CBS is the last of the Big Four Networks to present its upcoming portfolio of new series. Three new dramas and two single-cam comedies are debuting in the fall. Perhaps the most high-profile show of the bunch is Supergirl from Greg Berlanti (the prolific producer behind The CW’s Arrow and The Flash) and starring Glee‘s Melissa Benoist. She stars as Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, and the show plans to follow her journey of “embracing her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.” When the new TV season kicks off in September, The Eye’s Monday nights will consist of The Big Bang Theory, new feel-good single-cam sitcom with a large ensemble cast Life in Pieces, and returning procedurals Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles. Supergirl will join the second half of that lineup in the plum Mondays-at-8 timeslot in November when TBBT and Life in Pieces move to Thursday. Tuesday is home to flagship NCIS, spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, and the Bradley Cooper-produced Limitless, which is a sequel series to his 2011 sci-fi film about expanding the limits of the mind with the fictional drug NZT. (Cooper features prominently in the pilot, and he will recur on the series.) Survivor kicks of Wednesday nights, followed by Criminal Minds and new medical drama Code Black toplined by Marcia Gay Harden and Luis Guzman–it’s being described as ER on steroids; looks intense. When Thursday Night Football concludes in November, the night’s lineup will look like this: The Big Bang Theory, Life in Pieces, Mom, new sitcom Angel in Hell starring Glee‘s Jane Lynch with Maggie Lawson (Psych), and Elementary. Fridays pack The Amazing Race, Hawaii Five-0, and Blue Bloods. And lastly Sunday screens Madam Secretary, The Good Wife, and CSI: Cyber.
New series being held for midseason or later include spinoff Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders with Gary Sinise and a TV adaptation of buddy-cop franchise Rush Hour starring Jon Foo as Detective Lee and Justin Hires as Det. Carter. To make room for Supergirl on Mondays and Limitless on Tuesdays, CBS is benching sitcoms 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, and The Odd Couple, as well as drama Person of Interest for midseason. It’s been confirmed that POI‘s next season is shortened to 13 episodes; all signs (shorter episode count, dwindling ratings, and the fact that CBS shortened and saved for midseason The Mentalist before ending it) point to this being the fifth and final season for the epic procedural/serial hybrid. CBS also made it official that flagship CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will not be returning for a 16th season; instead, it will wrap up storylines with a two-hour finale airing Sunday, Sept. 27 that will bring back original stars William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger. CSI star Ted Danson is relocating to spinoff CSI: Cyber to play opposite Patricia Arquette, kicking out Cyber‘s Peter MacNicol in the process.
Jump after the break to preview CBS’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions.
2015-16 CBS FALL SCHEDULE (new programs are CAPITALIZED)
MONDAY
8-8:30 P.M. The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9 P.M. LIFE IN PIECES
8-9 P.M. SUPERGIRL (Starting in November)
9-10 P.M. Scorpion
10-11 P.M. NCIS: Los Angeles
TUESDAY
8-9 P.M. NCIS
9-10 P.M. NCIS: New Orleans
10-11 P.M. LIMITLESS
WEDNESDAY
8-9 P.M. Survivor
9-10 P.M. Criminal Minds
10-11 P.M. CODE BLACK
THURSDAY
8-11 P.M. (EST) NFL Thursday Night Football (Premieres Sept. 17)
8-8:30 P.M. The Big Bang Theory (Starting in November)
8:30-9 P.M. LIFE IN PIECES (Starting in November)
9-9:30 P.M. Mom (Starting in November)
9:30-10 P.M. ANGEL FROM HELL (Starting in November)
10-11 P.M. Elementary(Starting in November)
FRIDAY
8-9 P.M. The Amazing Race
9-10 P.M. Hawaii Five-O
10-11 P.M. Blue Bloods
SATURDAY
8-9 P.M. Crimetime Saturday
9-10 P.M. Crimetime Saturday
10-11 P.M. 48 Hours
SUNDAY
7-9 P.M. 60 Minutes
8-9 P.M. Madam Secretary
9-10 P.M. The Good Wife
10-11 P.M. CSI: CYBER
NEW FALL DRAMA SERIES
SUPERGIRL: “Supergirl” is an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), Superman’s (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed planet Krypton with her parents’ help at the same time as the infant Kal-El. Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her identity a secret. Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet’s former photographer, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara’s days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight crime. Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg, and Sarah Schecter executive produce. Glen Winter directs. From Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
LIMITLESS: “Limitless,” based on the feature film, is a fast-paced drama about Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), who discovers the brain-boosting power of the mysterious drug NZT and is coerced by the FBI into using his extraordinary cognitive abilities to solve complex cases for them. Working closely with Brian in the major case squad in New York City is Special Agent Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter), a formidable investigator with a dark past, and Special Agent Boyle (Hill Harper), a former military officer and Rebecca’s confidante. They report to Special Agent in Charge Nasreen “Naz” Pouran (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), a canny manipulator of the reins of power. Unbeknownst to the FBI, Brian also has a clandestine relationship with Senator Edward Mora (Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper, recurring), a presidential hopeful and regular user of NZT who has plans of his own for his new protégé. Fueled now with a steady supply of NZT that enables him to use 100% of his brain capacity, Brian is more effective than all of the FBI agents combined, making him a criminal’s worst nightmare and the greatest asset the Bureau has ever possessed. Writer Craig Sweeny, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Heather Kadin, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley, Tom Forman, and director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, Limitless feature film) executive produce. From CBS Television Studios, K/O Paper Products, and Relativity Television.
