News > CBS Actually Kind of Cool?
May 16, 2007
Via:
I hate CBS. Ingrained somewhere in the graymatter of my noggin' lies this insistent feeling that everything the station programs is either a shoddy rip-off of their already shoddy shows (ahem, Law & Order and CSI) or a weak-kneed attempt at drawing in the 60+ demographic. Oh wait, I know why my subconscious so vehemently abhors the C-Beezy, because all it does is cater to old people and those who love CSI. Aside from The Amazing Race, the station has to be the most unexciting, unoriginal on the air.
And it seems that the bigwigs over at CBS Boulevard have heard the public's concerns and is addressing the issue for next years fall schedule. Next season, the crotchety television giant will splooge five brand new original series on to the air and none of them involve The Who-backed crime procedurals, or stuffy detectives sleuthing about in New York. First up is "Viva Laughlin", a musical set in the world of gamblers, followed by the Jimmy Smits-helmed "Cane", an epic that has been described by many as having a "Scarface" feel about it. Also on the way is the Joel Silver-backed "Moonlight", a vampire-romance tale.
The most interesting shows appear on the unscripted side of things though, with CBS dropping the fascinating sounding "Kid Nation", a reality-series that follows 40 kids who are relocated to a ghost town in New Mexico and attempt to create a new society. I'm hoping "Lord of the Flies" or "Battle Royale" but I'm pretty sure it'll be more "Survivor"-esque, just with snotty-nosed punks wearing FUBU and Southpole.
Leslie Moonves, an exceedingly rich man who works for CBS, states: "For those of you who accuse CBS of being too conservative I think you will feel differently about the shows we are presenting today." And can I say, I certainly feel differently. It really feels like CBS is feeling the effects of their CSI/Law & Order binge and might actually be striving to place some art on the boobtube. So far, out of all the fall schedule releases I've seen, CBS has dropped the most interesting one. Sure, they still have their calvacade of shit to bolster them in the case of emergency, but at least their trying. It'll be hard to overcome my lifelong hatred of the station, but I might actually find myself flipping on over come this fall to see what all the buzz is about.
