Elizabeth Guider Reports: Buyers Applaud Stability of CBSSI Slate

PREMIUM: The buzz at CBS Studios Tuesday morning didn't settle on any single series; rather, the good vibe centered on much less sexy a thing but a thing nonetheless crucial to international program buyers: stability.

To be sure, it wasn't hard to buttonhole disparate buyers from Asia and Europe and have them comment positively on the five shows screened on the Paramount lot by CBS Studios: three series that will air on the Eye, a comedy bound for The CW and a drama produced for Showtime.

But the most important thing is that the networks on which these hopefuls will air have arguably the best records in town for massaging their shows into solid, sometimes stellar, performers.

The CBS network can boast the most solid, broad-based, and, by some measures, loyal audience in the biz, and that means its shows are likely to last—season after season.  

"We've got four out of the five top series this season and our studio is returning 16 shows to the schedule," said Armando Nuñez, the president and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, in his opening remarks to international clients. Not to mention, he hardly needed to add, NCIS's status as the most-watched series in the world.

And despite those who think that television as a medium is doomed, CBS attracts more viewers now than it did ten years ago, he added.

Such a record is not lost on international programmers, whose willingness to fork out for American series is greater when they are convinced that the show(s) they're committing to will likely be around for a while.  

Take the new drama Limitless: "It's got a Tuesday night berth after NCIS. It's likely to go for six or seven years," Nuñez suggested to World Screen Newsflash.

As for what was screened by the 400 buyers on the lot Tuesday, more thumbs went up than down for each of the new fall contenders distributed by Nuñez's division.

At this point in the annual weeklong L.A. Screenings marathon, favorable opinions among the 1,700 execs who are traipsing around town begin to coalesce around a handful of series reckoned the standouts from the studio suppliers.

Personal preferences tend to be subordinated to hard-nosed assessments about what might work back home on whatever type of outlet the buyer is programming for. And, of course, what this or that show might cost them.

In short, CBS's upcoming fare each year doesn't necessarily excite buyers; it reassures them.

To wit: The sitcom Angel from Hell showed "promise," per one buyer, largely because of "Jane Lynch's on-the-edge performance. Perhaps only she could pull off that role."

The hour drama Limitless, based on the eponymous movie, got a nod from several men World Screen Newsflash queried. An eastern European opined: "He [the actor Jake McDorman] is a quite appealing lead, and the family dynamic gave it heart."

As for CBS's latest summer event miniseries, Zoo, three buyers from western Europe said it conveyed foreboding quite well, then added: "How often do you get to see animals, especially maleficent ones, on TV? Those cats in the trees were amazing!"

Like the other Hollywood studios hosting buyers this week, CBS brought out a handful of talent in front of and behind the camera to mix it up with buyers over burgers.

Novelist James Patterson told World Screen Newsflash that he was "really pleased" with how his best seller Zoo was being transcribed for the small screen.

"They've done a great job visually and 13 episodes is a plus for propelling the action forward." (Patterson signed a first-look deal with CBS last year and is an exec producer on Zoo.)

Other talent on hand included Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna, both exec producers of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. (The former also stars.)

Bloom told World Screen Newsflash that she thought their show "fit perfectly" with the zeitgeist of the moment, which shows women's "messy, complicated and more multidimensional lives." (The pilot got laughs during its unspooling Tuesday afternoon.) Bloom also sings in the show "and there'll be more of that" in upcoming episodes, she said.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will principally target young women as the companion piece for The CW's hit Jane the Virgin.

Asked by World Screen Newsflash during the lunch break if he thought there was a glut of drama series around town, Nuñez demurred.

"If anything, it makes it easier for us," Nuñez contended. "Granted, there's a lot of stuff out there, but if shows don't last, there's not much point. And, if a series doesn't work domestically, it isn't going to work abroad either."

As the savvy buyers know, it's not a question of how many new shows a Hollywood distributor has on offer but whether they are good and can be placed in time slots that allow them to perform well. In fact, having many series on offer may indicate that a network is faltering badly.

"Quality is the most important thing we look for, but we keep in our minds what is the cancellation rate on each [U.S.] network," said one Southeast Asian buyer.

Another point that Nuñez emphasized to buyers was the distinctiveness of the brands that his international sales team handles.

CBS fare is recognizable as broadly appealing, especially to the core 25-to-54 demo, while its CW sibling is young-skewing and Showtime focuses on premium product for a more select audience.

Ownership of content is something that Nuñez says he has championed at CBS for years. All of the Big Five have recently veered in that direction. And like rival paybox HBO before it, Showtime has increasingly held on to rights in its series as well.

Showtime's latest drama pilot, Billions, also screened Tuesday morning. It's a challenging piece, which takes on Wall Street malfeasance—an effort that has fallen short for several other series in the last five years.

This series, however, boasts Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis as antagonists in the two lead roles. Plus, there's a hint of kinky sex.

Two unrelated buyers queried after lunch described Billions as "the single best thing I've seen so far"—though not necessarily for their stations.

"We're a more traditional broadcaster and our audience probably wouldn't respond. But someone will pick it up [in our territory]," one of them said.

Showtime series are, in fact, not included in CBS output deals for that reason. Requiring special handling, they're typically licensed on the open market and have found greater traction through digital outlets.

Finally, Nuñez teased a Showtime project buyers will likely be talking about next year. Apparently, per David Lynch himself on Twitter, his return to Twin Peaks is back on.

Check out World Screen's guide to the network fall season here.