CBS New Fall Season: Five News Shows, More Lame Comedies and More Bruckheimer

What does it mean when the biggest news about a major network's new fall schedule is that it didn't lose a marginal comedy to a competitor?

Judge for yourself as CBS unveils its fall 2008 schedule to the industry today, with the big news that floundering Julia Louis Dreyfus comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine is not taking the Scrubs route and defecting to ABC. Instead, it will kick off a new hour of comedy at 8 p.m. Wednesdays sure to extend the reach of mediocre sitcoms that have taken over the net's Monday night schedule.

Without a Trace moves to CBS' death spot at 10 p.m. Tuesdays; this timeslot killed Jericho and Cane, wonder what it will do to an established hit like Trace? Rules of Engagement is held for midseason, giving David Spade the fall to occupy himself.

Among the new shows, we have a British import from CSI mastermind Jerry Bruckheimer about a guy who investigates scientific oddities called Eleventh Hour, Jay Mohr and Paula Marshall as recent divorcees trying to start new relationships in Project Gary; Simon Baker trying series TV for the third time in a rip-off of USA Network's Psych about a super-observant guy who solves crimes called The Mentalist, and a comedy which seems ripped from Meet the Parents about a guy who keeps screwing up while trying to impress his fiancee's parents called Worst Week.

See a clip of the British version of Eleventh Hour -- which I wish they would have just brought to America -- starring Patrick Stewart as the investigative dude here.

These programs seem to play to CBS' strengths: mediocre comedies and formulaic action/dramas. I'll get the spin at 4 p.m. when CBS fires up a webcast of its annual upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall in NYC.

What has bitten the dust: Kid Nation, Shark, Moonlight, Jericho and Viva Laughlin.

Here's the fall sked, new shows in bold:

MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM              THE BIG BANG THEORY
8:30-9:00 PM              HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
9:00-9:30 PM              TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM           WORST WEEK (N)
10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: MIAMI

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM              NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM           THE MENTALIST (N)
10:00-11:00 PM          WITHOUT A TRACE (New Time)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM              THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (New Time)
8:30-9:00 PM             PROJECT GARY (N)
9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM              SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM            CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM         ELEVENTH HOUR (N)

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM              GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM           THE EX LIST (N)
10:00-11:00 PM          NUMB3RS

SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM              CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM          48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM              60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM              THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM            COLD CASE
10:00-11:00 PM          THE UNIT (New Time)