Upfronts Week, CBS

We have reached Upfronts Week, a time when hope springs eternal and networks unveil their fall schedules, including all their new shows. Each day during Upfronts Week I'll be taking a look at the network schedules and pointing out a few things, in addition to give thoughts on some new shows. Today we continue with CBS.

For a long time, CBS has been the standard for networks. And while it's still a solid bet, some cracks are showing in its armor. The CBS Monday night lineup pretty much flopped. The network lost Thursday Night Football, and hits like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Survivor" are showing their age. So, too, are dramas like "NCIS" and "Criminal Minds." In other words, CBS can use an infusion of new blood. Which is what makes their new fall schedule so interesting.

Best Scheduling Move:
"NCIS" is aging, and isn't the ratings juggernaut it once was, but it's still a safe platform from which to launch a new drama. So, wisely, CBS placed "FBI," a new procedural from Dick Wolf, into that cushy timeslot on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. I know what you're thinking, "isn't 'This Is Us' also in that timeslot on NBC?" It is, but CBS can still build a competitive night that's an alternative and take a solid bite out of the network competition. I actually liked the move of sending "Bull" out in in year three to try and fill another lineup hole while using that slot to try and pull some eyeballs, especially scheduling a Dick Wolf-fronted show against a key timeslot for NBC, his longtime show home.

Most Curious Scheduling Move:
I'll agree with the CBS brass that Monday nights were a failure in the 2017-18 season. The veteran shows mostly struggled, and it wasn't a hot place to launch new shows. And the network found itself trailing badly there at times. I'm not sure the shift to another hour of drama is great. (CBS did this a couple years ago and switched back to two hours of comedy again the next season.) But, more importantly, starting the night off with two hours and three new shows is curious. There isn't a single show on Monday nights that was there before. And while the audience might follow "Bull" to a slot an hour later and a day earlier, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have it behind three new shows leading out the night.

Most Promising New Show:
CBS has the most new shows this fall of any network. They have five brand new shows, and a sixth if you count the "Murphy Brown" revival. Of all these, the one that feels most promising and on-brand to me is "FBI," a new drama from Wolf. CBS has long found success with police procedural shows. You could almost call it their bread-and-butter. And this show seems very on brand for the network. In addition, it is placed perfectly between a pair of "NCIS" series, giving it a good shot to land with the right audience and find solid footing.

Least Promising New Show:
Call me a hater, but I'm going with "Magnum P.I." here. I wasn't yet born when the original debuted, but I've seen every episode. I used to love to watch the original "Magnum" in syndication. I know that CBS has had success re-booting series like this in the past decade, with "Hawaii 5-0," "MacGyver" and "SWAT" being staples in their lineup. But there is something about this re-boot that rubs me the wrong way. I don't see how it can capture the suave of the original, and I don't particularly enjoy the casting and the tweaks that have been made here. In addition, I'm not sure it feels like an ideal fit for the re-built Monday night lineup. Again, these are quibbles and I wouldn't be shocked if the series made it. And I wasn't wild about the new comedies, either. But this one bugged me more.