2018 Fall Schedule: CBS

Monday

8:00 - The Neighborhood (NEW)
8:30 - Happy Together (NEW)
9:00 - Magnum P.I. (NEW)
10:00 - Bull (New Timeslot)

Okay... this is how you shakeup a schedule. CBS' Mondays weren't cutting it this past year, so they canceled almost everything (Man with a Plan escaped unscathed) and built an entirely new lineup around a rebooted property, this time Magnum P.I., and moved a relatively stable drama from another night into a troubled timeslot. The pairings of these particular shows don't exactly make sense to me, as both The Neighborhood and Happy Together are targeting an African American audience, while Magnum P.I. and Bull... don't.

Tuesday

8:00 - NCIS
9:00 - FBI (NEW)
10:00 - NCIS: New Orleans

It's a night of initials as the new Dick Wolf drama FBI takes over for Bull. It should fit nicely into the CBS procedural machine.

Wednesday

8:00 - Survivor
9:00 - SEAL Team
10:00 - Criminal Minds

This is surprising to me. I assumed SEAL Team would, at least, be on the move or held for midseason to allow space for a new drama.

Thursday

8:00 - The Big Bang Theory
8:30 - Young Sheldon
9:00 - Mom
9:30 - Murphy Brown (NEW)
10:00 - SWAT

Life in Pieces is held for midseason so that the revival of Murphy Brown can slip into the Thursday schedule. I'm curious why CBS didn't use it to lead into another show that needed a boost (either something new or a struggling sitcom, like Life in Pieces or Man with a Plan), but it should at least raise the overall average of this comedy block... that is, if the audience returns to it the way they did to Roseanne and Will & Grace.

Friday

8:00 - MacGyver
9:00 - Hawaii Five-0
10:00 - Blue Bloods

No changes here either to one of the network's most stable and reliable schedules. I'm only slightly (very slightly) surprised that Blue Bloods wasn't transplanted so that Magnum P.I. could air in this block. I mean, a Friday night lineup made entirely of rebooted classics would have been so on-demo for CBS.

Sunday

7:00 - 60 Minutes
8:00 - God Friended Me (NEW)
9:00 - NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 - Madam Secretary

God Friended Me is a risky, off-brand drama for CBS, and Sundays at 8:00 are a really hard slot for them to program well. Not only does everything air opposite the NFL in the fall, the lineup is very often delayed because of afternoon game overruns. So while I applaud them for doing something different with God, I don't know if this was the right time and place to try it... then again, a religious-themed series on a Sunday night may attract a demo that doesn't typically watch CBS Sundays.

Midseason

Saved for midseason are the returns of comedies Man with a Plan and Life in Pieces; dramas Elementary and Instinct; plus new seasons of The Amazing Race and Celebrity Big Brother. They will be joined by one new comedy, Fam, and two new dramas, The Code and The Red Line. CBS will also be the home of Super Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019.

Well, I started reading this schedule, and Mondays really threw me off. I thought CBS was in it to make some serious changes, to blow up the less successful nights and shakeup the mediocre ones. But then I read the rest of the schedule and realized that wasn't the case. Mondays are going to be interesting for the Eye, with two hours of totally new programming and a new timeslot for a relatively young show. But it's the kind of change that needed to happen. If that gutsiness had carried over to other nights, this would have been a home run schedule. As it stands, there are still problematic areas that need addressing (Wednesdays at 9:00, Sundays at 8:00), and this would have been a great time to start.

On a similar note, I've been saying for a couple years now that Fox will need to rebuild almost from scratch once Empire ends, considering it's the network's highest-rated drama and is propping up its other scripted shows. CBS is in much the same boat with The Big Bang Theory; what will they do when it ends and the Thursday comedy block can no longer be anchored by such a strong performer? Grooming Young Sheldon as a replacement makes sense, and I suppose that's why it is still paired with its parent series despite ratings good enough to assume it could stand on its own elsewhere. CBS also has several dramas that are getting very old and likely very expensive: NCIS, Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Criminal Minds, which has eked out last-minute renewals due to contract negotiations each of the past two years. What happens to the network when these shows go?

