CBS Slots 'Rush Hour' On Thursday, Moves 'Elementary' To Sunday
CBS is tweaking its Thursday and Sunday lineups. The network will premiere new drama Rush Hour at 10 PM Thursday, March 31. The series based on the hit movie franchise will replace Elementary, which in turn will relocate to Sundays beginning March 20, pushing out CSI: Cyber from the 10 PM slot. Sophomore CSI: Cyber will get two airings in the Wednesday 10 PM hour before it is taken off the schedule. (It is unclear when its remaining originals will air). The CSI: Cyber Wednesday showings will push the premiere of new Wednesday 10 PM entry Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders by two weeks, to March 16.
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CBS brass had been looking for a reasonably trafficked hourlong slot for Rush Hour, which don’t come by easy on the network’s schedule. The thinking behind the decision to go with Thursday is that Rush Hour is very comedic (its considered an hourlong action comedy), so it should be compatible with CBS’ two-hour comedy block on the night.
Meanwhile, Elementary attracts the kind of upscale CBS audiences that watch its Sunday lineup. Plus, Elementary is one of CBS’ most DVR-ed series, so a time slot is not that crucial to the show’s performance. Still, if history is any indication, any established CBS drama series sent to the Sunday 10 PM time end their runs there, most recently CSI: Miami and The Mentalist. Elementary is owned by CBS, it is still relatively young and makes money for the company, so it is likely not destined for a quick death.
If this is what awaits CSI: Cyber will likely depend on its performance in its two Wednesday outings. The series suffered from inconsistent start times in the fall when it was often pushed to 10:30 PM by football. So CBS executives want to see if the show can improve on its poor ratings performance by a temporary upgrade to a better time slot before they make a renewal decision. The Wednesday 10 PM slot has a long CSI history as both CSI: NY and CSI aired there.
Here are CBS’ scheduling moves:
Wednesday, March 2
8-9 PM, ET/PT SURVIVOR
9-10 PM, ET/PT CRIMINAL MINDS
10-11 PM, ET/PT CSI: CYBER (Special Airing)
Wednesday, March 9
8-9 PM ET/PT Survivor
9-10 PM, ET/PT Criminal Minds
10-11 PM, ET/PT CSI: Cyber (Special Airing)
Wednesday, March 16
8-9 PM, ET/PT Survivor
9-10 PM, ET/PT Criminal Minds
10-11 PM, ET/PT Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (Updated Premiere Date)
Sunday, March 20
8-9 PM, ET/PT Madam Secretary
9-10 PM, ET/PT The Good Wife
10-11 PM, ET/PT Elementary (New Time Period)
Thursday, March 31
8-8:30 PM, ET/PT The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9 PM, ET/PT Life In Pieces
9-9:30 PM, ET/PT Mom
9:30-10 PM, ET/PT Angel From Hell
10-11 PM, ET/PT Rush Hour (Series Premiere)
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