CBS is the most stable of the broadcast networks but even it has to absorb change: next fall will see the end of megahit CSI with a two-hour movie in September, and David Letterman’s late-night torch is being passed to Stephen Colbert.
CBS showcased all of that and more at its 2015 upfront, which was dominated by football, upstart James Corden and incoming Late Show replacement Colbert.
In what Colbert himself billed as his “first official appearance as host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the comedian kicked things off with an extended appearance that included a clever pre-recorded sketch followed by a live performance offering a tiny slice of what the show might look like in September. Sans his faux-conservative-blowhard Colbert Report persona, Colbert told a few jokes onstage, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming CBS slate (he was particularly excited for “NCIS: CSI Division,” he quipped) and exited by attempting to hand Moonves a urine sample he assumed was required for his new position.
“All around us there is so much high-quality content,” Moonves said following Colbert’s departure, “but however America watches, their first choice continues to be CBS.”
CBS was first last year in the 25-49 demo, Moonves reminded the crowd, and also narrowly missed winning the 18-24 race, losing to NBC by just 124,000 viewers. “Plus, NBC had the Super Bowl,” he said, “and you know who has the Super Bowl this year.”
CBS doesn’t just have the Super Bowl in 2016, but it’s the 50th anniversary airing of America’s most watched television event, a milestone the upfront acknowledged by trotting out not one, not two, but eight former Super Bowl MVPs, including Roger Staubach, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Phil Simms, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Kurt Warner, Joe Namath – for seemingly no other reason than that it has the power to do so.
Football is such a huge part of CBS’ schedule this fall, it’s creating a seismic rift in the programming lineup. Its second round of Thursday Night Football will encompass eight weeks before shifting exclusively to the NFL Network, which means CBS will shift its Monday comedy bloc of Big Bang Theory and the new Life in Pieces to the vacant Thursday slot starting in November, and start up Season 2 of Mom in the 9 pm ET/PT slot, letting the popular show serve as lead-in to the network’s other new comedy, Jane Lynch’s Angel From Hell.
Meanwhile, with the Monday night slots freed up in November, CBS will debut Supergirl at 8 pm ET/PT, perhaps the most controversial of its new programs in terms of where it fits in to a programming aesthetic that doesn’t scream superhero. But rest assured, CBS Entertainment Chair Nina Tassler told the crowd as she set up a trailer, the show “perfectly blends everything we love about comic books with everything we do well at CBS.” Her words were verified by a trailer that took pains to paint the real-life trials and tribulations of Supergirl AKA Kara Danvers (AKA actress Melissa Benoist), avoiding even hinting at signs of unusual powers until nearly halfway through.
The trailer set up the best joke of the upfront, delivered by The Late Late Show host James Corden in a rambling, seemingly improvised speech in which he thanked CBS profusely for giving him such an amazing chance, especially after he was “denied the role of Supergirl.”
Other trailers presented at the upfront hyped the upcoming movie-to-TV adaptation Limitless and the medical thriller Code Black, which offered fans of amazing character actors in attendance the palpable thrill of seeing actors Luis Guzman and Marcia Gay Harden perform entire scenes together.
“We have exciting new series joining the most-watched primetime network,” Tassler concluded, “with the biggest events anywhere, growing sports franchises, and the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. At CBS we love our shows. We love our business.”
CBS FALL PRIMETIME SCHEDULE (Eastern Time)
MONDAY
8:00pm – Big Bang Theory
8:30pm – Life in Pieces
Starting in November:
8:00pm – Supergirl
9:00pm – Scorpion
10:00pm – NCIS: Los Angeles
TUESDAY
8:00pm – NCIS
9:00pm – NCIS: New Orleans
10:00pm – Limitless
WEDNESDAY
8:00pm – Suvivor
9:0pm – Criminal Minds
10:00pm – Code Black
THURSDAY
8:00pm – Thursday Night Football
Starting in November:
8:00pm – Big Bang theory
8:30pm – Life in Pieces
9:00pm – Mom
9:30pm – Angel From Hell
10:00pm – Elementary
FRIDAY
8:00pm – Amazing Race
9:00pm – Hawaii 5-0
10:00pm – Blue Bloods
SATURDAY
8:00pm-10:00pm – Crimetime Saturday
10:00pm – 48 hours
SUNDAY
7:00pm – 60 Minutes
8:00pm – Madam Secretary
9:0pm – The Good Wife
10:00pm – CSI: Cyber
Tags: