CBS' Fall 2008 Schedule

Having gotten rid of 'Shark' and 'Moonlight' (there is a rumor The CW may resurrect the latter on the just-outsourced Sunday nights), CBS has unveiled its new fall 2008 schedule today, opening up a new comedy block on Wednesday.

New Shows: "Worst Week," "The Mentalist," "Project Gary," "11th Hour" and "The Ex-List."

Midseason: "Harper's Island"

Canceled: "Cane," "Jericho," "Kid Nation," "Moonlight," "Shark," "Viva Laughlin" and "Welcome to the Captain."


NEW SHOWS:


WORST WEEK - a comedy about Sam Briggs (Kyle Bornheimer, "Jericho"), an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please his girlfriend's parents ... but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. Airs Mondays at 9:30pm.

THE MENTALIST - Simon Baker ("The Devil Wears Prada") stars as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation, otorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Airs Tuesdays at 9:00pm.

PROJECT GARY - stars Jay Mohr ("Ghost Whisperer") and Paula Marshall as a couple who face post-divorce mayhem after 15 years of marriage as they each embark on new relationships. He's the fun parent and she's the strict one. Together, they share custody of their two children. Airs Wednesdays at 8:30pm.

THE 11th HOUR - from CSI creator Jerry Bruckheimer, the drama follows Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell, "The Illusionist"), a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the government, as he investigates scientific crises and oddities. Airs in the lucrative post-CSI timeslot, Thursdays at 10:00pm.

THE EX-LIST - a female-friendly dramedy about Bella Bloom (Elizabeth Reaser, "Grey's Anatomy") - a single, 30-something, successful business owner who is surprised to learn from a psychic that she's already dated her future husband andif she doesn't find him in the next year, she'll remain alone forever. Fridays at 9:00pm.

HARPER'S ISLAND - is a midseason murder mystery that unfolds as friends and family attend week-long festivities at a destination wedding on a secluded and picturesque island off the coast of Seattle, infamous for a homicidal maniac's rampage seven years ago.


NEW CBS FALL 2008 SCHEDULE:


MONDAYS:
8:00pm The Big Bang Theory
8:30pm How I Met Your Mother
9:00pm Two and a Half Men
9:30pm Worst Week (NEW)
10:00pm CSI: Miami

TUESDAYS:
8:00pm NCIS
9:00pm The Mentalist (NEW)
10:00pm Without a Trace

WEDNESDAYS:
8:00pm The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30pm Project Gary (NEW)
9:00pm Criminal Minds
10:00pm CSI: NY

THURSDAYS:
8:00pm Survivor
9:00pm CSI
10:00pm The 11th Hour

FRIDAYS:
8:00pm The Ghost Whisperer
9:00pm The Ex-List (NEW)
10:00pm Numb3rs

SATURDAYS:
Repeats
10:00pm 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAYS:
7:00pm 60 Minutes
8:00pm The Amazing Race
9:00pm Cold Case
10:00pm The Unit


The network had done comedy on Wednesdays in the past, but was forced to replace it with dramas and reality once good sitcom ideas ran dry. Although single-camera comedy is all the rage on other networks (especially NBC), CBS is still successful with the old-fashioned multi-camera format. This may change when 'Worst Week' premieres on Mondays at 9:30pm in the plum post "Two and a Half Men" spot.

Elizabeth Reaser's Friday night dramedy which replaces 'Moonlight' will have to do what the vampire drama was not able to: keep the 18-49 crowd glued to CBS. Although "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs" are doing relatively well in the demos, the 9:00pm timeslot has been weaker.

Meanwhile, the Eye network has had trouble launching shows in the Tuesday at 10:00pm timeslot for years, so perhaps bringing the proven hit 'Without a Trace' into the Tuesday night line-up will do the trick. Unless of course the 9:00pm timeslot becomes problematic for a change. Won't Dr.House and 'Dancing with the Stars' crush 'The Mentalist'? On the other hand, we still have to see what FOX's plans for the night are.

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