CBS announced today that their modern day Sherlock Holmes series Elementary will be airing in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot next February.  The spot directly after the most-watched television event of the year can serve as a great launching pad for new series, giving them a boost in viewership—NBC famously aired a Super Bowl episode of Friends in the timeslot, launching the already popular show into superstardom.  Last year NBC aired The Voice after the big game, and recent years have seen shows like House, Glee, The Office and Undercover Boss enjoy the ratings bump.  Hit the jump for more.

In news that probably doesn’t surprise anyone, CBS has given the green light to its 1960s Western Vegas as well as the Sherlock-retold Elementary to complete their first seasons fully and without fear of canning.  Both series have performed very well, usually winning their time slots (10pm on Tuesdays for Vegas, 10pm on Thursdays for Elementary), and both have a steady procedural foundation which is the core of CBS’ drama wheelhouse.

Elementary may have bored some and outraged others (with the casting of a female Watson), but on the whole it’s a watchable series that will likely have enough staying power and a devoted fanbase to survive another season (I reviewed its first two episodes and found it decent but not comparable to the BBC’s excellent modern Sherlock series).  For more on Vegas and what CBS has to say about both shows, hit the jump.

At last, after much discussion and speculation, CBS’s Elementary, a modernized adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s classic Sherlock Holmes stories, has arrived.  Much of the discussion revolved around the fact that the series has come pretty swiftly on the heels of the BBC’s hugely successful Sherlock, that also offers a modern take on the tales, which has aired here in the U.S. on PBS.  The other point of contention was the changing of Sherlock’s companion Watson from John to Joan, a decision that at first made Sherlock fans everywhere groan due to the expectation of a prolonged “will they won’t they” story line (Doyle would likely be spinning in his grave at the thought).  Still, those connected with the show assured everyone that there would be no romance between the two leads (though if it lasts for several seasons we’ll see if they keep to that promise).  For now the big question is how this series compares to its British brother, and either way, whether or not it stands on its own.  For that, hit the jump.

The only thing CBS loves more than reviving old series is the police procedural, so to combine the two must be an exciting prospect indeed.  As such, the network as given the greenlight for a series based on the movie Beverly Hills Cop, which originally starred Eddie Murphy as a quippy Detroit detective Axel Foley who moves to Los Angeles.

The new series will not move far from its roots — not only will Murphy reprise his role for the pilot (at least, if not more), the TV show will pick up where the movie franchise left off, this time focusing on Foley’s son.  In an interesting addition, The Shield creator Shawn Ryan will serve as showrunner, which could give the series more weight.  For more on the project, hit the jump.

Westerns have been coming back into fashion lately (in fact, they’re hotter than a whorehouse on nickel night!), from Deadwood‘s run a few years ago to the more current Hell On Wheels and Justified, and CBS is looking to get in on the action.  The network has teamed up with David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross)  to create a revival of Have Gun – Will Travel, which originally aired on CBS from 1957-63.

Have Gun, which ran for six seasons, was a huge ratings success for CBS, solidifying Richard Boone (who played Paladin) as a star, and also spawned a popular radio show.  If the reboot goes to series, it will go alongside Vegas, another CBS Western starring Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield). For more on the series and why it’s likely to be a helluva hog-killin’ good time, hit the jump.

The new drama series Elementary, premiering on CBS on September 27^th, is a modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes.  Just out of rehab, Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) has been assigned to live with sober coach, Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), and together they make a dream team for solving the NYPD’s most impossible cases.

While at the CBS portion of the TCA Press Tour, executive producer/writer Rob Doherty talked about what drives this interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, what makes the character more than just a brilliant detective, how he came to be such a fan himself, how they’re approaching the puzzle-solving aspect of the show, what led them to casting a woman as Watson, and how Moriarity will be different in a modern-day world.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Following his very public ousting from the showrunner position at NBC’s Community, fans were eager to know where Dan Harmon’s inevitable new series would pop up.  As the key creative force behind the brilliance of Community, Harmon fielded interest from a number of networks.  It appeared as though we had our answer when news broke last week that Harmon was nearing a deal with Fox for a new multi-camera comedy series, but now word comes that Harmon is also penning a project for CBS.  Hit the jump for more.

America’s favorite perpetually happy family may be returning to a living room near you.  CBS is developing a reboot of The Brady Bunch alongside Vince Vaughn, with an eye towards creating a revamped, multi-camera comedy iteration of the classic comedy series.  Though the original show—which ran on ABC from 1969-1974—centered on a widowed architect with three sons who married a woman with three daughters, the updated version finds a divorced man named Bobby Brady with kids of his own married to a woman who also has kids, and they share a child together.  Hit the jump for more details.

