Joss Whedon

CBS rolls 8 new series; ’Joan,’ ’Amy’ on bubble

By Nellie Andreeva and Cynthia Littleton CBS is planning to infuse more fresh blood into its schedule next season than it had last year. The network will add at least eight new series: three comedies and five dramas.

The dramas picked up for 2005-06 range from CBS’ bread-and-butter crime procedurals ("American Crime," "Quantico") to the supernatural ("Threshold," "Ghost Whisperer") to the military-themed "The Unit," starring Dennis Haysbert.

After years of total domination of the male point of view on CBS’ comedies, the network is going for a more balanced approach next season with its new sitcoms "Everything I Know About Men" and "Flesh & Blood."

Another comedy, the Julia Louis-Dreyfus starrer "Old Christine," is a subject of last-minute negotiations between CBS and producer Warner Bros. TV for a midseason order. As of Monday night, the two sides were still apart on several key terms.

Meanwhile, the midseason drama "Numbers" was poised to return for a second season, with the comedies "Still Standing" and "Yes, Dear" also looking good to come back.

The outlook was much grimmer for sophomore drama "Joan of Arcadia" and veteran "Judging Amy," with at least one of them said to be looking at cancellation. CBS is slated to present its fall schedule Wednesday at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Surprisingly, the Walt Disney Co.’s network TV unit Touchstone TV emerged as a major supplier of CBS this year with three new series: "Everything I Know About Men," "Quantico" and "Ghost Whisperer." Only CBS sister Paramount Network TV received more orders — four — two of them for co-productions with Touchstone. Touchstone’s three shows mark the first time the studio’s scripted series have been picked up by CBS since the network greenlighted "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in 2000, only to see Touchstone drop out as the lead studio even before the show debuted.

"Quantico" from Touchstone TV and Paramount Network TV, follows the FBI’s Behavioral Unit as it tracks dangerous criminals.

"American Crime," from Warner Bros. TV and the crime procedural genre’s grandmaster, Jerry Bruckheimer TV, stars Jennifer Finnigan as a female prosecutor juggling suburban crime and life as a new mom.

On the heels the departure of its veteran military drama "JAG," CBS is putting on the air another military-themed series, "The Unit," which is said to be headed for midseason. The show, from 20th Century Fox TV, Shawn Ryan and David Mamet, revolves around the personal and professional lives of members of an elite military anti-terrorism unit. In addition to Haysbert, the ensemble cast includes Scott Foley, Robert Patrick and Regina Taylor.

Following the success of "Lost," almost every network is adding a new drama about mysterious creatures next season. CBS’ is the Paramount TV-produced "Threshold," about a team of scientists and military personnel communicating with an alien life-form.

And CBS’ answer to NBC’s successful midseason drama "Medium" is "Ghost Whisperer," a Jennifer Love Hewitt-starring vehicle based on the work of James Van Praagh about a newlywed communicating with dead people who have not quite crossed over to the other side.

The 20th TV-produced comedy "How I Met Your Mother" is an ensemble from the point of view of a family man looking back on his single life.

"Flesh & Blood," from sitcom veterans Joe Keenan and Christopher Lloyd, stars Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler as the recently divorced patriarchs of a family of single doctors.

And "Everything I Know About Men," the Touchstone TV/Paramount TV sitcom, which is expected to go midseason, stars Jenna Elfman as a single woman juggling the men in her life.