CBS Shifts Summer Schedule

CBS is making some summer moves in anticipation of fall lineups, including delivering a double dose of the FCC-targeted Without a Trace.

CBS will move Big Brother All-Stars from Saturday night to Sunday night at 8-9 beginning July 16.

The thinking is to give the show more visibility on a night with higher viewership levels as well as to get viewers used to a reality show in that slot, since Amazing Race will air Sunday at 8-9 in the fall.

Cold Case had aired in the time period, but CBS will move it to its new fall time period of 9-10 on Sunday, July 16. Without a Trace will also get a Sunday 10-11 airing starting on that date. That's its new time period in the fall. But it will also continue to air Thursday night at 10-11 through the rest of the summer.

NCIS and The Unit will move to Friday nights at 8-10 beginning July 7 to make room for Big Brother and Rock Star: Supernova, whose premiere has been expanded to 90 minutes (followed by a 90-minute CSI: Miami). They bump Ghost Whisperer and Close To Home, which will get airings in CBS's Saturday night drama repurposing block at 8-10.

Sitcom How I Met Your Mother gets an additional Monday airing at 9:30 beginning July 10.  It already airs at 8:30 on Monday.

The show bumps The New Adventures Of Old Christine, which will be gone for four weeks before returning Aug. 7. The move is to give Mother more exposure coming out of Two and a Half Men, currently television's top-rate comedy.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.