Tune In or Tune Out: Mom (CBS)

Mom (CBS)

Created by: Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory), Eddie Gorodetsky (Two and a Half Men), Gemma Baker (Two and a Half Men)

Starring Anna Faris, Allison Janney, and French Stewart

Chuck Lorre is a machine for CBS, the main now has four sitcoms on the eye network, Two and Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly, and now Mom.  The man turns out ratings power houses for this network although Mike and Molly is not the strongest of his series, but both Two and Half Men and The Big Bang Theory have been the highest rated sitcoms for for the last 11 years, which is an incredible feat.  The problem is that Big Bang is the only clever show within the cannon of his sitcoms, does Mom act more like Big Bang or the lack luster Mike and Molly?

Mom centers around three generation of women who all became young mothers in their teenage years.  Anna Faris plays Christy a waitress who had potential but followed in her mothers foot steps getting pregnant young, an alcoholic, and dating married men.  Allison Janney plays Christy's mom Bonnie, and the two have not been in each other's life for many years but come face to face in a Alcoholic's Anonymous.  The show also centers on the new pregnancy of Christy's teen daughter.

The good thing on the side of this show is the talent of both Faris and Janney, they are both incredibly funny women.  The material is dark for a traditional sitcom, and this may have done better in a non traditional format, but when these two interact there is some magic.  I would argue that the show tries too hard to fit within the sitcom world, and that it should loosen up a little to fit the material, and then the show will become more natural.  With Janney and and Faris the show has potential to be something more than just the by the book sitcom.  As a pilot, this was middle of the road, but with the talent on screen this show has potential.

One of the things on this shows side is that Emmy voters still prefer this type of performance, a person has won an acting trophy from a Chuck Lorre sitcom for the last five years including three for Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), two for Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), and one for Melissa McCarthy (Mike and Molly).  I see this show lasting because of the talent of both Faris, and Janney, they are both great.

Tune In-: Giving this show a chance, but mostly for Janney and Faris

CBS Fall 2013 Keeps Things the Same with some New Blood Infused

CBS announces their Fall 2013 with a yawn, no major shake-ups, although the line-up is already pretty solid.  Their comedies are staying in the same place, and the only shows  which are switching spots are Hawaii Five-O, which is moving to Friday at 9 (a sign of a lack of faith), and Person of Interest is moving from Thursday at 9 to Tuesday at 10 (which will help it).  The other major news is that Mike & Molly (starring Melissa McCarthy) is being held until mid-season to let another Chuck Lorre series launch.  Lorre does good business for the eye network, and Mom (which is is that spot) should be another successful show for the network.

CBS is showing great faith in its new comedies expanding Thursday nights comedy line-up to two full hours, which will be in direct competition with NBCs no longer named Must See TV.  Putting The Millers, and  The Crazy Ones in between Two and a Half Men is a brilliant move.  CBS is using their highest rated comedies to help launch two of their more promising comedy series.  Listed below is the schedule and a description of the new shows.

MONDAY
8/7c How I Met Your Mother
8:30 pm WE ARE MEN
9 pm Two Broke Girls
9:30 pm MOM
10 pm HOSTAGES/INTELLIGENCE

TUESDAY
8 pm NCIS
9  pm NCIS: LA
10 pm Person of Interest

WEDNESDAY

8 pm Survivor
9 pm Criminal Minds
10 pm CSI: Crimie Scene Investigation

THURSDAY
8 pm The Big Bang Theory
8:30 pm THE MILLERS
9 pm THE CRAZY ONES
9:30 pm Two and a Half Men
10 pm Elementary 

FRIDAY
8 pm Undercover Boss
9 pm Hawaii Five-0
10 pm Blue Bloods

SATURDAY
8 pm N/A

SUNDAY

7 60 Minutes
8 pm  
The Amazing Race
9 pm The Good Wife
10 pm The Mentalist

Crazy Ones (Comedy)

EP | David E. Kelley (Harry’s Law, Ally McBeal)
DIRECTOR | Jason Winer (Modern Family)
CAST | Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy), James Wolk (Political Animals), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ringer), Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine), Amanda Setton (Mindy Project)
A father/daughter workplace comedy set in the world of advertising.

The Millers (Comedy)
EP | Greg Garcia (Raising Hope)
DIRECTOR | James Burrows
CAST | Will Arnett (Up All Night), Margo Martindale (The Americans), Beau Bridges (My Name Is Earl), JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Michael Rapaport (The Mob Doctor)
The multi-cam project revolves around a recently divorced man living with his parents.

