• by Wayne Friedman , May 15, 2008

CBS is going back to what it does best--coming up with new comedies and procedural crime dramas.

During its upfront presentation, CBS said it was opening up another comedy night--Wednesday--in which "The New Adventures of Old Christine" will be the anchor at 8 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., new show "Project Gary" airs. Starring Jay Mohr, it's about dueling ex-spouses who are parents trying to get on with their lives.

In addition to capitalizing on its comedy success, Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of programming operations at CBS, said: "We are looking to get younger on the night."

One of the network's biggest pushes is a new dramatic thriller--the Jerry Bruckheimer drama "Eleventh Hour" involves a special governmental advisor who investigates scientific crises. The show will get the benefit of a 10 p.m. time period on Thursdays, following "CSI."

On Monday, CBS adds to its comedy lineup with "Worst Week," about a good guy trying to do the right thing. It takes over at 9:30 p.m. with CBS' big "Two and a Half Men" as its lead-in.

On Tuesday at 9 p.m., CBS will offer "The Mentalist" starring Simon Baker as a former celebrity psychic-turned detective. It runs in between "NCIS" at 8 p.m. and "Without a Trace," which has a new time slot at 10 p.m. on the night.

"The Ex List" is a series about a woman who is directed by a psychic to look for her future husband among her past relationships. It airs at 9 p.m. on Fridays. "Women [viewers] drive network TV," says Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. "We wanted to add more female faces" to the lineup.

In another move, CBS places "The Unit," which had run in various time periods, on Sunday at 10 p.m. after "Cold Case."

CBS said it worked hard after the writers' strike ended to get its shows back on the air and to re-energize TV development. Some of its efforts worked--as its Monday-night comedies came back to strong numbers.

"The compressed schedule may have made people work harder," says Tassler, who noted the network had some 17 or 18 different pieces of new programming material to consider post-strike. Concerning a possible actors' strike in June, she said: "We are cautiously optimistic."

This summer, CBS has scheduled last year's postponed "Swingtown," running 13 straight original episodes.

For mid-season next year, CBS will debut "Harper's Island," a murder mystery about a weeklong wedding party. Returning comedy "Rules of Engagement" will also be back on the schedule mid-season.