CBS has handed full seasons to freshman comedies “The Crazy Ones,” “The Millers” and “Mom.”
The back-nine orders arrive after a strong showing by the network Thursday nights, as CBS TV Studios’ “The Millers” and 20th Century Fox TV’s “The Crazy Ones” helped CBS sweep in total viewers and adults 18-49 with “The Big Bang Theory” serving as a juggernaut lead-in. This week, “The Millers” nabbed 12.2 million viewers overall in its Thursday 8:30 p.m. timeslot, and “Crazy Ones” drew 9.5 million at 9 p.m.
“Mom” — Chuck Lorre’s latest comedy entrant from Warner Bros. TV — attracted 6.7 million viewers this week on Monday, though CBS’ lineup that evening is struggling against NBC’s “The Voice” and “The Blacklist,” along with ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” Vote of confidence in “Mom” with a full season pickup could mean an eventual juggling of CBS comedy scheduling, where the Anna Faris-vehicle could be comfortably seated with more solid lead-ins. “Mom” is currently averaging just under 8 million viewers on CBS.
“We’re proud of CBS’ leadership position in comedy and excited to build on it with the back nine pick-ups of these three new comedies,” said CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler. “These series are creatively distinct, continue to improve each week and are led by strong showrunners, writing and production staffs, and feature amazingly talented casts.”
While “Mom,” “The Millers” and “The Crazy Ones” have received full seasons, CBS has already pulled the plug on freshman comedy “We Are Men,” which was drawing less than 6 million viewers — a solid comedy series number for rival Big Four nets, but a weaker showing for CBS, which routinely breaks 10 million viewers with its comedies.
