CBS Opens Wednesday Comedy Block With ‘Mike & Molly’ And ‘2 Broke Girls’, Sets Midseason Premiere Dates

CBS is relaunching a Wednesday 8-9 PM comedy block as a bridge between the fall

and spring cycles of Survivor. Veterans Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls, which aired together as part of CBS’ now-defunct Monday comedy block, will reunite on their new night starting Jan. 6. For 2 Broke Girls, this will be a second new time slot this season. The sitcom, which didn’t make the fall schedule for the first time in its run, recently relocated to Thursday, launching its fifth season in the

9:30 PM time period. It is filling in for new comedy Angel From Hell, originally slated for the Thursday 9:30 PM slot post-football, which was pushed to midseason. Angel From Hell, starring Jane Lynch, will now debut in its designated berth on Jan 7. To help launch the show, the night before, following the time slot debut of 2 Broke Girls and the Season 6 premiere of Mike & Molly, CBS will air the People’s Choice Awards hosted by Lynch.

CBS previously had a Wednesday 8-9 PM block anchored by The New Adventures of Old Christine. It was discontinued in fall 2010 when unscripted veteran Survivor relocated to the hour from its long-time Thursday 8 PM time slot.

With the two-hour Thursday comedy block spoken for for the rest of the season and Monday’s new 8 PM entry Supergirl given a

back order, CBS simply didn’t have many scheduling spots suitable for comedies. Both 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly are proven utility players, something CBS is clearly betting on in opening a new temporary comedy beachhead on Wednesday. 2 Broke Girls has a 22-episode order while Mike & Molly‘s pickup is for 13 episodes. Both shows will have originals left after they leave Wednesday after a month-long run to make room for Survivor‘s 32nd season, set to debut on Feb. 17. They are expected to be used elsewhere on the CBS schedule. One possibility is Monday night, where Supergirl will likely wrap its 20-episode first season before May.

On Thursday, comedy Life In Pieces will air its 22-episode freshman season with very few repeats, wrapping it at the end of March. It will be succeeded by the previous occupant of the post-Big Bang Theory slot, The Odd Couple, which will open its second season on April 7 and will likely run into the summer.

To no surprise, spinoff Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders will launch behind the mothership series, a strategy CBS also used for the veteran drama’s short-lived first spinoff, Suspect Behavior, in spring 2011. Beyond Borders will debut on March 2, succeeding in the Wednesday 10 PM slot new drama Code Black, which has a shorter, 18-episode order.

Reality veteran Undercover Boss will follow its usual air pattern, starting off on Sundays before moving to Fridays to bridge the two installments of The Amazing Race.

Here are CBS’ current midseason schedule with premiere dates:

CBS’s Winter and Spring Schedule

CBS Sunday Dec. 20 (Football Doubleheader)

8:30-9:30 PM, ET/8:00-9:00 PM, PT UNDERCOVER BOSS (7th Season Premiere)

CBS Sunday, Dec. 27

8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT UNDERCOVER BOSS

CBS Sunday, Jan. 3 (Football Doubleheader)

8:30-9:30 PM, ET/8:00-9:00 PM, PT UNDERCOVER BOSS

CBS Wednesday, Jan. 6

8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT 2 BROKE GIRLS (New Time Period)

8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT MIKE & MOLLY (6th Season Premiere)

9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

CBS Thursday, Effective Jan. 7

8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT THE BIG BANG THEORY

8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT LIFE IN PIECES

9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT MOM

9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT ANGEL FROM HELL (Series Premiere)

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT ELEMENTARY

CBS Friday, Effective Jan. 8

8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT UNDERCOVER BOSS (Time Period Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT HAWAII FIVE-0

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT BLUE BLOODS

CBS Wednesday, Effective Jan. 13

8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT 2 BROKE GIRLS

8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT MIKE & MOLLY

9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT CODE BLACK

CBS Friday, Effective Feb. 12

8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT THE AMAZING RACE (28th Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT HAWAII FIVE-0

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT BLUE BLOODS

CBS Wednesday, Feb. 17

8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT SURVIVOR (32nd Season Premiere)

CBS Wednesday, Feb. 24

8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT CODE BLACK (Season Finale)

CBS Wednesday, Effective March 2

8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS (Series Premiere)

CBS Thursday, Effective April 7

8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT THE BIG BANG THEORY

8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT THE ODD COUPLE (2nd Season Premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT MOM

9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT ANGEL FROM HELL

10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT ELEMENTARY

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