Mom (Comedy)
EPs | Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker (Two and a Half Men)
DIRECTOR | Pam Fryman (How I Met Your Mother)
CAST | Anna Faris (The House Bunny), Allison Janney (The West Wing), Nate Corddry (Harry’s Law), Matt Jones (Breaking Bad), French Stewart (3rd Rock From the Sun), Spencer Daniels (The Office), Sadie Calvano (J. Edgar), Blake Garrett Rosenthal
A newly sober single mom tries to pull her life together in Napa Valley in the multi-cam sitcom.

We Are Men (Comedy)
EP | Rob Greenberg (How I Met Your Mother)
CAST | Jerry O’Connell (The Defenders), Kal Penn (House), Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Chris Smith (Paranormal Activity 3)
A ditched groom moves into a short-term housing complex and makes friends with some older, divorced dudes in the single-cam sitcom.

Hostages (Drama)
EPs | Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI), Rick Eid (CSI, Dark Blue)
CAST | Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story), Toni Collette (United States of Tara), Tate Donovan (Deception), Sandrine Holt (House of Cards), Rhys Coiro (Entourage), Billy Brown (The Following), James Naughton (Gossip Girl), Mateus Ward, Quinn Shephard
Based upon the Israeli format, the project centers on a family caught in the middle of a grand political conspiracy and a righteous FBI agent at the center of said conspiracy whose role will come as a surprise.

Intelligence (Drama)
EPs | Michael Seitzman, David Semel (No Ordinary Family), Tripp Vinson, Rene Echevarria (Terra Nova)
DIRECTOR | David Semel (No Ordinary Family)
CAST | Josh Holloway (Lost), Marg Helgenberger (CSI), Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time), Michael Rady (Emily Owens, M.D.), James Martinez (Breaking Bad), John Billingsley (True Blood)
Centered at US Cyber Command, and focuses on a unit that has been created around one agent with a very special gift, a microchip that has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

CBS Fall Schedule 2012-2013

CBS held pretty steady and had a few tweaks, but they also created a monster, a monster block.  CBS moved Two and a Half Men to Thursday after The Big Bang Theory.  Watch out Thursday night at 8 pm CBS is unstoppable!  2 Broke Girls received the coveted 9 pm slot on Monday.  The Mentalist was moved to Sunday at 10 pm, showing a weakening support for this show, which may be on its way out in a year.  CSI is now on Wednesday nights at 10 pm.  In announcing its Fall schedule CBS has cancelled the comedy Rob, while unlike any other network they left one show still on the bubble, Rules of Engagement (I do not know anyone who watches this show.)

CBS has added four new series to the mix of their weekly line-up, and here they are:

Partners which comes from the brilliant minds of Max Mutchnik and David Kohan, the creators of Will & Grace.  Partners centers on two best friends who own an architecture firm, of them gay the other straight although their friend seems more like a marriage. Starring Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), David Krumholtz (Numbers), Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) Brandon Routh (Superman Returns).


Vegas is set in the 1960s and centers around the ling time rodeo cowboy and noted sheriff of La Vegas Ralph Lamb. Starring Dennis Quaid (The Rookie), Michael Chiklis (The Shield), Carrie Ann Moss (Chuck).


Elementary, should have been replaced with the BBC television series Sherlock, but this show is a modern take on Sherlock Holmes set in NYC, with a female Watson. Starring Johnny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) Lucy Lui (Ally McBeal), Aidan Quinn (Prime Suspect).


Made in Jersey is a David vs. Goliath law show about a woman who uses her street smarts to take on a big time Manhattan law firm.  Starring Janet Montgomery (Entourage), Kyle McLachlan (Twin Peaks).


Here is the weekly schedule:

Monday

8 pm How I Met Your Mother
8:30 pm Partners (new show)
9 pm 2 Broke Girls
9:30 pm Mike and Molly
10 pm Hawaii Five-O

Tuesday
8 pm NCIS
9 pm NCIS: LA
10 PM Vegas (new show)

Wednesday
8 pm Survivor
9 pm Criminal Minds
10 pm CSI

Thursday
8 pm The Big Bang Theory
8 :30 pm Two and a Half Men
9 pm Person of Interest
10 pm Elementary

Friday
8 pm CSI: NY
9 pm Made in Jersey
10 pm Blue Bloods

Saturday
Crimetime Saturday

Sunday
7 pm 60 Minutes
8 pm The Amazing Race
9 pm The Good Wife
10 pm The Mentalist

At the middle of the year CBS will bring two reality shows, the returning Undercover Boss, and the brand new show The Job from Mark Burnett.  They also have one comedy and one drama.  The comedy is entitled Friend Me, and the Drama, Golden Boy (starring Kevin Alejandro, and he better not die in this show too!!