CBS New Fall 2007 Shows Live Online
Less Is More When You’re #1
Although CBS is no longer widely dissed as the tube’s reigning geriatric network, it still suffers from the type of petty and jealous mudslinging that inevitably comes your way when you’re riding high and ruling the ratings charts. I myself called the network’s relatively small slate of new series for Fall 2007 “Diverse and Daring … Not!” Well, that was before the head honchos saw the light beneath a mountain of nuts and wisely decided to bring superfan-favorite Jericho back next midseason. Accordingly, I’m now much more charitable in my assessment of the other fare that The Eye intends to premiere come September. I remain most enthusiastic about Moonlight and Cane, but I’ll check out The Big Bang Theory, Kid Nation, and Viva Laughlin, too, just to be courteous.
The Web sites that CBS has up for its forthcoming new series are nowhere near as distinctive and informative as those over at NBC since each one uses the exact same cookie-cutter template sans any of the frivolous but requisite online extras that TV devotees expect, such as photo galleries and profiles for cast members and characters. Yet, you can digg them all, oddly enough. Those other, real extras must be coming soon, then.
What the pages lack in individuality and goodies, however, they make up for with much longer video clips that give you a chance to get a truly in-depth sense of what each show is about. So, obsessive-compulsives will love the adamantly uniform and stark organization, while television enthusiasts will probably find themselves just as psyched about the lengthy previews.
Herewith, I present a preliminary breakdown of each rookie CBS show’s merits and demerits:
The Big Bang Theory
- Genre: Sitcom
- Claim to Fame: Takes full advantage of the current (and, I might add, inexplicable) geek-phoria sweeping the nation.
- Come On: Meet two braniacs with a lot to learn about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness when it comes to women.
- Sounds Like: Beauty and the Geek gets the script treatment.
- Premiere: Monday, September 24, 8:30pm EST
- Web Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/
Cane
- Genre: Drama
- Claim to Fame: Emmy-winning L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, and West Wing alum Jimmy Smits stars in it. Need I say more? That’s right—I didn’t think so…
- Come On: Bitter rivals in a family’s sugar cane and rum empire battle for power, love, and success.
- Sounds Like: Dallas, with Latinos and steamy Florida landscapes.
- Premiere: Tuesday, September 25, 10pm EST
- Web Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/cane/
Kid Nation
- Genre: Reality
- Claim to Fame: Public backlash is the best marketing campaign eh-vah!
- Come On: 40 children, 40 days, no adults. Can they do it? Can they build a better world than grown-ups would?
- Sounds Like: Exploitation and lawsuits.
- Premiere: Wednesday, September 19, 8pm EST
- Web Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/kid_nation/
Moonlight
- Genre: Supernatural Crime Drama
- Claim to Fame: More cast and crew changes than any other show never aired on TV.
- Come On: Life is a living death for private investigator Mick St. John ever since he was bitten by a vampire half a century ago.
- Sounds Like: Angel, without David Boreanaz, Joss Whedon, and David Greenwalt (Ouch!—But I’ve seen a new preview, and I have to say that the show seems worth a shot to me).
- Premiere: Friday, September 28, 9m EST
- Web Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/moonlight/
Viva Laughlin
- Genre: Drama/Closeted Musical
- Claim to Fame: Shut your mouth, says Wolverine. It’s not a musical!
- Come On: Ripley Holden fights against the odds and makes the ultimate gamble for the American Dream by opening a casino in Laughlin, Nevada.
- Sounds Like: ABC’s still roundly mocked Cop Rock (Sorry, Hugh) meets NBC’s Las Vegas and American Dreams.
- Premiere: Sunday, October 21, 8pm EST [Special Preview, Thursday, October 18, 10pm EST]
- Web Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/viva_laughlin/
CBS Fall 2007 Preview
- An interactive guide and schedule for all CBS shows, new and old, scheduled for the fall and midseason.
- Site: www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2007/
Related News: CBS’ 2007-2008 Primetime Schedule ‘Diverse and Daring’ … Not! | NBC’s Fall Freshmen Series Live Online
Cane/Jimmy Smits photo courtesy of CBS
