Network Q&A: CBS' Nina Tassler on Her Fall Schedule
CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler is proud of CBS's stable, which continues to help make it TV's most-watched network. Next fall will be no different, as CBS debuts just four new shows — the comedy Partners and dramas Elementary, Vegas and Made In Jersey — and just three big shifts (2 Broke Girls to Mondays at 9, Two and a Half Men to Thursdays at 8:30 and The Mentalist to Sundays at 10). Tassler briefly chatted with TV Guide Magazine after revealing her new schedule to reporters on Wednesday.
TV Guide Magazine: The buzz was you were going to attempt four comedies on Thursday. Did you ever consider it, or was that idea rejected early on?
Nina Tassler: The decisions are made relative to the product you have. And Elementary is a great show. Person of Interest was the No. 1 show for last season. We weren't going to move Person of Interest.
TV Guide Magazine: But there was some thought you might move Person of Interest to 10 on the night.
Tassler: But look at how well The Mentalist was doing Thursday at 10. How perfect is it to put Elementary there. If you're going to move Mentalist out, Elementary was perfect. There were a lot of great comedies, but we had to make some strategic moves, and smart moves. Look at Mondays at 8:30, and Partners goes great there.
TV Guide Magazine: Do you think your competitors are putting too much new comedy on next year?
Tassler: A little bit. As opposed to saying, "We've got to get more comedies on regardless of what we have." I haven't seen all the new comedies yet, so I can't speak to that, but it does seem like a lot. But again, we're more measured in our decisions. As for as moving 2 Broke Girls, we think the 2 Broke Girls/Mike and Molly combo is great.
TV Guide Magazine: Did you tell Chuck Lorre early about the big Two and a Half Men move?
Tassler: Chuck was just called. We don't tell anybody about anything. The cone of silence here is real and thorough.
TV Guide Magazine: With the eventual ends of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men in the next few years, how important is it going to be in the next
year or two to get more comedy established on the air?
Tassler: We'll continue to do more comedy, and if shows go on for longer and you can negotiate longer deals, we will. You negotiate with casts, it's what we do.
TV Guide Magazine: Do you think you'll pick up more shows for midseason?
Tassler: Maybe. There may be one or two conversations we have when we get back. I'm just happy because usually, we say, "I don't know, when we get back to L.A." I'm happy we picked up our midseasons, the shows are staffed, they're going into production right away. We want to get more original episodes on the air, fewer repeats. We want to take this momentum, this energy and keep it going.
TV Guide Magazine: What would you say is your most important move this year? Is it 2 Broke Girls to 9 p.m.?
Tassler: Our most aggressive move is 2 Broke Girls, there's no doubt about it. [Executive producer] Michael Patrick King lives, eats, breathes this show. He is so committed. So smart. If he wasn't up for it, we wouldn't have done it. But he is so up for it.
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