try to get hired by major companies, kind of a hybrid of The Apprentice and Shark Tank.

Summing up, CBS benefits from being out in front. They don't have to roll out as many new shows, and they can move around existing ones to build strength. That being said, they're also taking some risks with the new shows (Elementary and Vegas, for example), which will set them up for years if they're done right.