A rundown of what is/isn’t/might be popping up on the 2009-10 primetime schedule at CBS during this week’s Upfront presentation …
CBS (Upfront presentation: Wednesday, May 20)
Returning series: The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Survivor, Two and a Half Men
On the bubble series: Cold Case, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Flashpoint, How I Met Your Mother, The Mentalist, NCIS, New Adventures of Old Christine, Numb3rs, The Rules of Engagement, The Unit, Without a Trace, Worst Week
New series:
– Accidentally on Purpose (Comedy)
Plot: A San Francisco movie critic gets preggers after a fling with a younger dude
It stars: Jenna Elfman, Grant Show
It’s like: Cougar Town: San Francisco
– The Good Wife (Drama)
Plot: A politician’s wife forges her own career as an attorney
It stars: Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth, Matt Czuchry, Josh Charles
It’s like: The Hillary Clinton Story
– Miami Trauma (Drama)
Plot: Trauma surgeons at a Miami hospital
It stars: Jeremy Northam
It’s like: ER, Grey’s …
– NCIS spin-off (Drama)
Plot: Los Angeles-set NCIS
It stars: LL Cool J, Chris O’Donnell
It’s like: NCIS. With LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell. In Los Angeles
– Three Rivers (Drama)
Plot: Medical drama about organ transplants, as told from the donors’ and recipients’ perspective
It stars: Alex O’Loughlin, Julia Ormond
It’s like: Grey’s Anatomy-meets-Extreme Makeover
– Undercover Boss (Reality)
Plot: An exec goes undercover as an entry-level employee at his own company
It’s like: Candid Camera-meets-The Apprentice
Other potential new series:
– Back (Drama)
Plot: A married man who disappeared after the 9/11 attacks shows up eight years later and finds out life has gone on without him
It stars: Skeet Ulrich, D.B. Woodside, Sherry Stringfield, John C. McGinley
It’s like: The plot of at least two of my favorite Lifetime movies
– Happiness Isn’t Everything (Comedy)
Plot: About the Hamburger family members, who are all up in each other’s Kool-Aid
It stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Biggs
It’s like: Arrested Development? Again, that’s wishful thinking
– House Rules (Drama)
Plot: The freshman class of elected officials in D.C.
It stars: Anna Chulmsky, Eion Bailey
It’s like: The mercifully short-lived D.C. from The WB in 2000
– U.S. Attorney (drama)
Plot: Following federal prosecutors in the attorney general’s office in NYC
It stars: Melissa George, Rachel Nichols
It’s like: One of the more boring concepts I can imagine
– Waiting to Die (Comedy)
Plot: A couple of friends revel in what others consider to be their lame lives
It stars: T.J. Miller
It’s like: A cousin of My Name Is Earl?
Charlie Sheen, Russell Brand and Louis C.K. are getting most of the attention, but I’m most excited that one of the best new shows of last TV season — Wilfred — returns for its second season on FX tonight (10PM ET). Season one of the series ended with a cliffhanger — had Ryan (Elijah Wood) […]