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CBS' plans for John Mayer, 'Moonlight' Star and 'NCIS' spinoff
With a successful first half of the TV season behind her, CBS President Nina Tassler had the luxury to make pronouncements Wednesday for CBS' Television Critics Association executive session that didn't ring false.
One of the biggest points she made was that in a climate of change, CBS still worked. You could say they put the "work" in network since the tried-and-true approach weren't necessarily outmoded when it came to pulling in the numbers.
Being the No. 1 network among viewers and in demos, not to mention debuting the No. 1 new show, the crime show The Mentalist, allowed CBS to point out that they've debunked the following television "myths":
1) There are too many crime dramas
2) Comedy is dead
3) Scheduling doesn't matter in a time-shifting world
4) Networks can't grow its audience
You see, the current TV system does work. Rejoice.
Here's an overview of what else was discussed
Dead and (Mostly) Buried
- The Ex-List was a good concept but "failed in its execution" and it "didn't find its pulse."
- Swingtown - CBS is proud of the execution and taking the risk, but it was "a victim of the strike."
Alive and Well
- 10 p.m. crime dramas - Despite NBC's move to make Jay Leno a fixture at 10 for five nights a week, CBS isn't concerned and will chug along producing its high-rated dramas. "Why should one network's failure in development redirect an entire scheduling strategy?" -- Tassler
- Drew Carey hosting The Price is Right - "Yes, [we're] very happy with Drew." There are no plans to replace him thus far.
Gestating
- Alex O'Loughlin - RIP Moonlight, but hey, at least Alex may be back. "Hopefully we will be doing a deal with him."
- John Mayer - "We're actually pretty close to closing our deal. It will be a music-variety-sketch thing show. It's being developed now. It could be a series of specials. It could be a series. We're just going to shoot the pilot now, see what we have and make a decision after that."
- NCIS spinoff - "We've seen an outline. We're in great shape and we're just waiting to get the script, but we're going to cast and we're going to shoot. Remember how NCIS was developed? It's still following in that tradition. NCIS was an episode of JAG, and this will be an episode of NCIS."
On the Horizon
- Harper's Island - The show needed a consecutive 13 weeks in order to build its serialized murder mystery. If all goes well, it will run from April 9 through July 2. The show is nearing the end of its production.
Your thoughts?
Tassler is a pig and always will be.
I will never forgive her for killing Moonlight in favor of The Ex-List.
WHAT A BAFOON!
nono | Jan 14, 2009 11:40:02 AM | #I agree - she killed MOONLIGHT- and now all the vamp stuff coming out..
Laurie | Jan 14, 2009 11:58:39 AM | #Nina Tassler can make good decisions. She has also made some extremely bad ones as well.
Her comments on the end of shows like Jericho and Moonlight have given rise to a lack of trust in her ability to fight for a show by some audiences.
Is she the one who killed "Swingtown"?
Carly | Jan 14, 2009 12:16:17 PM | #The lack of viewers killed Swingtown...and Jericho...and Moonlight...
Jane | Jan 14, 2009 12:26:15 PM | #Not sure how I feel about John Mayer (who is my favorite artist) doing something with CBS (my least favorite network)
Specially a variety show...EHHHHH
Sean | Jan 14, 2009 12:30:51 PM | #I loved Moonlight and the Ex-List. I think she and CBS are idiots
John Mayer hosting a variety show? Right.
Lauren | Jan 14, 2009 12:37:13 PM | #Funny thing about the complaints about Moonlight and Jericho (both shows I watched and really liked) is that you think this woman cancelled them.
They got pitiful ratings and, like it or not, if only a small group watches them, they go away. While those who liked them enjoyed the writing, characters and the rest of it, the majority of viewers couldn't relate to the topics - at least, not enough to make time every week to watch them.
I'm not an apologist for this woman, but I think before you blame someone for taking away your favorite show (something I'm struggling with in regards to Pushing Daisies) you might wanna take a breath and look at the big picture: TV show must draw viewers to sell the adds to afford TV shows (repeat)
my $0.02
Brett | Jan 14, 2009 12:59:53 PM | #Brett-Moonlight didn't have pitiful ratings. It started off strong, but suffered due to the strike (just like Daisies). When Moonlight returned after the strike, even though ratings had dropped a bit, it was still garnering better ratings than most of the crap CBS puts in the Friday 9pm timeslot. Many entertainment outlets called 2008 "the year of the vampire". If CBS would have continued on with Moonlight, I think they would have found the audience that they were looking for. I know lots of people who were jumping on the Moonlight "fanwagon". CBS tries to make us feel better by saying that they've optioned Alex O'Laughlin for another project; however, as far as I'm concerned Alex O'Laughlin without Sophia Myles just doesn't work for me!
