While some of the big networks have struggled to find viewers throughout the fall season, CBS has been able to brag about their numerous successes.
NCIS is hitting all-time ratings highs,
The Mentalist is one of the most popular new shows of the year, and of course the network still has heavy hitters like
Survivor,
The Amazing Race and the
CSI franchise. While NBC and ABC are canceling shows left and right, CBS is enjoying a string of good luck.
Will that good luck continue in 2009? CBS recently announced their mid-season programming plans, which includes new seasons of
Survivor,
Flashpoint and
The Amazing Race, and the long-awaited premieres of two new shows.
The network's mid-season schedule kicks off on Saturday, January 3 at 8pm with
Game Show in My Head, which is a new hidden camera series from Ashton Kutcher. Former
Fear Factor host Joe Rogan asks ordinary people to perform five outrageous, embarrassing tasks for a chance to win up to $50,000. It truly sounds like television at its finest, which must be why it's buried on Saturday nights.
On Friday, January 9 at 9pm,
Flashpoint returns for its second season. The action-packed drama follows the lives of a group of cops in the Strategic Response Unit, and stars Enrico Colantoni and Hugh Dillon.
Two of CBS's most popular reality shows,
Survivor and
The Amazing Race, will kick off new seasons in February.
Survivor returns on Thursday, February 12 at 8pm, while
The Amazing Race will launch its 14th edition on Sunday, February 15 at 8pm.
One of the most interesting shows premiering mid-season is
Harper's Island, a 13-episode mystery event that begins Thursday, April 9 at 10pm. The Agatha Christie-inspired series revolves around a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island to attend a wedding, only to be killed off one by one by a demented murderer. The cast includes
Jim Beaver (
Supernatural) and
Christopher Gorham (
Ugly Betty).
Will this crop of new shows and returning favorites help CBS continue their reign as the number one network? We'll have to wait and see.
Which show are you most excited about?
- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)