New comedies rank high for CBS Network’s fall TV schedule

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In the broadcast world, CBS Television, often equated with an expensive jewelry store (the Tiffany network, that is), has thrived in recent years with police procedurals and shows skewing to an older demographic.

Interestingly, four of the five new series for the fall season are comedies, one of which seems so similar in tone and character development to “2 Broke Girls” that it immediately follows that returning series on Monday nights.

During the recent TV press tour, in the absence of Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, the nation’s critics were treated to an exchange with Leslie Moonves, the head honcho of the entire CBS corporate universe who’s prone to pithy retorts and concise observations.

When not pointing out that CBS had the highest rated show on television last year, Moonves took the ratings war to another level by criticizing the remarks of the top NBC executive who told critics that “flat is the new up” in ratings.

Pointedly, Moonves disagreed, claiming every network has their own point of view about ratings and professing that CBS is “confident we’re going to be up this year. We were up last year.”

Which network is up or down at any given time has about as much relevance as the daily fluctuations of the stock market. Like a blue chip investment, networks are around for the long haul.

And yet in a gambling move, CBS may be rolling the dice on its new comedy lineup, with potential for an upside reward. The show that will follow “2 Broke Girls” is “Mom,” which, as already noted, seems somewhat derivative.

We’re not quite sure if the titular character in “Mom” is Anna Faris’ Christy, the dysfunctional mother of two children, or her own mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney), who struggles with her own demons while trying to impose her mark as the family matriarch.

As a single mother, Christy is sleeping with her boss (Nate Corddry) to get a top job at an upscale restaurant, for which she is unqualified, as witnessed by her tearful meltdowns while trying to take someone’s dinner order.

Along comes Christy’s estranged mother Bonnie, who’s still kicking around a few vices but shows great interest in reconnecting with her daughter and the grandkids. “Mom” could have a short run, if for no other reason than Anna Faris’ appeal could be limited by her broad comic strokes.

“The Millers,” not to be confused with Jennifer Aniston’s film “We’re the Millers,” has an interesting premise of the dysfunctional family dynamic, with an appealing cast to flesh out the characters.

Will Arnett’s Nathan Miller, a recently divorced local roving news reporter, was looking forward to the singles’ life until his parents’ marital problems derail his plans. After announcing his breakup, parents Tom and Carol (Beau Bridges and Margo Martindale) are inspired to follow suit.

Actually, it’s Nathan’s father’s idea to leave his wife of 43 years, so Nathan’s interfering mom moves in with him, while the absent-minded Tom imposes upon Nathan’s sister, her husband and their daughter. “The Millers” is just one more comedy with meddlesome parents.

After watching “The Crazy Ones,” starring Robin Williams as an advertising man teamed up with Sarah Michelle Gellar as his daughter and partner in the firm, you might say the dysfunctional family is an unshakable theme for the new comedy shows.

Williams’ Simon Roberts is an advertising genius whose unorthodox methods and unpredictable behavior would ordinarily cause alarm. But he’s the head of a powerful agency, now working with his daughter Sydney (Gellar) by his side.

Sydney is the opposite of her old man; she’s focused, organized and eager to make a name for herself. But circumstances make her the responsible partner in the family firm, as she tries to reign in her father’s excesses.

Not surprisingly and true to form, Robin Williams typically sucks the oxygen out of the room whenever he appears in “The Crazy Ones,” which, of course, is most of the time. After all, Williams’ brand of humor is the take-no-prisoners variety. We’ll have to see if this works in the long run.

The last new comedy is not about a dysfunctional family, unless you turn the concept on its head. “We Are Men” is about four single guys living in a short-term apartment complex who find camaraderie over their many missteps in love and relationships.

Though previously married several times, Tony Shalhoub’s Frank Russo still fancies himself a ladies’ man. Jerry O’Connell’s Stuart Weber, a Speedo-wearing doctor, is hiding his assets (umm, the financial kind) until his second divorce is settled.

Kal Penn’s Gil Bartis was caught having the world’s worst affair. Meanwhile, the newcomer to the group is Chris Smith’s Carter, who moved in after being ditched at the altar mid-ceremony. Unwisely, Carter ends up taking advice from the other losers in the marriage department.

“We Are Men” seems like a throwback to the 1970s in communities like Marina del Rey, in the Los Angeles area near the ocean, where swingers congregated in hot tubs and pool-side barbeques in apartment complexes catering to the singles lifestyle. Let’s see if nostalgia holds sway.

The most promising show on the CBS fall schedule is a high-octane suspense drama, which is puzzling in the sense that it feels like it should be an event movie rather than a season-long series.

“Hostages” may create almost as much dilemma for script development as it does for the family held in peril.

A chilling political conspiracy is at the center of “Hostages,” when Dylan McDermott’s rogue FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle, along with a team of accomplices, takes Toni Collette’s Dr. Ellen Sanders, a prominent surgeon, and her family hostage.

Dr. Sanders is scheduled to operate on the president of the United States the following day. Carlisle and his team are determined that the commander-in-chief not survive surgery if the doctor is persuaded to use an untraceable medicine that will make the death look like an inevitable result of a tricky operation.

Shortly after taking the family hostage, the captors take off their masks. Of course, this causes panic because the bad guys never anticipate leaving potential witnesses behind.

And yet, Carlisle has done his homework and knows the secrets of the Sanders family members, which he intends to use to manipulate his captives into submission.

Knowing that hostages can’t normally be held for a long period, the viewer is likely to be drawn into the moral complexity of the choices facing both victims and villains alike.

“Hostages” is definitely worth a look, maybe one that could be lasting for the season.

On a side note, CBS chief Moonves announced that “Under the Dome” would return next summer, with Stephen King writing the first episode of the 13 episode arc.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.