Fans of the Tiffany network can do the happy dance. CBS has renewed 11 scripted shows for the 2008-2009 TV season. The lucky 11 are: CSI; CSI: Miami; CSI: New York; NCIS; Criminal Minds; Cold Case; Without a Trace; Ghost Whisperer; Numb3rs; Two and a Half Men; and The Big Bang Theory.There are not a lot of surprises in this bunch, although it's great news that The Big Bang Theory, CBS's rookie Monday-night sitcom from Chuck Lorre's stable, made the cut. Still in limbo, however, are three other Monday-night comedies from the network: How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. The story speculates that Mother will get the greenlight for a fourth season soon, but Rules and Christine seem to be in competition for the 9:30-10:00 half-hour slot.
Last season, Rules ruled, doing better in the Nielsens than Christine. Christine, which recently came back with original episodes and has been strong ratings-wise, albeit at a time when TV viewers are starved for fresh programming, needs to keep pace with Rules. CBS will likely hold off on choosing between Rules and Christine until after Rules returns in April with six new episodes.
On the drama side, CBS has ordered four new episodes of Shark for later this spring, but whether it's coming back in the fall is still undetermined. Moonlight, Cane and The Unit have already been shut down and may not be back as well.
All the new shows - VIDEOS
The Upfronts: FOX
Carter Bays of How I Met Your Mother: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-15-2008 @ 4:53PM
D-Bo said...
NOOOOOOO! Don't tell me The Unit won't be picked up. Ugh guess I go back to watching every channel besides CBS...
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2-15-2008 @ 4:54PM
D-Bo said...
Tell me what inane object I need to mail to CBS stat!
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2-15-2008 @ 5:16PM
CK said...
The Unit not coming back is complete BS! Such a great show. Maybe if they added "CSI" in front of the title it'd get picked up...pretty pissed about Moonlight, too! Let's send a bunch of sand, cause clearly that's where their heads are....maybe even wooden stakes?
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2-15-2008 @ 5:32PM
Steve said...
How the hell does Big bang Theory get renewed while HIMYM is still on the bubble????
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2-15-2008 @ 6:08PM
Frank said...
Because HIMYM has become stale.
I LOVED it the first season, but it has been in steady decline since. I'm not sure I WANT another season.
Like an athlete retiring before he becomes a withered shell of his former great self, I would rather see HIMYM retire before adding a Cousin Oliver.
2-15-2008 @ 6:14PM
Rob said...
Ok,.. so what the hell do we have to send in to get the Unit picked up again? Bluetooth headsets? Bullets? What!?
Unfortunately, I'm not surprised, but damn,.. the Unit is such a good show.
SNAFU!
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2-15-2008 @ 6:14PM
Nancy said...
HIMYM is still AWESOME! It is the best comedy on TV right now.
Rules of Engagement and Christine -- I will take a pass on. Never did get into them....
But, I would be very upset if HIMYM didn't come back!
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2-15-2008 @ 6:17PM
Bash said...
"The Unit" unfortunately has run it's course. The last couple of episodes seemed so totally off... in fact the whole season left me with the feeling that they were giving "Prison Break" a run for the audience's money... horrible storylines. Badly written. Sorry but there's just nothing left to tell there. How often can Tiffy screw over her guy? It's a shame I know but honestly there's nothing left to tell I think.
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2-15-2008 @ 10:18PM
D-Bo said...
That's because they slapped those episodes together without Ryan and Mamet. Ryan talks about it in his strike blog...
2-15-2008 @ 6:22PM
Mary said...
Sorry to hear about Moonlight, I have been anxiously waiting for new episodes of this show. I hope CBS reconsiders it and orders more episodes, if not for this season, please, have it back in the fall.
For ANY show you may want to fight for remember Jericho, and WRITE THE STATIONS!! You never know, your help could save a show.
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2-15-2008 @ 6:38PM
Lenny said...
How about a national blood drive to show support for "Moonlight"? It would serve the dual purpose of both showing support for the show and increasing blood supplies for those that may need it!
Just a thought. I have one every month or so...
2-15-2008 @ 6:48PM
Jackie said...
Actually, Moonlight isn't gone, the set is not shut down. CBS let out a press release stating that they go back to filming March 4th, and four more episodes will air this season starting April 11th. Unfortunately ML hasn't been picked up for a second season yet, but the powers that be are running the four this spring to see how the ratings go and have until mid- to late-may to make a decision. That means get all of your friends to watch to keep the ratings up!!
2-17-2008 @ 10:41AM
Carol Brown said...
I agree this was the best show on CBS. I don't think they gave it much of a chance. They replaced it with specials every time I turned around. I think the story line had so many avenues to turn into it kept you guessing what was coming next. It was very well written with much imagination.
2-15-2008 @ 6:45PM
Roger Metcalfe said...
I cannot believe CBS would cancel quality and well-written programs like The Unit and Cane and leave garbage like How I Met Your Mother on the air. I guess that's two more hours I won't watch CBS.
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2-19-2008 @ 7:31PM
jenny said...
How I Met Your Mother is NOT garbage. It's one of the funniest shows on tv right now, the cast is great and the whitty come backs get better each episode..please don't let them cancel it!!
2-15-2008 @ 6:53PM
Pop Culture Curmudgeon said...
Is it time to worry about HIMYM, or should we give them a chance to make an announcement?
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2-15-2008 @ 7:06PM
Keith said...
I will be royally PO'd if CANE is not back...not that it is the finest show on TV, but like so many shows in the past, viewers are lured in, get involved in the characters, and then ...pffffft.
Maybe bootles of rum sent in might be a bigger influence than nuts, lightbulbs or hair.
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2-15-2008 @ 7:31PM
Argus said...
Huh, I thought that Moonlight was a given. There's more viewer investment in that show than almost any other. That's part of the point of the MyNielsen site, to see how investment in shows is, and Moonlight was always at the top with Blood Ties.
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2-15-2008 @ 7:54PM
Jake said...
A "stale" HIMYM is still better than any other comedy on CBS. However I do think they need to start going in the direction of the meeting the mother thing. CBS should at least let them play it out... it's not a ratings failure(just not a break out) at 61 in veiwers and 51 in the 18-49 demo. I hope it goes on for a couple more years. Bays and Thomas always seem to have new takes on seemingly old sitcom plots, plus it speaks to my generation of the mid 20's.
I think Rules will win out vs Christine. David Spade may play the same character in every sit com he's been in, but he gets laughs.
I am surprised about the Unit. I never got into it because I never cared for the wifes portion, but it seemed like it was a good show for CBS.
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2-15-2008 @ 8:05PM
Jake said...
Correction on the Nielsen ratings - it's ranked 53 for the '08 season right now. And not to dis Moonlight, but it gets similar ratings to HIMYM. So you can bash on it all you want, but it's not like Moonlight is this ratings hit that resonates with tons of viewers either.
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