or


[01/15/14 - 11:03 AM]
CBS at TCA: Tassler Talks "Frustrating, Exciting" Pilot Season
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- CBS always has plenty to crow about and its executive session at the TCA Winter Press Tour was no different. "Our overall audience is up versus a year ago, and we're coming off the biggest ratings week by any network this season," Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment, told reporters in her opening remarks. "We continue to deliver the deepest schedule with the most hit shows, 15 of the top 20 last week alone. CBS is also home to the top scripted series in each genre. 'NCIS' is the most watched show on television. 'Big Bang' is TV's number one show in 18-49, and 'The Millers,' 'Crazy Ones' and 'Mom' are the number one, two and three new comedies on television."

Tassler nevertheless had to spend the bulk of its session responding to Kevin Reilly's declaration on Monday that FOX is bypassing pilot season. "I thought a lot about this and had to look back and say, look, pilot season isn't perfect, and it certainly is a very difficult time," she said. "It's frustrating, but it's also exciting." Tassler went on to detail that without the pilot process they would never have arrived at "The Big Bang Theory" ("we shot a second pilot and we added Kaley Cuoco"), "CSI" ("[it] was the last script in, and those producers had to get that script in because of pilot season") and "The Talk" (which was originally "a 15 minute presentation").

She added that CBS isn't a slave to the traditional development cycle either, citing the unique straight-to-series arrangements that lead to its summer series "Under the Dome" (returning Monday, June 30) and the upcoming "Extant" (premiering Wednesday, July 2) as well as Vince Gilligan and David Shore's "Battle Creek," which has a 13-episode commitment out of the gate ("[It] was a script, by the way, we bought in 2002," she quipped. "It's been sitting on my desk for about 14 years.").

Beyond pilot talk, Tassler affirmed her commitments to drama "Reckless" and comedy "Bad Teacher," which have yet to be scheduled. "One of the things that's kind of exciting about both those shows is we will have 13 episodes in the can before we schedule, so where we schedule, where we put it, it gives us some unique opportunities."

Other topics included the future of the "Jesse Stone" movies ("It's not to say that we wouldn't do [another one] at some point, but right now, like I said, our event programming ['The Dovekeepers'], we're looking for a bigger headline right now.") and the decision to kill off Taraji P. Henson's character on "Person of Interest" ("Jonah Nolan came in last year and said to us that he was going to kill Carter. I almost killed myself... but sort of the role that she plays in terms of the relationship between Reese and Finch has changed. And he said something so clever. He said, 'I need to bring Catwoman into the mix of this relationship between these two guys.' And he talked about the Shaw character.").





  [january 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· BAD TEACHER (CBS)
· BATTLE CREEK (CBS)
· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· CRAZY ONES, THE (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DOVEKEEPERS, THE (CBS)
· EXTANT (CBS)
· MILLERS, THE (CBS)
· MOM (CBS)
· NCIS (CBS)
· PERSON OF INTEREST (CBS)
· RECKLESS (CBS)
· UNDER THE DOME (CBS)





[06/30/25 - 11:02 AM]
"Sinners" with Black American Sign Language (BASL) Debuts July 4 on Max in the U.S.
This groundbreaking release marks the first time a streaming platform will exclusively debut a film interpreted in BASL.

[06/30/25 - 10:38 AM]
Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest to Air July 4 on ESPN Networks
Returning to the iconic corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island is 16-time Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion, Joey Chestnut.

[06/30/25 - 10:01 AM]
NASA+ Is Coming to Netflix This Summer
Audiences now will have another option to stream rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, mission coverage, and breathtaking, live views of Earth from the International Space Station.

[06/30/25 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Apocalypse in the Tropics" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Through a deep examination, this documentary from Oscar nominee Petra Costa explores the profound impact of evangelism on Brazil's political landscape.

[06/30/25 - 09:23 AM]
All-New Series "Survival Mode" Premieres Monday, July 7 on NBC
Across nine episodes, the series chronicles some of the most recent devastating disasters - including the Maui wildfires, the Amtrak 501 derailment, Superstorm Sandy, and the sinking of the Costa Concordia - through firsthand accounts from survivors and rare archival footage.

[06/30/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Going, Going, Gone: The Magic of the Home Run" - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
This one is dedicated to the dinger. Comedian Roy Wood Jr takes us on a baseball journey all about the long ball.

[06/30/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful" Visual Album Coming to Disney+ and Hulu July 16
The visual album premiered June 6 at the Tribeca Festival ahead of its one-night theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada on June 12.

[06/30/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" - Official Trailer - Netflix
On August 19, experience the historic rise of one of the greatest teams in all of sports.

[06/30/25 - 07:26 AM]
Disney+ Adds Three New Premium Reality Commissions to Its Growing Slate of UK Unscripted Original Series
Highlights include the return of Britain's original and much-loved dating series "Blind Date", reimagined for a contemporary audience.

[06/30/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Oxford Year" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An ambitious American fulfilling her dream of studying at Oxford falls for a charming Brit hiding a secret that may upend her perfectly planned life.

[06/30/25 - 06:37 AM]
ESPN Reveals Special Honorees for The 2025 ESPYS Presented by Capital One Airing Wednesday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Streaming Live on ESPN+
Oscar Robertson will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, Katie Schumacher-Cawley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and David Walters and Erin Regan will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.

[06/30/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unleashes Teaser for "Troll 2"
When a dangerous new troll is awakened, unleashing devastation across Norway, beloved adventurers Nora, Andreas and Captain Kris are thrust into their most perilous mission yet.

[06/29/25 - 10:31 PM]
A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment's "Mandala Murders" Premieres July 25
"Mandala Murders" is a first-of-its-kind mythological-crime thriller that promises to pull audiences into a world where every clue leads deeper into a long-buried prophecy.

[06/27/25 - 11:48 PM]
Development Update: Week of June 23-27
Updates include: Scott Speedman to topline ABC's "RJ Decker" pilot; Joel Kim Booster to pen latest "Pitch Perfect" spin-off at Peacock; and "Doctor Odyssey," "Grosse Pointe Garden Society" among the latest cancellations.

[06/27/25 - 02:29 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Gears Up for Summer Rising Week to Week in All Key Measures
Wednesday, June 11, was the most-viewed day of the week among Total Viewers (2.164 million).