Crime really does pay in new lineup

Thanks to the “CSI” franchise and a variety of other shows in which pretty people get… Thanks to the “CSI” franchise and a variety of other shows in which pretty people get attacked, kidnapped, raped or just plain murdered, CBS has managed to rise to the top of the ratings. With so many hit shows, the network can afford to take chances with riskier series. But CBS seems to be sticking to its crime formula while also taking a stab at NBC.

Three of the four new shows debuting in the fall – yes, the schedule is so strong that only three and half hours are open – bear a striking resemblance to shows that NBC debuted and canceled in the spring. While this may just be a coincidence, it’s more fun to think of it as CBS teasing NBC.

“The Class” – or “Teachers” minus the teachers and plus a class – airs Monday nights at 8 and focuses on a guy who decides to throw a third-grade class reunion because he just discovered that he and his current girlfriend were in the same third-grade class.

The premise brings a lot of questions to mind: Why would she want to see people she hasn’t seen or spoken to since she was 7? Why would he think she would like this? Why hasn’t he seen them since third grade? Why would people come to this; wouldn’t they think it sounds like the plot of a poorly constructed horror movie?

If audiences can put the questions about the absurd plot aside, this show may develop into a hit by being a good companion piece for the similarly themed “How I Met Your Mother.” Plus the time period isn’t very competitive, and CBS dominates Monday nights as is.

“Smith” – or “Heist” without the humor plus a good cast – airs Tuesday nights at 10. This rehashing of NBC’s canceled show is about a career criminal who is looking for his last big score before settling down with his wife and kids.

The thing that separates this show from movies and TV shows with the exact same plot is that the cast has more movie stars than most movies. It features Ray Liotta (“Goodfellas”), Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”), Amy Smart (“The Butterfly Effect”), Jonny Lee Miller (“Aeon Flux”) and Franky G (“The Italian Job”).

Typically, shows featuring a movie star tend to rely too heavily on that person’s star power (“Bette,” “The Geena Davis Show”) and don’t focus enough on the actual plot. This probably isn’t the case with “Smith,” because it isn’t relying on one name – it has five. The downside of such a cast, however, is that higher paychecks will call for a bigger audience to keep the show profitable.

The one thing that’s going to hold the show back is “Law ‘ Order: SVU.” The NBC hit has a strong lead-in (“L’O: Criminal Intent”) and a solid fan base. While the shows aren’t identical by any means, they have a similar look and tone. And with the mediocre “The Unit” as a lead-in, “Smith” could struggle.

“Jericho,” a show about a small town that sees a mushroom cloud in the distance and loses power, airs Wednesday nights at 8. The concept and look of the show have a very “USA made-for-TV movie based on a Stephen King novel that sounds familiar but you didn’t read because you just don’t have the time to read everything he writes and quite frankly you don’t understand how he can write that quickly although it’s starting to show in his work” vibe to it.

Expect lots of people slowly turning to look at noises and children and animals staring off into the distance. There isn’t really any direct timeslot competition, but viewers might tire of the concept quickly – even the promo got a little long.

The last of CBS’s new shows is the courtroom drama “Shark.” James Woods stars as a lawyer who now works for the DA’s office teaching a bunch of young (and attractive) lawyers the ins and outs of winning a case.

The preview looks like the plot of “Conviction” with the humor of “Boston Legal.” The timeslot could be really good, or really bad. It airs opposite “ER,” which has an established fan base that isn’t going anywhere. So that means “Shark” is fighting against ABC’s new show “Six Degrees” for the audience that watched “Without a Trace” last season.

“Six Degrees” has “Grey’s Anatomy” as a lead-in, but “Grey’s” is new to the timeslot and is going up against “CSI,” which is the most popular show on the air. Pretty much whichever network wins the 9 p.m. time period will win at 10 p.m.

The biggest mistake that CBS made with the new lineup of shows is that the network didn’t take any risks. With a solid lineup, it’s a breeding ground for new and unusual programming. Instead, CBS chose to replace its failed crime shows with slightly different crime shows.

CBS isn’t planning for a future where people don’t want to watch crime procedurals for 15 hours a week (that’s not an exaggeration – 15 of their 21 hours are devoted to crime). The network certainly isn’t in danger of plummeting in the ratings this season, but there hasn’t been any planning ahead. And things can go downhill fast – just look at NBC.