or


[08/03/09 - 12:10 PM]
CBS at TCA: Tassler Touts Successes, Challenges
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "We're coming off a great year," CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler told critics during the network's executive session at the TCA.

"And everybody knows the stats: we grew our audience in every key ratings category, the only network to do so." She went on to tout the freshman success of "The Mentalist" as well as the continued emergence of "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS" as heavy hitters in their time periods.

Tassler also took the time to address various issues in primetime during the half hour, highlights of which follow:

-- On NBC moving Jay Leno to primetime: "First of all, whatever numbers, whatever ratings they get they're going to declare victory anyway so it really doesn't matter."

-- On why they're stacking "NCIS" with its spin-off: "Because they do fall under one banner, you're going to see characters cross over for the first few episodes. Pauley Perrette is going to cross over, Rocky Carroll is going to cross over, because they fall under the same jurisdiction we figured it was, it made more sense to have a block of the shows."

-- On if they'll do something like "Harper's Island" again: "Online it had some traction, I think it really did appeal to a very niche audience. I think the challenge is finding something that can be specific and appeal to niche, but also has a sort of broad appeal. I think that was part of the challenge behind 'Harper's.' It was very specific, very niche but it just didn't grab onto the bigger audience."

-- On NBC declaring Conan the new king of late night: "We said really? Really? It seemed a little premature but as [I said] whatever numbers come in, whatever the ratings are I think they'll be happy with... We're not really looking to what NBC is doing. For us we see [Leno moving as] a great opportunity, it's a sea change in our business."

-- On if she'll lay odds on Leno's chances: "I have no desire to do that."

-- On the network's lack of gay and lesbian characters: "First of all, it is a sort of concern for me personally and us at the network. We have a fundamental commitment to the philosophy of diversity across the schedule and representation of gay, lesbian [characters] falls into that division as well. The interesting thing is I think we do have good representation in our non-scripted programming but we certainly have to make room in our scripted content. And much of what I'm hearing... going into development have gay and lesbian characters already hitched into the shows themselves. So it's an area we need to work on and hopefully we do improve there next year."

-- On the changes to the Emmy broadcast this year: "I don't think we're being unfair to the creative community. I think coming out of the telecast last year everybody knew we had to make a change. Change is not easy. The bottom line is the Emmys are about the celebration of the television business. We're all in this business together... This is about creating and producing an exciting and entertaining program."

-- On the status of "Flashpoint": "We have nine more original episodes that we are going to air in season. It just does better for us [than the summer]. It was a great experience [working with CTV] so we're looking forward to doing more, have more arrangements like that." As for "Flashpoint" specifically: "There are no plans right now but we certainly can if we want to."

-- On why they picked up "Medium": "When we did know that we had an opportunity we jumped at it. We're thrilled with the show. I think that NBC really [didn't treat] the show the way it should be treated... to get Emmy winner Patricia Arquette on Friday night for us is a home run." Tassler also confirms that the "Medium" pickup was made after the decision to keep "Flashpoint."

-- On "CSI's" stumbles last season: "It wasn't just about Grissom, it wasn't just about losing Billy. That show had some monumental changes last year. We lost Warrick, Sara and we're introducing a new character to the show. For those of you that know, George Eads was having back issues at the end of last season so he wasn't as present in the show... I think fans were a little unsure as to where the show was going."

-- On what's ahead for "CSI" this year: "Nick is going to get promoted, Catherine Willows promotes him. Sara is coming back for the first five episodes of the show. You're going to see Fishbourne basically have, he's much more settled in his role, he's in a more leadership capacity. He's well versed or more versed in the language of CSI. He's had a little bit of a wardrobe makeover."

-- On if there will be a "Ghost Whisperer"/"Medium" crossover: "Once we get the show launched and comfortable in its time period we can certainly talk about it."

-- On the departure of Ben Silverman from NBC: "I'm really just a D-girl so I wouldn't comment."

-- On the cancellation of "Without a Trace": "It was a really tough choice. I personally love the show... The truth is every show has its own life cycle and when we decided to cancel it, it was a very tough decision but it was that decision weighed against the new shows that we had out of development coming into the fall schedule this year. We had a very strong development season, we have a very strong schedule so it allowed us to make those tough decisions. Obviously we feel it was better to go out with the show at its creative high point in its career versus then having any kind of downturn. It was a very tough decision."

-- On if they have plans to order more "Million Dollar Password": "Right now we don't have any."





