Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2016
CBS is ramping up its plans for digital channel CBS All Access, confirming a rumored spinoff of The Good Wife from Michelle and Robert King and the debut of Star Trek in January. Leslie Moonves, CBS chairman/president/CEO, teased a Star Trek clip at the CBS upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall; the clip did not include cast or action, to the disappointment of some Trekkies in the room, but did showcase the new logo.
The Good Wife spinoff comes in spring 2017 and will star Christine Baranski.
“Starting with these two, you can see we’ve created a wide range for CBS All Access,” said Moonves.
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Late night host James Corden got things going, like his late-night counterpart at NBC Jimmy Fallon, with a Hamilton spoof playing up the network’s attributes. Moonves called Corden a “late night and internet sensation.”
CBS’ other late-night star, Stephen Colbert, made his upfront debut around 50 minutes later.
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CBS is leaning on a couple proven comedy stars, Kevin James and Matt LeBlanc, to help the network spawn new comedic hits. They star in Kevin Can Wait and Man With a Plan, respectively.
“Les Moonves gave me a job in a multicam comedy in 1994, and we had a pretty good run,” said LeBlanc of his time on Friends.
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The Big Bang Theory will lead into Kevin Can Wait before CBS’ Thursday Night Football campaign kicks in, and into Joel McHale’s The Great Indoors after.
On the drama side, Pure Genius depicts a hospital with a unique way of treating the sick, and MacGyver shows the famed special agent’s son showing off the family skills. Bull stars Michael Weatherly, who recently departed NCIS; the show will be nestled between NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans.
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Mid-season shows include the Training Day reimagining, this time with an African-American rookie cop wary of a veteran officer with little regard for the rules of police work, and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
Glenn Geller appeared poised in his first upfront presentation as entertainment president. “Even with the new shows, we have the most stable and successful schedule on TV,” he said.