Erica | Jan 14, 2009 1:33:59 PM | #Moonlight had mediocre ratings at best. CBS had to cancel some shows that were doing OK in order to make room for new shows. Given the choice between canceling Moonlight and canceling Numb3rs, CBS would have been completely insane to keep Moonlight. Regardless, the top network on TV is not going to keep a show that cannot maintain a 2.0 in the demo. Period. End of discussion.
Jane | Jan 14, 2009 1:46:21 PM | #"Swingtown" was NOT a victim of the writer's strike. It was on during the Summer for Chrissake! CBS does not want to admit that it bowed down to the pressure of the ultra conservative advertisers scared away by the religious nuts who lifted their torches and pitchforks. Tassler is just giving a cop-out.
Looks like CBS will go back to their stodgy blood encrusted crime shows while other channels take chances. Bye bye out-of-the-box for CBS. Hello old wheelchair! We never counted. All those complaining about "Moonlight" and "Jericho." None of us count because we are not Nielsen families. When I think of it, no regular TV watcher should be buying those products. It shouldn't make any difference. Hell, we're just viewers!
Tracy | Jan 14, 2009 1:48:24 PM | #I have to laugh that some people are still so upset about the cancellations of "Moonlight" and "Jericho". Come on people, give it up! Move on and find something else to watch or bitch about something else.
Nina Tassler didn't "kill" either series. She even brought back "Jericho", but all those fans who cheered for its return apparently didn't tune in because it got worse ratings than during its first season.
Concerning "Moonlight", the series was canceled because it got the lowest ratings of the three CBS Friday series and also was the lowest rated in the advertiser desired 18-49 year old demographic. Despite the perceived "year of the vampire" no one can say whether or not "Moonlight" would have benefited from that.
Seriously, some people can really hold a grudge! It was a freakin' TV show.
Xander | Jan 14, 2009 1:52:57 PM | #Tracy, not all of the series affected by the writers strike were on the air during the strike. "Swingtown" was in production and was expecting a mid-season debut, during the spring of 2008. However, since "Swingtown" was still in production, it had to shut down - as every other scripted series did during the strike - and by the time production was able to resume, mid-season had already started. CBS then had three choices: 1) hold the series until the next season (that would be this season); 2) air it over the summer; 3) cut their loses and scrap the series. CBS decided on the second option.
The idea that the writer's strike only affected the series that viewers could see at the time is truly ridiculous.
Xander | Jan 14, 2009 1:58:27 PM | #Women's Murder Club was beating Moonlight every week in the ratings. I think that stands proof enough that Moonlight was dead in the water regardless of who was sitting in the CBS President's chair.
ave | Jan 14, 2009 3:12:40 PM | #Flashpoint trumps Moonlight any day...in viewers and conceptually..go Canada!
westwick1 | Jan 14, 2009 4:12:33 PM | #that's right, i'm still not over MOONLIGHT ending...
and i think it would have greatly benefitted by 2008's vampire craze. dumb move CBS.
Alex O'Loughlin, you were THE hottest guy on tv, if you are listening, don't take a show unless it's really good and preferably not on CBS!!
I give Nina credit for one thing. She hasn’t clogged up CBS with tons of those crappy “reality” shows that are the darlings of every other network.
That being said that is all I give her credit for.
I think if Nina likes a show it will stay on at all costs. How I Met Your Mother has never been a ratings powerhouse. I love the show, but I have read so many times how it doesn’t get high rating. Yet it is still on.
Jericho and Moonlighting did get decent ratings. Other shows on other networks get lesser rating and are still on. If a show doesn’t gamer mega ratings and it isn’t a favorite a Nina’s..out it goes. Not everyone will have the ratings CSI has.
