2013 Upfront Answers, CBS

Last week, I asked "Upfront Questions" to preview each network's fall 2013 schedule. With the schedule now official, here are the "Upfront Answers"!

CBS upfront previews: True Power Rankings | Upfront Questions

Other Upfront Answers: NBC | Fox | ABC | CBS | CW

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MONDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8:00-8:30 PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9:00 PM WE ARE MEN (N)
9:00-9:30 PM 2 Broke Girls
9:30-10:00 PM MOM (N)
10:00-11:00 PM HOSTAGES (N) / INTELLIGENCE (Mid-Season) (N)

My Question: Did CBS bet on the wrong horse or treat the right horse the wrong way?

Right. Horse. Or at least that's what CBS thinks. Not only does 2 Broke Girls stay on Monday at 9/8c, but it is surrounded by new shows. Its lead-in is far from a sure thing in single-cam We Are Men, and it gets the opportunity to lead into what most have labelled the surest thing among the new comedies. Couple that with a relatively wild-card choice in the Monday 10/9c hour, and CBS is once again betting pretty big (perhaps too big?) on 2 Broke Girls.

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TUESDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00-11:00 PM Person of Interest (NT)
My Question: Is a third NCIS the only thing that could kick LA out of the cushy slot?

Looks like it. I'd have been really interested to see the NCIS / PoI / NCIS: LA lineup instead, but knowing how CBS has operated with LA, it would've been a pretty solid surprise to actually see it come to fruition. This is far from the best possible situation for Person of Interest, but it should at least make solid improvements on what Vegas did last year. Another benefit here is that it throws a strong procedural alternative at the drama NBC's trying to take to the next level, Chicago Fire.

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WEDNESDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8:00-9:00 PM Survivor
9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds
10:00-11:00 PM CSI

My Question: Will there be enough change on other nights to necessitate keeping this lineup intact for a third season?

Yup. Perhaps the most radical thing about this CBS schedule is the fact that they have only one slot for a new drama, whereas their norm historically has been three. As supposedly sure things like Beverly Hills Cop and NCIS: Red have gone by the wayside, perhaps it shouldn't have been terribly hard to see something like this coming. It seems like a below-average drama season out of eye development, and while post-Criminal Minds would've been one of the network's better new drama slots, it seems there was nothing worth messing with this lineup for.

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THURSDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9:00 PM THE MILLERS (N)
9:00-9:30 PM THE CRAZY ONES (N)
9:30-10:00 PM Two and a Half Men
10:00-11:00 PM Elementary

My Question: In the comedy expansion decision, does great development trump weaker returnees?

Yes. Ohhhhh, yes. It was obvious based on the number of comedy pickups that a fourth hour was coming. It was not quite as obvious that they would hold both expand and hold reliable Mike and Molly for midseason, opening up a whooping four slots for new comedies. That is what you call a massive vote of confidence in comedy development... or the polar opposite of last year. Meanwhile, The Crazy Ones anchors an hour with Two and a Half Men thrown to 9:30. Big nod to Robin Williams and co. or big no-confidence vote in Ashton and co.?

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FRIDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
8:00-9:00 PM Undercover Boss
9:00-10:00 PM Hawaii Five-0 (NT)
10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods

My Question: Which veteran assumes the CSI: NY role?

Reading the repeat tea leaves worked this time as Hawaii Five-0 indeed gets the unsurprising Friday nod. And reading the "its ratings are too good for the utility player role" tea leaves worked as well as Undercover Boss is back into the early fall mix for the first time in three years. Those two things add up to: no new shows on Friday! Huzzah!
 

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SUNDAY

Fall 2013 Schedule
7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM The Amazing Race
9:00-10:00 PM The Good Wife
10:00-11:00 PM The Mentalist

My Question: Might the tight real estate create a Sunday surprise?

Nope. Not even remotely. It's kind of sad, but as I have been saying over the past two weeks, it's exactly what I expected.

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GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

In terms of surprise factor, the CBS sked had the least by a pretty long shot. This was almost exactly what I expected, with the only real surprise being the four new comedy slots and just the one new drama slot. (I figured probably three and two.) There are some minor underwhelming points, like the continued Sunday stand-pat and Person of Interest at 10:00, but in both cases I can see pretty clearly why they went the other way.

Overall, a rock-solid job by CBS, and let's see how the comedies do. It's only a shame that they couldn't have combined this year's development with last year's hotter returnees (especially on Monday). But I feel that this vindicates a lot of that anger I had over the non-expansion last year; it's pretty obvious they had the returnee pieces to do it, and it's very sad that they didn't have the new ones. The end result was a somewhat underwhelming season for CBS, even if they did "win." But maybe a stronger new class will help breathe a little new life into a show like 2 Broke Girls. I do think that new blood can lift all boats, to some degree.