Fall TV - PART THREE - CBS

As far as I am concerned, there is only one night to tune into CBS. Saves a lot of that DVR space though. That’s a positive.

CBS has changed as a network from being the channel continually on at the nursing home to the channel you might want to check out every couple of years. Of course, that is my opinion of the network as a whole over the last couple of decades. You have CSI (waiting for CSI: Garden of Eden), Hawaii Five-O, 60 Minutes, How I Met Your Mother and The Good Wife. All outstanding shows in their own rights, most of the popular shows on CBS fail to keep me intrigued. Here is a list of the ones that do, all of which air on Thursdays. No word on the actual premiere dates for CBS at the time of this writing.



The Big Bang Theory – 7pm CST

I tend not to be a fan of sitcoms. There are a few examples of decent ones but overall they tend to be the same old thing over and over. This series has been touted as the smartest sitcom on television. Sure they are poking fun at the occupation of the main characters but they are right. This is smart and funny. This fall will bring the sixth season of the smartest situation comedy since Fraiser.


Person of Interest – 8pm CST

Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, aka Jesus and Benry in my world, star in this paranoia inducing action packed drama. Of course, Caviezel brings the big screen action hero to the small screen as a former CIA operative. While some of the action sequences may be over the top (bazooka in Brooklyn), it makes the show fun for the viewer.

The show centers around Caviezel‘s character, John Reese, and an eccentric billionaire named Finch, played by Emerson. Finch has constructed a computer program that predicts crimes for the government. It is initially built after 9/11 to assist in preventing terrorism but because it can even find the small crimes that happen to ordinary people, it doesn’t interest the CIA or Feds. Finch sees use in this and recruits a somewhat reluctant Reese.

The cliffhanger for season one wasn’t the most suspenseful one in the realm of season finale cliffhangers. However, the vague beauty of it should make for a very interesting start to the series’ second season.


Elementary – 9pm CST

Since you’re already tuned in, you may as well stay for this new offer (and the only one worth checking out in my opinion).

CBS is stepping in with this debut just after the US got Sherlock (BBC) season 2. With the BBC version, there have been ravings about how beautifully shot, written and directed it is. The actors, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, are above comparison. So who can blame CBS for taking on something similar but in the US? Elementary is a contemporary telling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic Sherlock Holmes’ stories. That’s pretty much where the similarities end with the BBC offering.

Starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock, this modern version is the third time CBS has tried a Sherlock Holmes series. In this version, Sherlock is a former consultant for Scotland Yard who moves to New York to check into a rehab facility for his addiction. Here, he meets a sober Joan Watson, played by Lucy Liu, and he decides to stay in the States.

While there is absolutely no way CBS could possibly pull off something as striking as the BBC’s Sherlock, this might just do well. The main cast, including Aidan Quinn, has their own fans that will at least take a look at the episodes to see how the stars fare. I will admit I plan on watching just because I will at least give Miller a shot due to my love for his character in Trainspotting. Others will tune in just to see how much it “will suck” compared to the BBC version. With a little luck, this show might do well.