Network Scorecard: CBS

NBC and ABC have already announced their primetime lineups for next season to the advertisers, but the week is still young as CBS gets its shot today at wowing Madison Avenue with its new programs.

"We approached our development this year with a specific goal in mind--to be daring and different," said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. "The Fall and mid-season series we have selected offer creativity and variety with great potential to excite and surprise television audiences everywhere."

Rather than wait those few hours until CBS's official upfront presentation, here's a look at their official schedule now.

CBS Primetime Schedule for the 2007-08 Season:

MONDAY
8-8:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9 pm: The Big Bang Theory
9-9:30 pm: Two and a Half Men
9:30-10 pm: Rules of Engagement
10-11 pm: CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: NCIS
9-10 pm: The Unit
10-11 pm: Cane

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: Kid Nation
9-10 pm: Criminal Minds
10-11 pm: CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: Survivor: China
9-10 pm: CSI
10-11 pm: Without a Trace

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Ghost Whisperer
9-10 pm: Moonlight
10-11 pm: NUMB3RS

SATURDAY
8-10 pm: Crimetime Saturday
10-11 pm: 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY
7-8 pm: 60 Minutes
8-9 pm: Viva Laughlin
9-10 pm: Cold Case
10-11 pm: Shark

For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the CBS schedule stacks up.

Returning Series:
How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Unit, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Survivor, CSI, Without a Trace, Ghost Whisperer, NUMB3RS, 48 Hours Mystery, 60 Minutes, Cold Case, Shark

New Series:
The Big Bang Theory, Cane, Kid Nation, Moonlight, Viva Laughlin

New Timeslots for Returning Series:
Without a Trace, Shark

Midseason Launches/Returns:
Swingtown, Old Christine, The Amazing Race

Summer Launch:
Power of 10

Cancelled:
Jericho, The Class, Close to Home, The King of Queens

Reactions:
I'm more than a little miffed at CBS, considering that they took the only two reasons I watch the network and stuck them in midseason. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Old Christine and The Amazing Race didn't rate spots on the fall schedule and will return at a later date. The same goes with one of the two pilots that had genuine merit this season: Swingtown, which will launch in the spring. (As much as I enjoyed watching the pilot, it does feel much more like a Showtime series than a CBS one.) Which leaves only Cane as the sole draw for me this fall. I haven't seen the completed pilot yet (but will in the next week or so) but it's the only thing I'd consider watching this fall on CBS.

In any event, let's turn our attention to the physical lineup. CBS has kept its Monday night comedy lineup more or less intact (sans Old Christine, unfortunately), brought back Rules of Engagement and slotted in new comedy Big Bang Theory in Old Christine's timeslot. We'll see if this new lineup holds water in a few months. Was Rules of Engagement really stronger than any of the other comedy pilots CBS shot this season? Curious.

I'm surprised that CBS would move Shark, one of its few breakout hits of the season, to a new night and time and break up the Sunday night combo of Cold Case and Without a Trace, but maybe CBS is trying to combat the Walker clan of Brothers & Sisters with... James Woods?

Friday seems to be gearing up as a sort of female-friendly supernatural night with Ghost Whisperer at 8 pm, followed by new drama Moonlight (formerly known as Twilight), about a vampire turned private detective (no, not Angel). But I'm not sure how NUMB3RS fits into that lineup.

In the end, I'm still steamed that Kid Nation got a slot but not Amazing Race. Excuse me while I go and shake my head for a while.