or


[07/29/13 - 12:06 PM]
CBS at TCA: Old Broadcast Model Still Works But Open to New Ones
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Another TCA, another round of tub-thumping by CBS: #1 in viewers for the 10th time in 11 years, #1 in adults 25-54 for the seventh time in the last nine seasons, etc. This time out however the Eye had something new to crow about: its first adults 18-49 season victory in 21 years.

It was the future though that took up the bulk of the network's executive session as Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of the CBS Corporation - filling in for Nina Tassler, who was attending a close friend's funeral - addressed the new financial models currently sweeping the industry. And while their wheelhouse of procedurals and multi-camera comedies tailor made for the syndication marketplace remains as successful as ever, a few new shows have seen them step out of that comfort zone:

"The network license fee, by definition, in the summer has to be small," he said about the just-renewed "Under the Dome." "So it was because of a huge international sale of the show, as well as the participation of Amazon. And we had to make a deal unlike any we've ever made, where they got the show four days later. They have not revealed what their numbers are."

Fall drama "Hostages" likewise presented some challenges. "We've generally avoided serialized shows in those shortened orders, although we watched with great interest at the success of, obviously, a '24.' 'The Following' did very well. So when, obviously, the Bruckheimer people brought us that project, we were very excited. We realized we needed a new model to do it. And I'm sure 'Hostages' will appear, after the 15-episode run, very shortly on the Netflixes and the Amazons, which enables people to catch up."

International sales are also helping fuel various co-productions, such as The CW's "Reign" with Canada's Whizbang Films and Take 5 Productions. "Six or seven years ago, our international revenue was about $400 million. Last year it was a billion two. So it's risen dramatically. The reasons for that are: multiple channels in our big markets, the pay cables and much more competition; the opening up of Eastern Europe, the opening up of Latin America, and the opening up of Asia. So that has grown immensely."

Speaking of The CW, Moonves admitted that while as an entity it "may lose some money, [it] is owned by two companies that produce the shows. The shows bring us more revenue than the losses do. So it's still valuable, and there's still a marketplace for it."

As for other topics covered today:

-- Lots of shows will hit big milestones during the upcoming season: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (300 episodes), "NCIS" (250), "Criminal Minds" (200), "The Good Wife" (100) and "NCIS: Los Angeles" (100).

-- "I really don't want to negotiate in public," he said about the status of negotiations with Time Warner. "That's probably not the best way to do it. Conversations are going on, as recently as 15 minutes ago with me on the cell phone to New York."

-- "We do a lot of pilots and the best get on the air," Moonves said about their "Beverly Hills Cop" pilot. "And we felt we had better choices than that pilot."

-- "It was established as a social experiment," Moonves responded about "Big Brother's" current headline making season. "Clearly that's what's happening this year. I find some of the behavior absolutely appalling, personally. What you see there, I think it, unfortunately, is reflective of how certain people feel in America. It's what our show is. I think we've handled it properly."

-- "We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money and then we offered her even more money because we really didn't want to lose her," the executive said about the actress's departure from "NCIS." "And ultimately she decided she didn't want to do the show. It was purely her decision." Adding, "We don't like losing anybody. But we did everything humanly possible. We feel like we exhausted every opportunity, and she just decided she didn't want to do the show."

-- And finally, we're told there's no plans to burn off its shelved midseason comedy "Friend Me."

[UPDATED FROM SUBSEQUENT SESSIONS]

-- "Hostages" isn't designed to be a limited series. "I mean, our show, we are doing 15, and we hope to get not only two seasons, but a lot more," Jerry Bruckheimer said. "So this is not a miniseries for us."

-- Aya Cash has been cast as Kal Penn's ex on newcomer "We Are Men," where she'll recur going forward. "Kal's wife is going to be a big part of the show," creator Rob Greenberg said during his session. "And in that instance he marries someone great, and he screwed up... And ultimately I'm not sure where it's going to go, but I think that relationship is one of the most grounding parts of the whole series."

-- Carrie Preston, Gary Cole and America Ferrera are all returning to "The Good Wife" this season. As for new faces, Robert King detailed that "Melissa George is a new person who is coming in to work in Peter's office; Juliet Rylance; Ben Rappaport, who is one of these rebel attorneys who are going to break off with Julianna I mean with Alicia and Cary; and Jeffrey Tambor is coming in as a judge."

-- "There's going to be a love interest in Christy's [Anna Faris] life played by Justin Long," Chuck Lorre revealed about his new series "Mom." "That's going to come up in the first few episodes. And poor bastard doesn't know what he's in for, but he is going to be her first shot at a meaningful relationship in this new chapter in her life." Also set to appear is Octavia Spencer in the fifth episode as "a woman who, it turns out, has bigger problems than Christy."





  [july 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· BEVERLY HILLS COP (CBS)
· BIG BROTHER (CBS)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· FRIEND ME (CBS)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· HOSTAGES (CBS)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
· REIGN (CW)
· UNDER THE DOME (CBS)
· WE ARE MEN (CBS)





[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.

[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.

[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.