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CBS schedules "Boss" in post-Super Bowl slot
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-12-21 13:34
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LOS ANGELES – Guess which show CBS will air after the Super Bowl on February 7?
Ratings phenomenon "The Big Bang Theory?" The all-star edition of "Survivor?" Procedural hit "The Mentalist?"
None of the above. In a surprising move, CBS will premiere the new reality show "Undercover Boss" after the most-watched television event of the year. "Boss" follows top executives as they anonymously assume entry-level jobs at their company and receive eye-opening perspectives on how their decisions affect lower-wage employees. Executives from White Castle, 7-Eleven, Hooters, Waste Management and Churchill Downs are on board for the first season.
It will be the first time since 2005 that a broadcast network has elected to air a new program after the Super Bowl. Fox aired the debut of "American Dad" after that year's game, but it was paired with "The Simpsons." One would have to go all the way back to 1995 to find a network airing the pilot of a series solo after the big game (ABC's "Extreme").
CBS also confirmed that the next edition of "Survivor" indeed will be a "Heroes vs. Villains" format, bringing together memorable players from past seasons into two moralistically opposed tribes. "Survivor" will premiere with a two-hour episode Thursday, February 11.
CBS also announced two specials that will fill the "Survivor" slot in the weeks leading up to the premiere: Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett's "Live for the Moment," a reality pilot where a terminally ill person takes an adventure of a lifetime that will air as a stand-alone special, will debut January 28, and "Surviving Survivor" (working title), a one-hour 10th anniversary special, will air February 4 and revisit key moments from seasons past.
CBS previewed the "Boss" pilot at its May "upfront" presentation for advertisers to a strong response, and the series was expected to debut sometime in midseason. But analysts didn't peg the show as a post-Super Bowl contender.
Airing after "Boss" the network's postgame coverage, the premiere episode features Larry O'Donnell, president and COO of Waste Management, as he cleans porta-potties and works at a recycling plant. The series will run at 9 p.m. Sundays starting February 14, along with 16th-cycle premiere of "The Amazing Race."
Adding "Boss" means "Cold Case" will shift back to 10 p.m. When factoring the decision, CBS was blessed with having contenders such as "Big Bang," "Survivor" and "Mentalist" that already have high viewer awareness and often win their time periods. By selecting "Boss," it gives a new show the best possible chance to break through.
"The journey of watching a chief executive walk a mile in their employees' shoes is always very revealing, often humorous and in some cases very inspiring," said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment.