Click after the jump for descriptions of the new shows.

Comedy

Fam - Stars Nina Dobrev and Tone Bell in a comedy about a woman whose vision of a perfect life with her adoring fiancé and his wonderful parents is radically altered when her 16-year-old, out-of-control half-sister unexpectedly comes to live with her. As the family Clem (Dobrev) chose and the family she has blend, Clem realizes that this new happy fam may be the perfection she’s always been seeking. Corinne Kingsbury, Bob Kushell, Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling, Dana Honor and Scott Ellis (pilot only) are executive producers for CBS Television Studios in association with Kapital Entertainment. Ellis directed the pilot from a script by Kingsbury. FAM stars Nina Dobrev as Clem, Tone Bell as Nick, Odessa Adlon as Shannon, Brian Stokes Mitchell as Walt and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Rose.

Happy Together - Stars Damon Wayans Jr. and Amber Stevens West in a comedy about a 30-something happily married couple who begin to reconnect with their younger, cooler selves when Cooper (Felix Mallard), an exuberant young pop star drawn to their super-ordinary suburban life, unexpectedly moves in with them. Austen Earl, Tim McAuliffe, Ben Winston, Harry Styles, Michael Rotenberg and Jonathan Berry are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Phill Lewis directed the pilot from a script by McAuliffe and Earl. Happy Together stars Damon Wayans Jr. as Jake, Amber Stevens West as Claire, Felix Mallard as Cooper James, Stephnie Weir as Bonnie and Chris Parnell as Wayne.

Murphy Brown - Multiple Emmy Award winners Candice Bergen and series creator Diane English reunite for Murphy Brown, the revival of the groundbreaking comedy about the eponymous broadcast news legend and her biting take on current events, now in a world of 24-hour cable, social media, “fake news” and a vastly different political climate. Amid a divided nation, chaotic national discourse and rampant attacks on the press, Murphy returns to the airwaves with her original FYI team: lifestyle reporter Corky Sherwood, investigative journalist Frank Fontana and producer Miles Silverberg. Murphy’s son, Avery, shares his mother’s competitive spirit and quick wit, and has followed in her journalistic footsteps – perhaps too closely. Now back in the game, Murphy is determined to draw the line between good television and honest reporting, proving that the world needs Murphy Brown now more than ever. Diane English returns as executive producer with Candice Bergen for Bend in the Road Productions, Inc., in association with Warner Bros. Television. English created the series. Pamela Fryman will direct the pilot from a script by English. Murphy Brown stars Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown, Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood, Joe Regalbuto as Frank Fontana, Grant Shaud as Miles Silverberg, Jake McDorman as Avery, Tyne Daly as Phyllis and Nik Dodani as Pat Patel.

The Neighborhood - Stars Cedric the Entertainer as an opinionated neighbor in a comedy about what happens when the friendliest guy in the Midwest moves his family to a neighborhood in Los Angeles where not everyone looks like him or appreciates his extreme neighborliness. When Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield) and his family arrive from Michigan, they’re unfazed that their new dream home is located in a community quite different from their small town. However, their opinionated next-door neighbor, Calvin Butler (Cedric the Entertainer), is wary of the newcomers, certain that they’ll disrupt the culture on the block. Dave realizes that fitting into their new community is more complex than he expected, but if he can find a way to connect with Calvin, they have an excellent chance of making their new neighborhood their home. Jim Reynolds, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor (Kapital Entertainment), Wendi Trilling, Cedric the Entertainer, Eric Rhone and James Burrows (pilot) are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Burrows directed the pilot from a script by Reynolds. The Neighborhood stars Cedric the Entertainer as Calvin, Max Greenfield as Dave, Sheaun McKinney as Malcolm, Tichina Arnold as Tina, Dreama Walker as Gemma, Marcel Spears as Marty and Hank Greenspan as Grover.

