CBS picked up seven new series on Friday, joining the previously ordered Battle Creek. Picked up were dramas NCIS: New Orleans, CSI: Cyber, Madam Secretary, Stalker, and Scorpion and comedies The Odd Couple and The McCarthys.
A new NCIS will be on the schedule next year, joining the original and Los Angeles versions. A backdoor two-part pilot on NCIS this season, NCIS: New Orleans stars Scott Bakula and CCH Pounder and centers on an NCIS team handling cases down in the bayou. Will this supplant NCIS: Los Angeles in the Tuesday 9pm slot?
Another franchise on CBS is getting a new addition with CSI: Cyber. The original is still on the air but since CSI: Miami and CSI: NY have been cancelled, this will only be the second one currently on the air. CSI: Cyber stars Patricia Arquette as a Special Agent in charge of the Cyber Crime Division. It is rumored to be a candidate for midseason.
Madam Secretary was a well-received pilot centered on a female Secretary of State played by Tea Leoni. Also starring Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth, the show looks to be more in the classy depiction of DC ala The West Wing than the trashy version Scandal provides. If CBS wants to launch a new drama on Sundays, it might be a good pair with The Good Wife.
Stalker is a thriller from Kevin Williamson. Starring Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q, the psychological show is about detectives from the LAPD handling two stalking cases. No surprise with Williamson, but it's been reported to be very dark, which is a departure from the often harmless CBS crime procedurals.
Scorpion follows a network of super geniuses who protect the world from threats as the last line of defense. Starring Katherine McPhee among others, the show is an interesting choice for CBS as it sound much more like a FOX or NBC show.
Comedy The Odd Couple was also ordered. A reboot of the play, movie, and classic 1970s sitcom, this multi-camera sitcom stars Matthew Perry as Oscar and Thomas Lennon as Felix. The show was reported to have some issues but Perry was a big reason it got picked up. This is Perry's third sitcom since Friends, but the first to return to a multi-camera format after Mr. Sunshine and Go On didn't pan out.
The last pickup was The McCarthys, a family comedy about an big Irish Catholic Boston family who loves sports and their gay son, who wants to distance himself a little bit. Starring Jack McGee, Joey McIntyre, and Laurie Metcalf, the show seems like it fits in the CBS wheelhouse even if it's a little more family oriented. It might pair well with The Millers.
Noticeably missing from this list was How I Met Your Dad, which is still in negotiations for a pickup.
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