CBS’ new show “Criminal Minds” will be airing in one of the tougher timeslots on TV this season –9 p.m. ET Wednesdays, against “Lost,” NBC’s Jerry Bruckheimer drama “E-Ring” and cult hit “Veronica Mars.”
To give the series a boost, the network has decided to give it a preview in a better spot, one that could not have a higher profile: right after the sixth-season premiere of “CSI,” the top-rated drama on television.
The “Criminal Minds” move, together with early premieres for “Survivor,” the new drama “Threshold” and the finales of a couple of summer hits, will spread CBS’ rollout across several weeks. The bulk of the Eye’s premieres, however, will take place in the official first week of the season, which begins Monday, Sept. 19.
CBS is broadcasting the Primetime Emmys the night before that and will hope to use the awards show as a promotional platform for the new season.
Things begin on Thursday, Sept. 15 with “Survivor: Guatemala,” the 11th edition of the popular reality show. The next night, the sci-fi thriller “Threshold” will debut with a two-hour premiere, getting a few days’ head-start on two other sci-fi shows, NBC’s “Surface” and ABC’s “Invasion.”
The majority of the lineup will debut the week after the Emmys. The only exceptions are “The Amazing Race: Family Edition,” which will wait until Tuesday, Sept. 27 to make room for the finales of “Big Brother 6” and “Rock Star: INXS”; “Without a Trace,” which holds off a week for the “Criminal Minds” preview; and the new drama “Close to Home,” which takes over the 10 p.m. Tuesday spot on Oct. 4.
Here’s a complete list of premiere dates for CBS (all times Eastern):
Thursday, Sept. 15
8 p.m. “Survivor: Guatemala”
Friday, Sept. 16
9 p.m. “Threshold” (two hours)
Monday, Sept. 19
8 p.m. “The King of Queens” (new timeslot)
8:30 p.m. “How I Met Your Mother”
9 p.m. “Two and a Half Men” (new timeslot)
9:30 p.m. “Out of Practice”
10 p.m. “CSI: Miami”
Tuesday, Sept. 20
8 p.m. “NCIS”
Wednesday, Sept. 21
8 p.m. “Still Standing” (new timeslot)
8:30 p.m. “Yes, Dear” (new timeslot)
10 p.m. “CSI: NY”
Thursday, Sept. 22
9 p.m. “CSI”
10 p.m. “Criminal Minds” (special preview)
Friday, Sept. 23
8 p.m. “Ghost Whisperer”
10 p.m. “Numb3rs”
Saturday, Sept. 24
10 p.m. “48 Hours Mystery”
Sunday, Sept. 25
7 p.m. “60 Minutes”
8 p.m. “Cold Case”
9 p.m. CBS Sunday Movie (“Martha Behind Bars”)
Tuesday, Sept. 27
9 p.m. “The Amazing Race: Family Edition” (two hours)
Wednesday, Sept. 28
9 p.m. “Criminal Minds” (time-period premiere)
Thursday, Sept. 29
10 p.m. “Without a Trace”
Tuesday, Oct. 4
10 p.m. “Close to Home”
