Once again, CBS has an embarrassment of riches and thus has the luxury of being able to pluck off shows that have ratings other networks would kill for.  What was atypical, however, was CBS making the most interesting moves this year.

Whether or not Charlie Sheen would be back on Two and a Half Men was a foregone conclusion, he was simply negotiating publicly.  What was less clear was whether or not CBS would mess with its one-two-punch of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.  On one hand, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  CBS is by far the most conservative network when it comes to scheduling changes, but it this case it had an interesting opportunity to take advantage of.  Two and a Half Men is still strong enough to anchor Monday nights.  With Rules of Engagement finally returning for a full season and pairing well with How I Met Your Mother, the opportunity was there to take Big Bang Theory and use it to help launch comedy on a new night.  After striking out on Wednesdays with The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, and sensing weakness from the competition, CBS decided to pounce on Thursdays at 8  using Big Bang to open the night and leading into the new William Shatner sitcom Shit My Dad Says (Bleep, $#^!, Shat, whatever they’re calling it) based on the twitter account of the same name.

The other night CBS has struggled is Sundays, largely in part to football in the fall which often pushes its primetime into late night.  With all three CSI series taking a downturn in the ratings, it seemed likely that CSI: NY would either be banished to Fridays and/or pushed to midseason.  Another likelihood was the original CSI flipping with The Mentalist or moving to Fridays had CSI: NY been held for spring.  Instead, the strongest of the series is going to Sundays, CSI: Miami, while CSI: NY does in fact go to Fridays while the original flavor stays put.  A headscratcher perhaps, but CSI: Miami could get CBS’ foot in the door on Sundays where they have long struggled (Three Rivers, Cold Case, etc.)  With that airing at 10 (or 11:29, thank you NFL) and Undercover Boss back for a full season at 9, they should have no problem taking Sundays.  Speaking of Three Rivers, it will be airing its remaining episodes on Saturdays for five weeks starting June 5.  That, combined with Moonlight encores on The CW, it’s a summer of O’Loughlin before the premiere of Hawaii Five-O this fall!  Yes, it’s true, Les Moonves is N’love with O’loughlin.

That leaves just Fridays for massive changes.  All three dramas saw their ratings decline drastically this season, which was slightly depressing.  I never watched those particular dramas, but it was nice that at least one network hadn’t thrown in the towel on Friday which is quickly become the new Saturday.  After Numb3rs found its episode order cut it seemed as though Ghost Whisperer and Medium would probably be safe to return, but in a surprise move CBS actually canceled Ghost Whisperer at the last minute.  With Miami Medical bombing hard, that will leave just Medium from this season on Fridays, with a new drama Blue Bloods and CSI: NY.  Given the deteriorating ratings for Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs, this is almost guaranteed to give CBS the advantage on the night.

Here is the entire schedule, chock full of crime dramas, as it will appear on CBS this fall.  (Next year’s canceled shows in bold.)

Sundays

7:00 – 60 Minutes
8:00 – The Amazing Race
9:00 – Undercover Boss
10:00 – CSI: Miami

Mondays

8:00 – How I Met Your Mother
8:30 – Rules of Engagement
9:00 – Two and a Half Men
9:30 – Mike & Molly
10:00 – Hawaii Five-O

Tuesdays

8:00 – NCIS
9:00 – NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 – The Good Wife

Wednesdays

8:00 – Survivor
9:00 – Criminal Minds
10:00 - The Defenders

Thursdays

8:00 – The Big Bang Theory
8:30 – $#^! My Dad Says
9:00 – CSI
10:00 – The Mentalist

Fridays

8:00 – Medium
9:00 – CSI: NY
10:00 - Blue Bloods

Saturdays

8:00 – Crimetime Saturday
9:00 – Crimetime Saturday
10:00 – 48 Hours

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