CBS has picked up five new series for its Fall 2010 schedule, and canceled a surprising seven shows — five of which are multi-year veterans of the network.
The cancellations: Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Numbers, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Miami Medical, and Accidentally on Purpose. Ghost Whisperer, which has consistently won its Friday night time period for years, is probably the biggest surprise on the list. But ABC is said to be considering picking up both Whisperer and Old Christine.
The new CBS schedule looks like this:
Monday is the network’s big comedy night, with returning hits How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, and Two and a Half Men leading off the night starting at 8:pm (Charlie Sheen returns to the veteran comedy despite claims earlier this year to be quitting the show). At 9:30pm you’ll find new romantic comedy Mike & Molly, about a couple who hit it off at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. 10:pm ends the comedy block with the debut of the network’s highest-profile new drama, a contemporary reimagining of Hawaii Five-O, which has a promising cast, and creators with big-screen pedigree in the form of frequent J.J. Abrams collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
Tuesday keeps a good thing going with returning dramas NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Good Wife, in the same time slots where they aired this season.
Survivor moves away from its longtime home of Thursday to Wednesday at 8:pm. It’s followed at 9:pm by Criminal Minds, and at 10:pm the new legal dramedy The Defenders, about a pair of unconventional lawyers in Las Vegas.
Thursday is starting to form the foundation of a potential second comedy block, with the surprising relocation of The Big Bang Theory to 8:pm on the most-watched night of the week. It’s followed by the new comedy $#*! My Dad Says, based on the popular Twitter account of the same name, about a young man living with his abrasive, opinionated father who says anything he wants, no matter how politically incorrect. 9:pm still belongs to CSI, naturally, and is still followed by The Mentalist at 10:pm.
On Friday, Medium moves to 8:pm without its former partner (Ghost Whisperer). Instead, CSI: NY will now air at 9:pm, followed by the new multi-generational cop drama Blue Bloods, headed by Tom Selleck.
Saturday offers CBS’ “Crimetime Saturday” programming for two hours in primetime, followed by 48 Hours Mystery at 10:pm.
Sunday brings back perennial favorites 60 Minutes and The Amazing Race, starting at 7:pm. Hit reality show Undercover Boss returns for a sophomore season at 9:pm, and the most popular sunglasses in television move to 10:pm with CSI: Miami.
Waiting for a mid-season pickup is a new spinoff of Criminal Minds, which is currently untitled.