By now, even the executives at CBS must be aware of the jokes about the network: its viewers are ancient and its plethora of acronymic procedurals are stuck in the pre-streaming days of television.
Sure, its programs can still bury rivals in the ratings. But in an age when people are talking about Amazon Studios, Transparent, and the rise of non-traditional platforms, is CBS driving the television conversation anymore?
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler answered that question on the stage at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena on Monday with a resounding “yes.”
Tassler was the first in a phalanx of CBS sessions designed to prove that The Tiffany Network is evolving with the times.
CSI: Cyber, the latest spin-off from the granddaddy of the aforementioned procedurals, will be “very relevant” and “very topical” as it tackles cyber crimes, Tassler insisted.
The network’s foray into superhero fare—the forthcoming Supergirl—will also offer viewers something new and fresh on the CBS schedule. No actress is attached to the series yet, with the network “looking for someone who inhabits the freshness of being a woman in today’s challenging climate, someone who can carry this kind of series on her shoulders.”
Continuing the focus on change and evolution, the network announced Monday that the new Late Show with Stephen Colbert will debut on Sept. 8, although she was tight-lipped when pressed for more details about the show. Current CBS late night king David Letterman will be retiring from his perch on May 20, capping a 22-year run.
Three freshman CBS dramas—Scorpion, Madam Secretary, and NCIS: New Orleans—were also picked up for a second season on Monday.
Last October, CBS offered its own over-the-top service, CBS All Access, for $5.99 a month, just one more sign that CBS is ready to move into the future with the rest of the TV industry.
Tassler also challenged the notion of the supremacy of the adults 18-49 demographic in the television industry.
“It’s a shrinking demo,” she said.
Corporate sibling Showtime, fresh off two big wins at Sunday’s Golden Globes for The Affair, also took the stage in Pasadena on Monday, revealing that original star Kyle McLaughlan was set to return to the upcoming season of cult favorite Twin Peaks.
Showtime Networks President David Nevins said that the premium network is ready to do battle in a world where over-the-top is more important than ever. He also needled the assembled press for the current fascination with event series. He called “weird” the idea “that there’s some sort of moral superiority in closed-ended, eight-episode, 10-episode miniseries.”
Elsewhere on the Showtime schedule, Shameless was renewed for a sixth season, while Happyish got a series order.
While the world was getting ready for the Globes on Sunday, The CW had its turn in front of the assembled TCA critics, taking the time to renew its entire current schedule of scripted series for next season. The move reflected the current strength of The CW’s programming lineup, with the network seeing substantial viewership growth in the past year.
Read More: Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter
Brief Take: CBS is stepping up its efforts to counter the conventional wisdom that it’s a network that is stuck in the past as the rest of the industry changes around it.
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