CBS, the hand-crocheted throw pillow of television networks, has unveiled its fall lineup, and it’s as safe and soothing as a cup of sleepytime tea in a heatproof sippy cup. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the success of The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls, the network is doubling down on its comedy schedule, with three new sitcoms about manly men and the nagging wives, obnoxious children, and narcissistic millennials who love them. To wit: Kevin James’ new sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which is pretty much like his old sitcom The King Of Queens, only this time he’s a retired cop instead of a currently employed delivery driver. (See also Man With A Plan, starring Matt LeBlanc as a Mr. Mom, and The Great Indoors, starring Joel McHale as an outdoorsman who has trouble relating to his younger colleagues at the digital arm of the magazine where he works.)
On the drama side, CBS is playing it safe as well. The network may have sent its long-running CSI franchise to the great crime lab in the sky (a.k.a. syndication), but there are three NCISes still on the air, with the ever-popular true-crime and procedural shows dominating the rest. New drama series coming this fall include Bull, a (surprise!) procedural about a ”brilliant, brash and charming” trial consultant, that MacGyver remake starring X-Men’s Lucas Till, and Pure Genius, about a genius Silicon Valley entrepreneur and a, um, genius-er young surgeon who join forces to launch a high-tech hospital. Held for midseason are Doubt, a legal drama starring Katherine Heigl and Laverne Cox that was ordered to series last week, and Training Day, a thriller series based on the 2001 Antoine Fuqua movie.
CBS’s complete fall schedule follows. All times Eastern; new shows are in bold.
Mondays
8 p.m.: The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m.: Kevin Can Wait
8 p.m.: Kevin Can Wait (starting in October)
8:30 p.m.: Man With A Plan (starting in October)
9 p.m.: 2 Broke Girls
9:30 pm.: The Odd Couple
10 p.m.: Scorpion
Tuesdays
8 p.m.: NCIS
9 p.m.: Bull
10 p.m.: NCIS: New Orleans
Wednesdays
8 p.m.: Survivor
9 p.m.: Criminal Minds
10 p.m.: Code Black
Thursdays
8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT: NFL Thursday Night Football (Starting Sept. 15)
8 p.m.: The Big Bang Theory (Starting Oct. 27)
8:30 pm.: The Great Indoors (Starting Oct. 27)
9 pm.: Mom (Starting Oct. 27)
9:3o p.m.: Life In Pieces (Starting Oct. 27)
10 pm.: Pure Genius (Starting Oct. 27)
Fridays
8 p.m.: MacGyver
9 p.m.: Hawaii Five-0
10 p.m.: Blue Bloods
Saturdays
8 p.m.: Crimetime Saturday
9 p.m.: Crimetime Saturday
10 p.m.: 48 Hours
Sundays
7 p.m.: 60 Minutes
8 p.m.: NCIS: Los Angeles
9 p.m.: Madam Secretary
10 p.m.: Elementary