CBS Adds Five to Fall Lineup

NEW YORK: An updated Hawaii Five-0 and a new comedy from Chuck Lorre are among the five new series that will join CBS’s returning 18 shows in the fall lineup, which features four key time period moves—including Survivor‘s shift to Wednesday nights.

A two-hour comedy block continues to open Monday nights: How I Met Your Mother at 8 p.m., Rules of Engagement at 8:30 p.m., Two and a Half Men at 9 p.m. and then the new series Mike & Molly, from Chuck Lorre, about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, at 9:30 p.m. New to Monday nights is a revamped Hawaii Five-0, taking the relocated CSI: Miami‘s place at 10 p.m. The contemporary take on the classic series stars Alex O’Loughlin and Daniel Dae Kim, among others, and is exec-produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. No changes have been made to the Tuesday schedule, which features NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife. There is a major shakeup for Wednesday with Survivor moving from its Thursday slot. Criminal Minds keeps its 9 p.m. positioning, while The Defenders assumes the slot previously held by CSI: NY. The comedic drama stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell as colorful Las Vegas defense attorneys. In place of Survivor on Thursdays is a new comedy block that pairs The Big Bang Theory with the new pickup $#*! My Dad Says, based on the popular Twitter feed by Justin Halpern and starring William Shatner. The remainder of the Thursday schedule is intact with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Mentalist. Bolstering the Friday slate, CBS has scheduled Medium at 8 p.m. and CSI: NY at 9 p.m., followed by new drama Blue Bloods, about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. The cast includes Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.

On Saturday nights, repeats of CBS’s crime dramas will air from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., leading into 48 Hours Mystery. And on Sundays, The Amazing Race is back at 8 p.m., leading into Undercover Boss and then CSI: Miami. Ordered for midseason is a Criminal Minds spinoff.

Axed from the grid are Ghost Whisperers, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Cold Case and Gary Unmarried.

"We believe television’s number one network just got stronger," said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. "New series will be launched behind proven hits and key scheduling moves will help grow nights. Two of the dramas, Hawaii Five-0 and The Defenders, continue our successful evolution in the drama form—character driven with great humor. The third new drama, Blue Bloods, introduces a police drama with a unique family spin. Our two new comedies will definitely make some noise. $#*! My Dad Says is based on a distinctly loud and funny Twitter feed—led by a larger-than-life star in William Shatner. Mike & Molly is a comedy on the romantic side, featuring the trademark humor of TV’s reigning king of comedy, Chuck Lorre. And, the best news is that these new series join a schedule deep with hits and leadership in every program genre."