CBS upgrades Tom Selleck drama 'Blue Bloods' to Wednesdays in midseason shift

December 21, 2010?|? 6:45 pm

CBS, the No. 1 network this fall, is revamping its schedule for midseason.?

"Blue Bloods," the police drama starring Tom Selleck, will get a four-week tryout at 10 p.m. Wednesdays starting Jan. 19, the network said Tuesday. While the show will move back into its Friday night slot after that, the network has high hopes for "Blue Bloods," the second-most-watched new drama this season after CBS' "Hawaii Five-o."

Starting Feb. 16, "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" will premiere in the 10 p.m. Wednesday slot. The crime series is a spin-off of "Criminal Minds," one of CBS' biggest hits.

"The Defenders," the legal drama with Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi, will move to the quiet zone of 8 p.m. Fridays starting Feb. 4.

CBS will also unfurl a couple new series: the sitcom "Mad Love" (starting Feb. 21), headed for the Monday comedy block, and "Chaos," a one-hour comedy-drama (April 1) slated for Fridays. "Mad Love" will be replacing "Rules of Engagement," which is headed to Thursdays to be paired with "Big Bang Theory." "$#*! My Dad Says," which had been in that slot, will have completed its first-season order.?

“We’re in the fortunate position of having a schedule with many successful shows and very few holes,” Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of prime time for CBS, said in a statement.? “This allows us to be very targeted with our mid-season series. ?These are moves that maintain the core stability of a successful schedule, while giving us multiple looks for the future at a few time periods.”

— Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Tom Selleck in "Blue Bloods." Credit: Marni Grossman/CBS.

?

?

?

?

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured site: So, Why is Wikileaks a Good Thing Again?.

View the original article here

Fox announces midseason schedule and moves 'American Idol' to Wednesdays and Thursdays

?

So much for "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Sensing an opening on Thursday nights now that CBS' reality hit "Survivor" has moved off that night, Fox is moving "American Idol" from Tuesday and Wednesday nights to Wednesday and Thursday nights when the talent show returns Jan. 19.

The shift of "American Idol" is just one of several moves Fox disclosed as part of its midseason programming strategy late Friday afternoon, including the scheduling of several new comedies and a game show that the network hopes will become the next "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

"American Idol" has appeared on Thursday nights before on occasion, but this is the first time it will reside there full-time. Thursday is a big night for television as movie studios and car companies traditionally spend heavily on that night in hopes of drumming up business for the weekend.

In an interview, Preston Beckman, Fox's executive vice president of strategic planning, said the idea of moving an episode of "American Idol" to Thursday first crossed the network's mind when CBS moved its reality hit "Survivor" out of its longtime Thursday 8 p.m. home to Wednesday nights this fall.

"Here's the opportunity we've been waiting for," Beckman said. "Thursday just isn't what it used to be ... there are still some of the strongest shows on TV, but none of them are in growth mode."

Of course, some might say the same thing about "American Idol." After all, when it returns in January, it will be missing Simon Cowell, the judge who has been the driving force behind the show for almost a decade. New judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez may bring in some initial curiosity, but most industry observers expect ratings to decline from last year.

Still, "American Idol" will likely be the No. 1 show of the season yet again.

Another reason Fox was able to move "American Idol" off of Tuesday was the strong performance of "Glee," which has taken off this fall.

Fox also said it will premiere the new romantic comedy "Mixed Signals" in February in the Tuesday 9:30 p.m. slot, which had been occupied by "Running Wilde," a show that will likely not be back. A new comedy called "Breaking In" starring Christian Slater will premiere in April on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m.

Also hitting the schedule in January will be the game show "Million Dollar Money Drop," which will get something of a sneak peek in late December.

Other moves include the cult favorite "Fringe" from Thursday to Friday night.

Shows coming off the schedule early next year include "Lie to Me" and "Human Target." Beckman said both could return with original episodes next summer.

Here is the Fox lineup (after the jump), beginning in January. New shows are marked in bold. Warning: Some returning shows are premiering on certain nights and times and then moving to regular time slots.

MONDAY

8:00-10:00 PM??????????? LIE TO ME (special two-hour episode on Jan. 10)
?
Mondays, beginning Jan. 17:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? LIE TO ME
?
Mondays, beginning Feb. 7

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? THE CHICAGO CODE (series premiere)
?
?
TUESDAY

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? GLEE (encore episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP

Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? GLEE
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? RAISING HOPE
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? MIXED SIGNALS

?
WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? HUMAN TARGET (two special two-hour episodes)
?
Wednesday, Jan. 19:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICAN IDOL (two-hour season premiere)
?
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 26:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? HUMAN TARGET
?
Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICAN IDOL
?
Wednesdays, beginning April 6:
8:00-9:30 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? BREAKING IN (series premiere)
?
THURSDAY

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 6:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? BONES
?
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? BONES ?