People have more options out there than ever before. With the exception of things like sporting events, awards shows, and no doubt the upcoming inaugural, the days of 50 million people watching a show are long gone. The ways to measure who is watching still isn’t up with technology. People no longer have to watch TV when it is on and those who record shows may not always watch the show the same day. I just watched the Golden Globes last night because I was not missing 24 Sunday and Monday, not even for Johnny Depp. Over the holidays I finally caught up with all my Without A Traces I had saved, they went back as far as October.
Nina has some phenomenal shows but I don’t think she gives others a chance. I think Nina needs to keep a perspective on the fact she can’t expect every show to pull in killer ratings and the heck with it if they don’t. Surely it has to be better to have one show that does decent rating that to keep replacing it with shows that have dismal ratings.
CBS is very dumb for cancelling Moonlight. Big mistake, Vampires are sooo hot right now. Bad girl Nina!
Linda Louf | Jan 14, 2009 5:06:51 PM | #I have nothing against CBS's schedule. But if I were the network president, I would slow down those proceurals and bring in more diverse dramas that doesn't have a cop, instead bring in a complex dramas that features doctors, lawyers or domestics. Let's bring back some of the gusto. Just like the good old days.
Steve | Jan 14, 2009 5:51:10 PM | #You Moonlight fans need to get over it. That series suffered when it came to ratings with good reason. It SUCKED royally! The writing and the acting was pathetic and viewers recognized it. Well, the intelligent ones anyway. What's ironic is that the actors *are* of good calibre and they got saddled with a terrible premise and awful lines.
No wonder CBS does well in the ratings, morons continue to watch it. Honestly, they don't have a comedy block worth a damn. The addition of Flashpoint only continues the mediocrity. What Tassler/CBS is really saying is that viewers will watch pretty much anything that they put in front of them.
Westwick1, you're proud of Flashpoint? LOL, LOL...
Please, no more from Canada. The Brits have better programming.
Liz | Jan 14, 2009 6:03:29 PM | #<
dolly | Jan 14, 2009 >>
So basically Dolly you and other fans of Moonlight only watched the series because AOL is good looking. That's it. Not because he has any acting talent. Wow, a poster on a wall would have sufficed don't you think? ;)
Liz | Jan 14, 2009 6:15:35 PM | #Stopped by here to read the blog -- which is fine -- but I'm leaving again immediately because the comments are so lame (which I suspect will make you all quite happy). Why don't you bored housewives go get a life instead of pretending to be experts about the ins and outs of television programming? If people miss shows they were fond of that have been canceled, what's it to you? "Period. End of Discussion." Jeez, how lame can you possibly get.
Laughing out loud | Jan 14, 2009 7:51:29 PM | #Still haven't gone back to CBS since they canned Jericho and I don't plan to.
I've since found some great shows on other networks due to that so in a sense, thanks CBS.
Patty | Jan 14, 2009 9:51:31 PM | #CBS sucks. I don’t like Nina Tassler and I hate CBS. They killed off Moonlight. I wish some other network or a Moonlight movie would happen instead.
They cancel Moonlight but want Alex back. Go figure. If I were him I would avoid anything happening on CBS. All they have are cop shows. Big wow.
They dropped the ball on a hot vampire show.
FYI Moonlight is coming to DVD Jan 20th.
And Sci-fi is doing reruns of Moonlight
Liz, what's your point in your post that I recopied below? You seem to hate everything you listed: Moonlight, and CBS's other mediocre shows. Why bother to read the article and post?
To anyone who bashes other's viewpoints, live and let live! Opinions are like @ss holes, everyone's got one! Have a nice day!
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You Moonlight fans need to get over it. That series suffered when it came to ratings with good reason. It SUCKED royally! The writing and the acting was pathetic and viewers recognized it. Well, the intelligent ones anyway. What's ironic is that the actors *are* of good calibre and they got saddled with a terrible premise and awful lines.
No wonder CBS does well in the ratings, morons continue to watch it. Honestly, they don't have a comedy block worth a damn. The addition of Flashpoint only continues the mediocrity. What Tassler/CBS is really saying is that viewers will watch pretty much anything that they put in front of them.
Westwick1, you're proud of Flashpoint? LOL, LOL...
Please, no more from Canada. The Brits have better programming.
Liz | Jan 14, 2009 6:03:29 PM | #
Question for Liz | Jan 14, 2009 11:33:21 PM | #
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