CSI

CHICAGO – The first new Wednesday of the Fall 2012 season told a predictable story — CBS and ABC are doing well, FOX is still under-delivering, and NBC is in dire shape. As for new shows, “The Neighbors” was well-sampled out of mega-hit “Modern Family” but we’ll see if that lasts while “Animal Practice” and “Guys with Kids” can practically feel the blade of the cancellation axe already.

CHICAGO – What do you do when your iron grip on success is getting weaker? Shake things up. That’s what CBS is doing this Fall by shuffling their line-up more significantly than any other network and adding five new series, which are detailed below.

CHICAGO – The best thing about the third-season premiere of the consistently-entertaining “Castle” may be that they’ve finally taken that stupid “Turner & Hooch” line out of the introduction to the hit mystery show. Other than that, the show pretty much picks up where it left off with two of the most charismatic stars on television often disguising the fact that the writing doesn’t live up to their talents.

CHICAGO – Television drama is usually a formulaic proposition but rarely has a show been more blatantly derivative of other programs currently on the air than CBS’s new hospital drama, “Miami Medical,” a bizarre, ineffective hybrid of “CSI: Miami” and “Trauma”. Buried in the ratings nether regions of Friday nights, this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced show might just barely deliver for viewers exhausted after a long week of work, but they’ll have forgotten it by Saturday morning.

CHICAGO – Doesn’t it feel like there will someday just be a few mystery franchises with several different iterations on the air? We have three versions of “Law & Order” and “CSI,” and now “NCIS” has joined in, expanding the franchise of this surprisingly popular show to “NCIS: Los Angeles” with appealing stars Chris O’Donnell and L.L. Cool J.

CHICAGO – Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic bring their spectacular chemistry back for another season of the increasingly enjoyable “Castle,” a mystery-of-the-week show distinguished by excellent writing and some of the best lead chemistry on television.

CHICAGO – CBS has announced their fall premiere dates and the network is starting with one of their ratings juggernauts with the launch of “Survivor: Samoa” on September 17th.

CHICAGO – Though CBS is the turtle in selling sexy TV, the network is the hare when it comes to selling a broad audience what they ultimately want.

CHICAGO – In a relatively shocking announcement as a part of fall schedule upfronts this week, CBS actually pulled the trigger on “Without a Trace,” a show that had reportedly gotten too expensive for the network. There were rumors that they may do the same with “Cold Case,” but that show will return with on-the-bubble shows “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Rules of Engagement” also being miraculously renewed and “Medium” being saved.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Is it finally time for Nathan Fillion to become a star? One of the most charismatic TV actors of the last few years should have become a legend for his work on “Firefly,” but that wasn’t meant to be. Now he’s back and just as good opposite Stana Katic on the very-promising “Castle,” a mystery-of-the-week show distinguished by the excellent chemistry of its leads.