The TV Column

CBS knows its winners, keeps majority of lineup

Fan favorite Ted Danson will be taking his D.B Russell character to CSI: Cyber after CSI has its two-hour swan song Sept. 27.
Fan favorite Ted Danson will be taking his D.B Russell character to CSI: Cyber after CSI has its two-hour swan song Sept. 27.

Having previously covered the fall plans of NBC and Fox, The TV Column now turns to CBS.

Tuesday we'll hit ABC and finish up Thursday with The CW. But first, this season's CBS series that got the pink slip.

Cancellations: The Mentalist, Stalker, Battle Creek, Two and a Half Men and The McCarthys were all canceled. Also canned at the last minute was the long-running mothership of the franchise, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

I hear your groans. But let's face it, nothing lasts forever and CSI has been around for 15 years (!) and 335 episodes. That's No. 7 in the history of scripted dramas on television.

(For the record, Gunsmoke's 20 seasons and 635 episodes is No. 1. Law & Order also had 20 seasons, but only 456 episodes.)

CSI has also spawned three spinoffs. CSI: Miami and CSI: NY lasted an impressive 10 and nine seasons respectively, and CSI: Cyber will carry on the tradition with a second season come fall.

Unusual for networks these days, CBS plans to give CSI a proper send-off with a two-hour TV movie on Sept. 27. It will be a ratings bonanza that should delight fans because the star-studded farewell will feature beloved original cast members William Petersen (Gil Grissom) and Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), along with current cast favorites such as Ted Danson.

Peterson was a stalwart the first nine seasons, until Grissom left the crime lab for Costa Rica and a reunion with fiancee Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). Helgenberger's Willows left at the end of Season 12 to join the FBI.

It's even better news for Danson fans. His CSI character of Supervisor D.B. Russell will transfer over to CSI: Cyber, where he'll team up with Oscar winner Patricia Arquette.

Cyber co-star Peter MacNicol will not be back for a second season. Creatively, it was determined that Arquette's character, Avery Ryan, doesn't need a supervisor.

CBS FALL SHOWS

Fairly pleased with its current lineup, the most watched network (for the seventh year in a row) is bringing back 22 series and adding only three dramas and two comedies in the fall.

Here's a look at the new offerings, some of which will begin in November after Thursday night football. Note the number of big names in the casts.

Supergirl: This is an unusual genre for the oldest-skewing network -- an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El, cousin to Superman. The role is played by Glee's Melissa Benoist.

The premise: At age 24, Kara Danvers finally embraces her superhuman abilities to be the hero she was always meant to be. The cast includes Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) as Cat Grant, Kara's tough media mogul boss; Mehcad Brooks (True Blood) as Jimmy Olsen; and Chyler Leigh (Grey's Anatomy) as Alex Danvers, an employee of a secret government organization and Kara's foster sister.

Code Black: This medical drama is set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation, where patient overload produces the dire situation known as Code Black.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden (Pollack) heads the cast, which includes Bonnie Somerville (NYPD Blue) and Benjamin Hollingsworth (Backstrom) as first-year residents.

Limitless: Based on the 2011 Bradley Cooper film, the drama picks up where the movie left off. In the series, Brian Finch (Jake McDorman, Greek) discovers a drug that allows him to access 100 percent of his brain and he is coerced into working with the FBI.

The cast also includes Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Grimm) and Hill Harper (CSI: NY).

Cooper is an executive producer and will have a recurring role as a U.S. senator and presidential hopeful.

Angel From Hell: When brassy Amy enters Allison's organized but imperfect life and claims to be her guardian angel, they form an unlikely friendship, but Allison can't be certain whether Amy is actually an angel or just crazy.

Glee's Jane Lynch stars as Amy. Psych's Maggie Lawson plays Allison. The comedy includes Kevin Pollak (Mom) as Allison's dad.

Life in Pieces: A comedy about one family's highs and lows as told by various family members.

The large ensemble includes Dianne Wiest (Hannah & Her Sisters), James Brolin (Marcus Welby, M.D.), Colin Hanks (Fargo) and Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).

MIDSEASON

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders: This spinoff of Criminal Minds will star Gary Sinise as the chief of the FBI's international division that comes to the rescue of Americans in danger abroad.

Rush Hour: Inspired by the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker films, the TV version stars Justin Hires and Jon Foo as unlikely crimebusters.

Note: Stephen Colbert officially takes over The Late Show beginning Sept. 8.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 05/24/2015

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