Drama

The Code - A drama about the military’s brightest minds who take on our country’s toughest legal challenges, inside the courtroom and out, in the only law office in the world where every attorney is trained as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, an investigator – and a Marine. Operating out of Judge Advocate General Headquarters in Quantico, these active-duty Marines are attorneys who have chosen to serve their country in pursuit of military justice at home and abroad. Craig Sweeny, Marc Webb, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Craig Turk are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Webb directed the pilot from a teleplay by Sweeny, and story by Sweeny and Turk. The Code stars Anna Wood as Major Maya Dobbins, Ato Essandoh as Major Trey Ferry, Phillipa Soo as Lt. Harper Rein and Raffi Barsoumian as Warrant Officer Rami Ahmadi.

FBI - From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf and the team behind the Law & Order franchise, FBI is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These first-class agents bring all their talents, intellect and technical expertise to tenaciously investigate cases of tremendous magnitude, including terrorism, organized crime and counterintelligence, in order to keep New York and the country safe. Craig Turk, Dick Wolf, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski and Niels Arden Oplev (pilot only) are executive producers for Universal Television in association with CBS Television Studios. Oplev directed the pilot from a story by Wolf and Turk, and a script by Turk. FBI stars Missy Peregrym as Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki as Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine, and Ebonée Noel as Kristen Chazal.

God Friended Me - Stars Brandon Micheal Hall in a humorous, uplifting drama about Miles Finer (Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he receives a friend request on social media from God and unwittingly becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him. After repeated pokes by God, Miles’ curiosity takes over, and he accepts the ultimate friend request and follows the signs to Cara Bloom (Violett Beane), an online journalist. Brought together by the “God Account,” the two find themselves investigating God’s friend suggestions and inadvertently helping others in need. Miles is set on getting to the bottom of what he believes is an elaborate hoax, but in the meantime he’ll play along and, in the process, change his life forever. Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Marcos Siega are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Siega directed the pilot from a script by Lilien & Wynbrandt. God Friended Me stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Miles Finer, Violett Beane as Cara Bloom, Suraj Sharma as Rakesh Singh, Javicia Leslie as Ali Finer and Joe Morton as Reverend Arthur Finer.

Magnum P.I. - A modern take on the classic series starring Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum has Juliet Higgins and her Dobermans to keep him in line, as well as his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors TC and Rick when he needs back-up on a job. With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case! Peter Lenkov, Eric Guggenheim, Justin Lin, John Davis, John Fox and Danielle Woodrow are executive producers for CBS Television Studios in association with Universal Television. Lin directed the pilot from a script by Lenkov and Guggenheim. Magnum P.I. stars Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, Zachary Knighton as Orville “Rick” Wright and Stephen Hill as Theodore “TC” Calvin.

The Red Line - From acclaimed producers Ava DuVernay and Greg Berlanti, The Red Line is a drama that follows the lives of three vastly different Chicago families whose stories of loss and tragedy intersect in the wake of the mistaken shooting of an African American doctor by a white cop. As the stories of the Calder, Young and Evans families crisscross and converge, a message of hope appears – it’s possible to emerge from tragedy stronger, and it’s important to come together with others, not just to survive, but to thrive. Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Ava DuVernay, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter are executive producers, and Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss are co-executive producers for Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Victoria Mahoney directed the pilot from a script by Parrish and Weiss. The Red Line stars Noah Wyle as Daniel Calder, Emayatzy Corinealdi as Tia Young, Aliyah Royale as Jira Calder-Brennan, Noel Fisher as Paul Evans, Howard Charles as Ethan Young, Elizabeth Laidlaw as Vic Renna, Vinny Chhibber as Liam Bhatt and Michael Patrick Thornton as Jim Evans.

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