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'The Big Bang Theory' on Thursdays: CBS's Calculated Gamble
by Joel Keller, posted May 19th 2010 3:03PM
Who knew that, of all the broadcast networks, CBS would be the one making the most news during upfronts week? Not only did the Eye Net cancel a slew of shows, but it also decided to take one of their highest-rated comedies, 'The Big Bang Theory,' and use it to start a comedy block on Thursdays.Think about that for a second: When was the last time CBS had comedies on Thursdays? Take a random tour through the various primetime schedules through the years, and you'll find out that it has happened rarely, if ever. But CBS knows what it has in 'Big Bang,' which is a strong show with an ardent following.
But it also knows what it doesn't have: a lot of strong competition, especially when it comes to comedy. Which is why this is a gamble that just might work.
Moving a hit show to a new night in an attempt to build a new programming block is a move that's as old as television. Sometimes it works -- NBC briefly built a second comedy beachhead after moving 'Frasier' from Thursdays to Tuesdays -- and sometimes it doesn't -- like anytime CBS has tried moving one of their Monday comedy hits to Wednesdays in recent years.
In this case, CBS isn't really taking on an established hit at 8PM on Thursdays. With 'Survivor' moving to Wednesdays, 'Bones' is the biggest show in that timeslot, and may attract a lot of the same geek audience that likes 'Big Bang.' But, remember, this season 'Big Bang' surpassed its lead-in, 'Two and a Half Men,' to become the number one comedy in the adult demo, so its audience is much more broad-based than just sci fi and comics fans.
Related: 'Big Bang' Rivas Feel Timeslot Pain
But who CBS is really gunning for with this move is NBC. The network knows that, while the Peacock's slate of Thursday comedies are critically-acclaimed, the shows tend to get weak ratings, a fact that's especially true of the 8PM block of 'Community' and 'Parks and Recreation.' 'Parks and Rec' isn't even coming back until midseason; '30 Rock,' which has a slightly larger following but isn't a ratings powerhouse, will slide into 'Parks and Rec's' 8:30PM slot.
So, with a wounded opponent in NBC, a new series on ABC, 'Bones' on Fox, and a new, buzzworthy show to push in William Shatner's '!*#$@ My Dad Says,' this move makes a heck of a lot more sense when you look at the big picture.
"We're not in the charity business," scheduling chief Kelly Kahl told James Hibberd of The Live Feed. "The performance of [NBC's] comedies is not something that deterred us. People like those shows, but they're not setting the world on fire ratings wise."
If you're a fan of both 'Big Bang' and 'Community,' is this going to make your viewing life tougher? Maybe. There's a lot of audience overlap between the two shows, but it's also a very DVR/on demand/online-savvy group. I don't tend to watch either show in real time; there's been many a time when I've DVRed one or the other. Heck, I watched the entire first third of 'Community's' season on Hulu. Neither show has that "event" feel that compels viewers to watch it when it airs.
So, realistically, there's room for both to exist on the schedule. If the Thursday status quo holds -- 'Big Bang' gets as many viewers as 'Survivor' did and 'Community' stays the same -- both CBS and NBC will likely be satisfied.
And if 'Big Bang' and '!*#$@ My Dad Says' get hammered? 'Big Bang' goes back to Mondays and Shatner goes back to his 5,000 other jobs. Seems like a low-risk move to me.
[Follow @joelkeller on Twitter.]
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