Top-rated CBS, which renewed most of its lineup last month, will play an already-strong hand this fall, adding three dramas and one comedy to its lineup.
Two of the dramas, in the 10 ET/PT slot Tuesday and Thursday respectively, are Vegas, a 1960s period drama about real-life Las Vegas sheriff Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid) who clashes with a local gangster (Michael Chiklis); and Elementary, starring Jonny Lee Miller as a modern-day, fresh-from-rehab Sherlock Holmes, with Lucy Liu as his able aide Watson.
The third drama, Made in Jersey, about a street-smart lawyer (Janet Montgomery) and her efforts to compete at a fancy New York firm (whose leader is played by Kyle MacLachlan) comes in Friday at 9, moving CSI: NY an hour earlier.
Iin comedies, CBS will shift long-time Monday stalwart Two and a Half Men to Thursdays as a companion to The Big Bang Theory. The pairing helps strengthen the lineup on a night in high demand by advertisers, and leaves this season's top-rated new comedy, 2 Broke Girls, on Mondays to battle NBC's The Voice. But it's also an admission of weakness for Men, last season's most-watched comedy.
Joining Girls on Monday is newcomer Partners, starring Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and David Krumholtz (Numb3rs) as life-long pals and business partners, one straight and one gay, based on the lives of its producers, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (Will & Grace).
The network has shied away from expanding (as others have) beyond its current six-comedy lineup, ordering just two new sitcoms for the entire season. The second is on tap for midseason: Friend Me, about pals from Indiana (Nicholas Braun and Superbad's Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who move to Los Angeles to seek new jobs and have differing views about blending in.
A fourth new drama is also slated for midseason: Golden Boy, tracing the rise of a street cop (Theo James) to New York City's youngest police commissioner.
CSI: Miami will end its run after 10 seasons, along with first-year shows Rob, A Gifted Man, NYC 22 and Unforgettable. CBS is in talks to renew Rules of Engagement for a shortened final season. Also on tap for midseason: new reality series The Job, in which contestants vie for dream jobs.
The network will again win the season among all viewers (its audience is up 1%) but finish second to Fox among young adults.