?
FRIDAY

Friday, Jan. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (encore)
?
Fridays, beginning Jan. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? FRINGE

?
SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 22 (no change to lineup):

8:00-8:30 PM ???????????? COPS
8:30-9:00 PM????????????? COPS (encores)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

?
SUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 9:
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM????????????? BOB’S BURGERS (series premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM ?????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW
?
Sunday, Jan. 16 and 23:

7:00-7:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM ???????????? BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW
?
Sunday, Feb. 6:

10:30 PM ET/7:30 PT??? GLEE (post-Super Bowl episode)
?
Sundays, beginning Feb. 13:
7:00-7:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
7:30-8:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM ???????????? BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW

-- Joe Flint

twitter.com/JBFlint

Photo: "American Idol" judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson with host Ryan Seacrest on Nov. 10 at the show's San Francisco auditions. Credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here

Fox announces midseason schedule and moves 'American Idol' to Wednesdays and Thursdays

?

So much for "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Sensing an opening on Thursday nights now that CBS' reality hit "Survivor" has moved off that night, Fox is moving "American Idol" from Tuesday and Wednesday nights to Wednesday and Thursday nights when the talent show returns Jan. 19.

The shift of "American Idol" is just one of several moves Fox disclosed as part of its midseason programming strategy late Friday afternoon, including the scheduling of several new comedies and a game show that the network hopes will become the next "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

"American Idol" has appeared on Thursday nights before on occasion, but this is the first time it will reside there full-time. Thursday is a big night for television as movie studios and car companies traditionally spend heavily on that night in hopes of drumming up business for the weekend.

In an interview, Preston Beckman, Fox's executive vice president of strategic planning, said the idea of moving an episode of "American Idol" to Thursday first crossed the network's mind when CBS moved its reality hit "Survivor" out of its longtime Thursday 8 p.m. home to Wednesday nights this fall.

"Here's the opportunity we've been waiting for," Beckman said. "Thursday just isn't what it used to be ... there are still some of the strongest shows on TV, but none of them are in growth mode."

Of course, some might say the same thing about "American Idol." After all, when it returns in January, it will be missing Simon Cowell, the judge who has been the driving force behind the show for almost a decade. New judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez may bring in some initial curiosity, but most industry observers expect ratings to decline from last year.

Still, "American Idol" will likely be the No. 1 show of the season yet again.

Another reason Fox was able to move "American Idol" off of Tuesday was the strong performance of "Glee," which has taken off this fall.

Fox also said it will premiere the new romantic comedy "Mixed Signals" in February in the Tuesday 9:30 p.m. slot, which had been occupied by "Running Wilde," a show that will likely not be back. A new comedy called "Breaking In" starring Christian Slater will premiere in April on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m.

Also hitting the schedule in January will be the game show "Million Dollar Money Drop," which will get something of a sneak peek in late December.

Other moves include the cult favorite "Fringe" from Thursday to Friday night.

Shows coming off the schedule early next year include "Lie to Me" and "Human Target." Beckman said both could return with original episodes next summer.

Here is the Fox lineup (after the jump), beginning in January. New shows are marked in bold. Warning: Some returning shows are premiering on certain nights and times and then moving to regular time slots.

MONDAY

8:00-10:00 PM??????????? LIE TO ME (special two-hour episode on Jan. 10)
?
Mondays, beginning Jan. 17:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? LIE TO ME
?
Mondays, beginning Feb. 7

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? THE CHICAGO CODE (series premiere)
?
?
TUESDAY

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? GLEE (encore episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP

Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8:

8:00-9:00 PM????????????? GLEE
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? RAISING HOPE
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? MIXED SIGNALS

?
WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? HUMAN TARGET (two special two-hour episodes)
?
Wednesday, Jan. 19:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICAN IDOL (two-hour season premiere)
?
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 26:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? HUMAN TARGET
?
Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICAN IDOL
?
Wednesdays, beginning April 6:
8:00-9:30 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? BREAKING IN (series premiere)
?
THURSDAY

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 6:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? BONES
?
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? BONES ?

?
FRIDAY

Friday, Jan. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (encore)
?
Fridays, beginning Jan. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM????????????? KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? FRINGE

?
SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 22 (no change to lineup):

8:00-8:30 PM ???????????? COPS
8:30-9:00 PM????????????? COPS (encores)
9:00-10:00 PM??????????? AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

?
SUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 9:
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM????????????? BOB’S BURGERS (series premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM ?????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW
?
Sunday, Jan. 16 and 23:

7:00-7:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM ???????????? BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW
?
Sunday, Feb. 6:

10:30 PM ET/7:30 PT??? GLEE (post-Super Bowl episode)
?
Sundays, beginning Feb. 13:
7:00-7:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
7:30-8:00 PM????????????? AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM????????????? THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM ???????????? BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM????????????? FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM??????????? THE CLEVELAND SHOW

-- Joe Flint

twitter.com/JBFlint

Photo: "American Idol" judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson with host Ryan Seacrest on Nov. 10 at the show's San Francisco auditions. Credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

View the original article here