The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, September 9, 2011 2 coverstory A harvest of talent CBS serves up comedy and drama this fall By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s TV fans prepare for a delectable fall season, CBS offers viewers a mixed bag of newbies and fa- miliar faces looking for a slice of the prime-time ratings pie. The network has decided to go with five solid new con- tenders to add to its already strong prime-time lineup. In addition to returning rat- ings winners such as "Two and a Half Men" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," three new dramas and two new comedies have been added to the menu, and CBS executives understand the importance of teaming those fresh series with more sea- soned fare. Throughout the fall, premieres of new series are paired up with popular es- tablished series to take ad- vantage of strong leads. "Our playbook is pretty consistent: wherever and whenever possible we use es- tablished successful series to introduce new shows," said Kelly Kahl for CBS Prime Time. "We've also asked a couple of our strongest series to work overtime during premiere week in order to support the new series and bolster our performance." It's a smart strategy for the top-rated network, and one that has benefited numerous series in the past. But, to be successful, a series will have to stand on its own to stay in the game. By offering a com- bination of styles, CBS ap- peals to many tastes. While the prime-time ban- quet starts with a reality TV mash-up that includes the season premiere of "Survi- vor" and the season finale of "Big Brother" on Sept. 14, the real fun begins the following Monday. The new comedy "2 Broke Girls" joins "How I Met Your Mother" and the much- anticipated "Two and a Half Men" on Monday, Sept. 19. The big news is, of course, that Ashton Kutcher has stepped in for former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen after Sheen's high-pro- file conflict with producer Chuck Lorre last winter. However, the fresh "2 Broke Girls" hopes to make its mark with a story about two young waitresses who hope to launch a successful cupcake business. While working at a greasy spoon, Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs) try to raise enough start-up money to become their own bosses. Slated to premiere Tuesday, Sept. 20, along with "NCIS" and "NCIS: Los Angeles," the new drama "Unforgettable" follows an NYPD detective who is both blessed and cursed with a perfect memory. Poppy Montgomery takes the Mark Harmon returns for the ninth season of "NCIS" lead as Carrie Wells, who's re- united with former colleague Al Burns (Dylan Walsh) during a murder investigation. Wells suffers from a rare condition that enables her to remember every moment of her life, ex- cept, mysteriously, for the day her sister was murdered years ago. The week's Wednesday night lineup doesn't feature any new prime-time cuisine, but with the 12th season pre- miere of "CSI: Crime Scene In- vestigation," there'll be plen- ty to entice viewers. Many de- vout "CSI" fans might claim the series is as good as ever, and the icing on the cake this season is the addition of a TV icon to the cast. Ted Danson brings his talents to the team as the new CSI supervisor D.B. Russell. He comes to the graveyard shift in the wake of last season's take down of se- rial killer Nate Haskell. After "The Big Bang Theo- ry" lightens things up with its fifth season premiere, the dra- ma continues with CBS's new "Person of Interest" on Thurs- A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 day, Sept. 22. The drama stars Jim Caviezel, who's perhaps best known for his role as Je- sus Christ in the 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ." In his new role, Caviezel por- trays a presumed-dead CIA agent who teams up with a brilliant and mysterious bil- lionaire to deliver vigilante justice. Working outside the law, the two men use cutting- edge technology to find indi- viduals involved in violent crimes. The final new CBS drama kicks off the network's Friday evening prime time. "A Gifted Man" stars Patrick Wilson as Michael Holt, a charismatic surgeon who finds his world turned upside down when his ex-wife appears to him from beyond the grave. When she asks him to help those at the free clinic where he once worked, the materialistic doc- tor begins to learn about the true meaning of life. "How to be a Gentleman" will be fashionably late to the party, premiering one week later than the others on Thurs- day, Sept. 29. Based on a book of the same name, the comedy makes use of a solid cast. Texan David Hornsby stars as refined etiquette col- umnist Andrew Carlson, who is told he must adapt to the times or risk being fired. He then enlists the help of an old high school buddy, personal trainer Bert Lansing (Kevin Dillon), to teach him to be less "gentle man" and more "real man." Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What happed to Robb Demarest, who was the main person on "Ghost Hunters International" for the past few years? A: As is perhaps fitting for a show of this nature, the na- ture of Robb Demarest's departure from the series he helped launch is cloaked in mystery. Demarest led the team on its final excursion in the Season 2 finale, titled "Pirates of the Caribbean," which aired last August. When the third season premiered, Robb's old team- mate Barry Fitzgerald had been promoted to the role of lead investigator. There was never an official announcement about Demar- est's departure, even from Demarest himself, apart from a few vague comments in the social media about not liking the direction the show was taking. He's since kept an even lower profile than before -- he was never one for granting inter- views, despite "Ghost Hunters International's" popularity. He does seem to be somehow affiliated with the web-TV and -radio site LiveParanormal.com, but even that's a pretty mysterious setup. His personal website, RobbDemarest. com, now automatically redirects you to LiveParanormal. com, though his name isn't mentioned anywhere on that site except in passing by a few fans. Even his Facebook page has been pulled down. A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town.