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'Three Rivers,' 'Cold Case' swap spots

threerivers_290.jpgCBS will flip its two Sunday dramas this week to see if it can goose the ratings for "Cold Case" and "Three Rivers."

The one-week (for now) arrangement will move "Cold Case" to the 9 p.m. ET spot, where it aired last season to much bigger audiences than it's had so far this fall. "Three Rivers," the only new show this season whose future is still up in the air, will air at 10 p.m.

(In reality, both shows will likely start a little later than their announced times. CBS has the national NFL doubleheader on Sunday, and the late-afternoon games typically bleed into primetime and bump the regular schedule back.)

The changeup comes at the tail end of November sweeps and toward the end of "Three Rivers'" initial order. Seven episodes have aired, and a couple more have finished filming, which means if the network does want more episodes, it has to make a decision soon to avoid a shutdown of the production.

Neither show has put up especially good ratings so far this fall. "Three Rivers" is averaging 8.34 million viewers a week this season, well off what "Cold Case" was doing in the time period at this time last season (12.15 million). "Cold Case" (9.45 million) is below both its own numbers last year and those of "The Unit" (10.04 million), the previous occupant of the 10 o'clock Sunday spot.

Both shows are last in their time period in the adults 18-49 demographic, with "Three Rivers" averaging a 1.9 rating and "Cold Case" a 2.0.

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i love both shows but i have been loving three rivers...i hope it last...or they can bring back moonlight

this is likely just to placate a pissed off Bruckheimer group that someone else's show is in between Amazing Race (which they get credit for) and their show Cold Case. It wont make any difference because both those shows suck big time and cold Case has always been a total bore. CBS probably knows it but is making this political gesture.

I get tired of people putting down Cold Case. I don't think it ever got a chance. Hardly any publicity and the time change didn't help. It's agood show give it a chance.

3 RIVERS in THE Best medical show on TV. It is serious medicine with thought-provoking stories.

Mandy Patinkin should get an EMMY for his performance in this last Sunday's show. It is a long time since a 1 hour TV show had made me cry. If you didn't see it - download it and watch it while you can. You won't regret it. And if you can't relate to the show on some level, consider yourself a lucky person who has never been touched with the loss of a loved one.

Cold Case did better in the 9pm slot last season im glad they moved it back

Well, I hope CBS knows that in the event football runs over by an hour or more, the show in the lineup that deserves to be cut out is 60 Minutes!! Not Cold Case like they did that one time with the Jets game.

Or... perhaps they're doing the Cold Case/Three Rivers switcheroo so that instead of Cold Case being potentially cut at the end of the night, it would be Three Rivers instead? Hmmm....

Well, either way, I think Cold Case is a better show than either Three Rivers or 60 Minutes. That being said, I haven't watched much of CBS' Sunday lineup except for a few eps of Cold Case. I tend to think the cases are much more interesting when they are from within the last decade. A cold case from the 1980s or older just doesn't do it for me. :(

Hey CBS, why don't you cancel Three Rivers and bring back The Unit. I just can't believe The Unit was taken off the air for this crap.

People need to get over the cancelled shows. Yes, I miss some of the cancelled shows also but come on people wake up you are living in a dream world if you think they will create a new The Unit or Moonlight nearly 1 year after being cancelled.
Just sick of hearing it. It is just my opinion.

Honestly? I think a lot of it has to do with the football games. Seriously, I refuse to stay up until 12 a.m. (or not even have the episode on at all) because of football. Word up CBS: Nix 60 minutes or shorten it, join it in progress to keep your shows ON at a reasonable time.

For decades network television has catered to sports because they bring in the money. You can't record either Cold Case or Three Rivers because the mechine requires specific start and stop times, something in short supply when the networks slip their schedules to accommodate sports. I love Cold Case and Three Rivers with its different spin on medical drama. CBS is notorious for dumping shows on Sunday evenings in order to bolster the ratings. Unfortunately their choices have resulted in fewer and fewer viewers for their product. The fault in not so much with the product as the decision makers.

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