  [august 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· FLASHPOINT (ION)
· GHOST WHISPERER (CBS)
· HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS)
· MEDIUM (CBS)
· MENTALIST, THE (CBS)
· MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD (CBS)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[10/28/25 - 02:07 PM]
"Sunday Night Football" on Record Pace Through Week 8, Averaging 24.7 Million Viewers on NBC and Peacock
Packers-Steelers audience peaked at 28.2 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the second quarter (9:15-9:30 p.m. ET).

[10/28/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of October 20 - "A House of Dynamite" Hits the Target at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Plus: "Nobody Wants This," "The Elixir," and "The Monster of Florence" rise to the top in their opening weekends.

[10/28/25 - 12:01 PM]
ABC Announces 2026 Midseason Premiere Dates
Premiering Wednesday, February 25, ABC is scrubbing back in for Sacred Heart Hospital with back-to-back episodes of comedy "Scrubs" starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke.

[10/28/25 - 12:00 PM]
Mark Harmon to Make Special Guest Appearance as Gibbs on "NCIS: Origins" During "NCIS" Crossover Event Tuesday, Nov. 11
In the crossover event airing on Veterans Day, younger Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and team investigate the small-town death of a naval officer in the '90s - a case that's unexpectedly re-opened in the present day.

[10/28/25 - 10:01 AM]
Hulu Renews Hit Emmy-Award Winning Comedy "Only Murders in the Building" for a Sixth Season!
The series will film overseas for the first time, with the beloved crime-solving trio leaving New York City to investigate London's newest mystery.

[10/28/25 - 10:01 AM]
HBO in Production on New Ronan Farrow Documentary Tracking Sprawling Criminal Case in Johnson City, Tennessee
The film chronicles a maze of revelations about Sean Williams of Johnson City, TN, a serial predator, tracing both his decades-long evasion of justice and an ensuing scandal over claims of corruption and systemic law enforcement failures.

[10/28/25 - 08:32 AM]
Peacock Sets Streaming Debut Dates for Focus Features' "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," Universal's "Nobody 2" and DreamWorks Animation's "The Bad Guys 2"
The three films will roll out on successive Fridays beginning November 7.

[10/28/25 - 08:30 AM]
Epic New Landmark Natural History Series, "Kingdom," Set to Premiere Saturday, January 24 on BBC America and AMC+
Narrated by renowned naturalist and three-time Emmy Award-winner Sir David Attenborough, the major new six-part natural history series chronicles the dramatic real-life sagas of four African animal families, in one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by BBC Studios Natural History Unit.

[10/28/25 - 08:01 AM]
BBC Confirms Future of "Doctor Who" and a New Christmas Special in 2026
With Disney+ confirming they will not be partnering on the next season of the sci-fi show, the BBC remain fully committed to the show and will announce plans for the next series in due course to ensure the Doctor's adventures continue.

[10/28/25 - 07:09 AM]
Season 5 of ESPN Original Series "Peyton's Places," Presented by Elijah Craig Bourbon, Premieres November 2 Exclusively on ESPN+
Josh Allen, Jason Kelce, Jim Harbaugh, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Joe Burrow, Boomer Esiason, Chad Johnson, and more are among the featured guests.

[10/28/25 - 07:06 AM]
Get Ready to Switch - Again! Disney's "Freakier Friday" Streaming Exclusively November 12 on Disney+
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reprise their roles in this hilarious sequel.

[10/28/25 - 07:01 AM]
"One Piece" Season 2 Premieres March 10, 2026
Additionally, Netflix revealed a first look at Drum Island.

[10/28/25 - 06:47 AM]
Prime Video Takes the Spotlight with Its New "Karaoke Club" Show, A Celebrity Singing Tour
Hosted by the hilarious Stéphane Rousseau, the series transforms karaoke into an electrifying experience where the stars deliver their signature style with humor, energy, and, above all, a whole lot of fun.

[10/28/25 - 06:31 AM]
"Michelle Obama: The Style, the Power, the Look - a Conversation with Robin Roberts - Special Edition of 20/20" Airs Sunday, Nov. 2, on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The "Good Morning America" co-anchor joins Obama at Marymount University in Virginia in advance of her upcoming book, "The Look" - a celebration of style from the moment she entered the public eye - to discuss the lessons she's sharing about her newfound confidence and empowerment.

[10/28/25 - 06:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "The Future Is Ours," A Dystopian Limited Series Starring Enzo Vogrincic, Emiliano Zurita, Delfina Chaves, Marleyda Soto and Marco Antonio Caponi
The series will be the first audiovisual adaptation of renowned American writer Philip K. Dick's work in Spanish.