Shilo: I’ll probably check out Doubt, which will be the first broadcast series featuring a trans series regular played by a trans actress. That’s something major for any network to achieve, so CBS being the one responsible for this type of milestone makes me curious how they’ll handle the responsibility of breaking the barrier and how the character (played by Orange Is the New Black‘s Laverne Cox) will be portrayed going forward. Plus it has Dreama Walker who should be in literally everything at all times, so it’s on my list, even though I have to wonder how much DNA it shares with lead-in Criminal Minds and how compatible the two will actually be.
Craig: To be honest, I probably won’t be watching much of it, though I will at least sample the new shows. I’m also curious to see how Superior Donuts turns out.
WHAT CBS NEEDS GOING FORWARD
Shilo: Aside from more shows with minority leads, which the CBS development has seemingly addressed thus far, I’d like to see CBS explore action-y procedurals like MacGyver and Scorpion. They’re a syndicatable, durable way to appeal to younger viewers without pandering or turning the network’s back on what has proven to work in the recent past. And they’re a format that not every network is doing (or is able to do), so there’s a pretty wide berth for CBS to explore, should they want to freshen up their drama brand.
Craig: Judging from last year’s TCA Executive Session, I’d say they need more diversity, but then you see that most of their generic white-guy shows they launched actually did fairly well. I do think CBS needs to be careful with the post Big Bang Theory slot, not to just place mediocre series like the 8:30 and 9:30 slots of NBC’s Must See TV of yore. But in all seriousness, I do think they need another brand; another NCIS or CSI that could syndicate well and will get tens of millions of viewers. CBS is really good at being CBS, so they should keep on keeping on and leave the Pure Geniuses of the world in the vault.
WHAT CBS DOESN’T NEED GOING FORWARD
Shilo: Complacency. I think CBS can sometimes rest of the windfall of syndication money that comes their way from their particular brand of procedurals and their schedules can be a bit lethargic as a result. Granted, this is a totally valid (and lucrative) way of doing business in 2017, and I don’t think they should suddenly do away with the way things are done, but it can sometimes feel like their current schedule is an afterthought, both in terms of how they treat fairly young shows and how long they can hang on to shows that don’t have much of a ratings argument for renewal. If they can find more of a middle ground between programming for syndication and being a slave to live ratings, that could make a positive difference.
Craig: I said it up above: More Pure Geniuses. In this era of “Peak TV,” I understand the need to have a brand and a show that stands out, too. Make it fun, make it uncomplicated, and people will watch. MacGyver has done okay for all of those reasons: It does exactly what it says it will do on the “box.” And that’s cool.
