CBS: Renewed, Axed and Picked Up
ATV Today runs down which CBS shows were renewed, which were cancelled and which pilots the broadcaster picked up for the new season.
RENEWED: When CBS announced it had renewed 18 shows [in one go] comedy Two and a Half Men was absent from the list. While the fates of other absentee shows was less clear Two and a Half Men was always going to back given its strong performance. The reason why it was absent was because talks were still taking place between stars Aston Kutcher and Jon Cryer but new deals have now been signed and CBS has officially confirmed the shows renewal. CBS’s comedies The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls were all dead-certs for renewal as well.
No one doubted that ratings giants NCIS and spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles would be renewed – the two shows dominate Tuesday evening ratings. CSI was also amongst the 18 shows renewed by CBS in one go but spin-offs CSI: NY and CSI: Miami were not. The general line of thought was that one CSI show would fall and most tipped NY as the likely contender but in the end it was renewed by CBS.
To some The Good Wife was a bubble show but others confidentially predicted that the critically acclaimed series would be renewed. CBS also renewed Amazing Race, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, 48 Hour Mystery, Hawaii Five-O, The Mentalist, Person of Interest, 60 Minutes, Survivor and Undercover Boss.
AXED: The biggest casualty, without a doubt, was CSI: Miami which was cancelled after ten seasons and over 200 episodes. Internationally CSI: Miami was still a strong performer but domestically it was showing signs of its age and the simple fact was CBS needed to make room for its new series pick-ups and when it came down to it CSI: NY seemed like a better option – probably financially – to renew than Miami.
The other victims of the axe were all widely predicted; How to be a Gentlemen, A Gifted Man, Unforgettable, Rob and NYC 22.
PICKED UP: The show generating the most buzz out of CBS’s pick-ups is undoubtedly Elementary. The Sherlock Holmes update, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, has been followed by the press since its inception (almost) and a small war of words with the producers of BBC’s Sherlock certainly helped capture the media interest. Elementary therefore is a show with a lot of expectations and has the potential to be the biggest hit of the new season but it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Also picked up is period piece Vegas which tells the true story of Ralph Lamb, a rodeo cowboy turned sheriff of Las Vegas. In some ways Vegas is well outside of CBS’s comfort zone given its period setting but it is a crime series as well so on many levels fits CBS’s drama output perfectly. The 1960s, in which Vegas is set, has not proven fortunate for axed drama’s Pan Am and Playboy Club. Vegas will star Jason O’Mara, Carrie-Ann Moss and Michael Chiklis.
CBS also picked up Friend Me, Golden Boy, Made in Jersey, Partners and the unscripted series The Job.
[Written by James Ryder & Leanne Bryan]
