My Thoughts: CBS' attempt at sci-fi, Threshold, did not make it very long last season. Now, CBS seems to be trying its hand at a Lost-style psychological drama with Jericho. Jericho airs an hour before ABC's popular show, so it may be able to attract some of the same viewers. I like the show's premise (it reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode or two) and if things don't get too convoluted, it could be pretty good. My only concern is how well it will work with the shows that are following it, both of which are crime dramas. It's entirely possible that viewers will skip Jericho to catch the shows they already enjoy.
Thursday
8-9 p.m.: Survivor
9-10 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10-11 p.m.: Shark
From CBS' Press Release:
SHARK (Thursday, 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) stars multiple Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner James Woods ("Ghosts of Mississippi," "ER") as Sebastian Stark, a charismatic, supremely self-confident defense attorney who, after a shocking outcome in one of his cases and a personal epiphany, brings his cutthroat tactics to the prosecutor's office. As the head of the Los Angeles District Attorney's High Profile Crime Unit, Stark works for Jessica Devlin, (Jeri Ryan, "The O.C."), the ambitious and accomplished D.A. who despises his ruthless strategies.Devlin teams him with a group of young prosecutors who are about to have the learning experience of a lifetime because, though Stark is seeking to redeem himself, he has no intention of cooling his underhanded approach to cases just because he's now working for the "good guys." Sam Page ("American Dreams"), Alexis Cruz ("American Family"), Sarah Carter ("Numb3rs"), Danielle Panabaker ("Mom at Sixteen"), Romy Rosemont ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") and Sophina Brown ("Without a Trace") also star. Academy Award nominee Spike Lee directs. Academy Award winner Brian Grazer ("A Beautiful Mind," "24"), David Nevins ("Arrested Development"), Ian Biederman ("Crossing Jordan") and Ed Redlich ("Without A Trace") are executive producers for Imagine Entertainment, in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television.
My Thoughts: Just like the other networks, Thursday is CBS' marquee night. The network's final new drama airs in the enviable post-CSI spot. Any new show that airs there is going to have to be of high quality and CBS may have a winner in Shark. In a lot of respects, Shark is just another legal show but the key to its potential success is James Woods. I like James Woods as an actor and this show looks like it will fit him perfectly. With Spike Lee, fresh off Inside Man, setting the feel of the show with the pilot, and Brian Grazer producing, Shark could be one of the better new dramas to premiere this fall. It would probably be a severe disappointment if this show doesn't perform well.
Article comments
1 - NancyGail
A couple of things-Smith sounds like The Sopranos and Godfather II. James Woods may have guest starred on ER, but not sure he was part of cast, as this story suggests. Otherwise, nicely done!
2 - msD
What did CBS do with King of Queens? That is my favorite show of all time... & it looks like they've replaced it with The Class!