CODE BLACK: “Code Black,” based on the award-winning documentary by Ryan McGarry, is a heart-pounding medical drama that takes place in the busiest, most notorious ER in the nation, where the staggering influx of patients can outweigh the limited resources available to the extraordinary doctors and nurses whose job is to treat them all – creating a condition known as Code Black. At the heart of the ER’s controlled chaos is Residency Director Dr. Leanne Rorish (Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden), renowned for successfully performing high-risk procedures in Center Stage, the trauma area reserved for the most critical cases. Her four new first-year residents are Christa Lorenson (Bonnie Somerville), Malaya Pineda (Melanie Kannokada), Mario Savetti (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and Angus Leighton (Harry M. Ford). Leanne’s confidante, Jesse Sallander (Luis Guzman), is an amiable seen-it-all senior nurse who manages the residents. Also working in the ER is Dr. Neal Hudson (Raza Jaffrey), an excellent physician who sometimes disagrees with Leanne’s “cowboy” approach, and Dr. Rollie Guthrie (William Allen Young), the energetic, longest-serving attending. In Center Stage, life is measured in seconds, and these heroic doctors and nurses operate with speed and skill within an overwhelmed system to treat the crowds of people who are often there for one of two reasons: to die or to receive a life-saving miracle. Writer Michael Seitzman, Marti Noxon, Linda Goldstein-Knowlton, Ryan McGarry, and director David Semel executive produce. From ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios.
NEW FALL COMEDY SERIES
LIFE IN PIECES: “Life in Pieces” is a single-camera comedy about one big happy family and their sometimes awkward, often hilarious and ultimately beautiful milestone moments as told by its various members. Of the three siblings, middle child Matt (Thomas Sadoski) may have just found his true love, his co-worker, Colleen (Angelique Cabral); his coddled youngest brother, Greg (Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Colin Hanks), and his wife, Jen (Zoe Lister Jones), are overwhelmed by the birth of their first child; and the eldest, Heather (Betsy Brandt), and her husband, Tim (Dan Bakkedahl), are dreading their impending empty nest so much, they’re considering having another baby. Their parents are Joan (Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Dianne Wiest), the family’s adoring matriarch who would do anything for her kids – as long as she agrees with it – and John (Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner James Brolin), the gregarious patriarch who’s searching for ways to soften the blow of turning 70. As the family’s lives unfold in four short stories each week, they try to savor these little pieces of time that flash by but stay with you forever, because these moments add up to what life’s all about. Also starring Niall Cunningham, Holly J. Barrett, and Giselle Eisenberg. Writer Justin Adler, Aaron Kaplan, and director Jason Winer executive produce. From 20th Century Fox Television and Kapital Entertainment.
ANGEL FROM HELL: “Angel From Hell” stars Golden Globe and multiple Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch in a single-camera comedy about Amy (Lynch), a colorful, brassy woman who insinuates herself into Allison’s (Maggie Lawson) organized and seemingly perfect life, claiming to be her “guardian angel.” Allison is an intense, driven doctor who is sure that Amy is just an inebriated, outspoken nut, until every one of her warnings proves true. Cautioned by Amy not tell anyone about her, Allison can’t discuss this over-the-top oddball with her father and business partner, Marv (Kevin Pollak), a sunburned dermatologist who shares an office with Allison, or her younger brother, Brad (Kyle Bornheimer), a pharmaceutical sales rep who lives over her garage. As Allison tries to push Amy away, Amy makes her final pitch: her sole mission is to provide Allison with helpful guidance that nudges her in the right direction in life – and it’s her final chance to prove herself as an angel. With that, Allison agrees to this unlikely relationship because maybe a weird friend is exactly what she needs… and what if Amy really is her “guardian angel”? Writer Tad Quill, Jane Lynch, and director Don Scardino executive produce. From CBS Television Studios.
NEW SERIES HELD FOR MIDSEASON OR LATER
CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS: “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” stars Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Gary Sinise in a drama about the specialized International Division of the FBI tasked with solving crimes and coming to the rescue of Americans who find themselves in danger while abroad. Heading the department is Unit Chief Jack Garrett (Sinise), a seasoned 20-year veteran of the Bureau. The team he trusts with his life includes Matthew Simmons (Daniel Henney), a former military hero with split-second profiling skills he honed on the battlefield, and Russ “Monty” Montgomery (Tyler James Williams), the unit’s compassionate, brilliant tech analyst who additionally liaises stateside with the families of those in trouble while his group is far from home. These exceptional agents are dedicated to safely returning U.S. residents home by profiling and identifying criminals who are beyond our borders. The pilot was a planted spin-off of an episode of CRIMINAL MINDS broadcast on April 8, 2015. Mark Gordon, Erica Messer, and Nick Pepper executive produce. From ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios, and The Mark Gordon Company.
RUSH HOUR: “Rush Hour,” a reimagining of the hit feature film franchise, is a buddy-cop drama about a maverick LAPD detective and a by-the-book detective from Hong Kong who knock heads when they are forced to partner together. Detective Lee (Jon Foo) is a reserved, honorable master martial artist with lightning-fast moves who comes to L.A. to avenge his sister’s alleged death and learn more about her connection to a Chinese organized crime ring. Detective Carter (Justin Hires), on the other hand, is a wisecracking cop who plays by his own rules and has never wanted a partner. As exasperated as Carter’s boss, Captain Cole (Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Wendie Malick), gets with him, she knows he’s a brilliant detective who gets results. Attempting to help the two get along is Sergeant Didi Diaz (Aimee Garcia), Carter’s friend and former partner who doesn’t hesitate to call him out on his antics. But even as cultures clash and tempers flare, Carter and Lee can’t deny they make a formidable team, and grudgingly admit that sometimes an unlikely pairing makes for a great partnership. Bill Lawrence, Blake McCormick, Jeff Ingold, director Jon Turteltaub and the team behind the “Rush Hour” movies, Arthur Sarkissian and Brett Ratner, executive produce. From Warner Bros. Television.