CBS spices up schedule with vampires, 70s swingers

Reuters ^ | May 16, 2007 | Paul Thomasch and Steve Gorman

[Zakeet]

CBS is banking on vampires, suburban '70s swingers and a glitzy musical-thriller to spice up its television lineup next season, a departure from its popular, long-running crime dramas.

CBS, set to finish the current season as the most-watched network overall for a fifth year, unveiled a 2007-08 broadcast schedule on Wednesday with four new dramas and one comedy. Several new shows are notably different from its crime mysteries like "CSI" that have long been a prime-time staple.

"Those of you who accuse CBS of being too conservative will feel differently when you see the shows we've lined up," CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told reporters ahead of the network's presentation to advertisers and affiliates.

Among the most off-beat new series CBS plans for the fall is "Viva Laughlin," which is billed as part musical, part thriller and based on the British hit "Viva Blackpool." Produced by film star Hugh Jackman, who will also make guest appearances, "Viva Laughlin" centers on a young man trying to open a casino in the desert town of Laughlin, Nevada.

[Snip]

Beyond its four new fall dramas, CBS also took the wraps off of one fresh comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," which features a couple of nerdy scientists who become entangled with a beautiful new neighbor.

The network also rolled out two new reality shows, one called "Kid Nation," where 40 children, ages 8 to 15, spend 40 days in one town setting their own rules with no parents supervising them.

The second new reality series called the "Power of 10" asks contestants to predict results of survey questions.

[stylin19a]

70s swingers...all I had in my mind was Jessica Tandy & Hume Cronyn

then I saw the '

whew !

[andy58-in-nh]

CBS = Dead Network Walking.

[Pinkbell]

"As part of that effort, CBS unveiled "Moonlight," the story of a private investigator who is also a vampire in love with a mortal woman, and "Swingtown," a drama set among the open marriages and sex-fueled parties of 1970s suburbia, which will debut mid-season."

The first one sounds like a peculiar show, and the second one sounds somewhat like a liberal utopia.

The fourth and final new drama slated by CBS is "Cane," starring Jimmy Smits, formerly of "NYPD Blue," "L.A. Law" and "The West Wing," as the head of a powerful Cuban-American family in South Florida.

This sounds like ait may be a mafia crime type drama.

The one titled Kid Nation definitely sounds like something I would watch out of curiousity. However, any parent willing to put their child in such a situation at 8 years old really should be looked at by family services. If I had a kid, my kid would never go on a show like that.

[USMCWife6869]

"As part of that effort, CBS unveiled "Moonlight," the story of a private investigator who is also a vampire in love with a mortal woman, and "Swingtown," a drama set among the open marriages and sex-fueled parties of 1970s suburbia, which will debut mid-season."

The first one sounds like a peculiar show, and the second one sounds somewhat like a liberal utopia. "

The first one sounds like an "Angel" ripoff. No one can do brooding vampire like David Boreanaz. HOT!!!! I'll check it out, though. I'm a huge Buffy/Angel fan, although I doubt CBS can come anywhere near the clever writing that those shows had.

[lowbridge]

70s swingers