As part of the CBS portion of the TCA Press Tour, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler took some time to talk about both new and returning comedies and dramas from their line-up of shows.  During the interview, she spoke about the likelihood of a ninth season for How I Met Your Mother, why CSI: Miami was cancelled, the appeal of Elementary and the decision to have a female Watson, why they chose to bring Unforgettable back after canceling it, and what drew them to Vegas.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

With Robert Downey Jr knocking it out of the park in theaters and Benedict Cumberbatch doing no wrong in the role across the pond, I wondered why the world needed another interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.  Watching the Pilot episode of Elementary, I snickered at its cheeky bits and admired the performances of both Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson. Miller’s Holmes is very much in the mold of a Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant mind more concerned with the truth than convention.  In fact, he’s a recovering addict and Ms. Watson has been assigned as his sober companion.  Liu said that Watson uses her sober companion position to distract her from her own issues, but Holmes sees right through her.  Find out why it’s moved up my DVR list after the break.

Earlier this morning, CBS announced their Fall 2012 schedule.  Full trailers have now been unveiled for the network’s new shows, including three dramas and one comedy.  Briefly:

• Elementary – Jonny Lee Miller stars as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu plays Dr. Joan Watson in this modern day drama about the crime-solving duo.
• Vegas – Dennis Quaid stars as a former military police officer who is called in by the Mayor of Las Vegas to look into the murder of a casino worker.  Quaid clashes with a ruthless Chicago gangster (Michael Chiklis) in this 1960s drama.
• Made in Jersey – Janet Montgomery stars as an attorney who uses her street smarts to compete against her pedigreed Manhattan colleagues.
• Partners – This new comedy stars David Krumholtz and Michael Urie as two life-long best friends, one straight and one gay, whose friendship is tested when one of them gets engaged.

Hit the jump for synopses and full trailers for all the new shows.

The upfronts are nearing an end, and we’ve already seen the new schedules from NBC, Fox, and ABC.  Now it’s CBS’s turn.  The readers of this site may not exactly be CBS’s target demo—though I’m still watching and enjoying How I Met Your Mother—but The Eye is hoping to change that with a few promising new series slated for this fall.  Shifts for returning series include moving the Ashton Kutcher-enhanced Two and a Half Men to Thursdays, while The Mentalist (which is probably your parents’ favorite show) will now air on Sunday.  Also, the young-skewing comedy 2 Broke Girls has been pushed back to the prime 9pm slot on Mondays after doing well at 8:30.  Moreover, I’m now aware that a show unironically called Crimetime Saturday exists.

As far as new series go, I’m really only keeping my eye on Elementary at this point.  I didn’t really find the need for a new Sherlock Holmes series given that we already have the beyond excellent Sherlock (and, to a lesser extent, House), but I’m willing to check out this new drama (starring Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson) to see what they’ve come up with.  Hit the jump to check out CBS’s schedule.

It appears the resurrection of TV shows won’t be limited to Fox bringing back animated series like Family Guy or Comedy Central breathing new life into Futurama. At least that will be the case of Murphy Brown creator Diane English has her way as the writer is currently talking with CBS about potentially bringing back the series for just a few episodes during this election year. While at the TV Land Awards, English told TV Guide that she’s been talking to both the network and star Candice Bergen about coming back to TV for some political satire fun. She says, “We’re having a little conversation with CBS about a few episodes, and I think it’s possible. Candice knows about it, and we’re going to talk to her more in July once she wraps her Broadway play ['The Best Man.']“  Hit the jump for more.

Unsurprisingly, CBS is moving forward with a Sherlock Holmes series hot on the heels of the success of BBC’s fantastic Holmes update Sherlock. The American version is titled Elementary, and Deadline reports that CBS has settled on a lead for the pilot: Jonny Lee Miller. Miller previously starred on the ABC series Eli Stone and most recently appeared in an arc on Showtime’s Dexter. Elementary is a contemporary take on the Arthur Conan Doyle character and finds Holmes living in New York City. Given that it’s on CBS, we can presumably expect a heavy procedural aspect with little to no reason to tune in every single week. Nevertheless, should CBS pick the pilot up to series, the show is likely to be a hit; audiences over 50 love them some crime procedurals that don’t ask them to remember things from one week to the next.

Coincidentally, Miller appeared on Danny Boyle’s stage version of Frankenstein alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, the Sherlock of Sherlock. The actor also has roles in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and alongside Saoirse Ronan in Byzantium.

CBS has put in orders for three wildly different dramas. Check out the details below:

• From Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) comes Quean, which follows a Lisbeth Salander-style hacker chick who assists an Oakland police detective in crime solving. Chaiken and Joel Silver will executive produce.
• Applebaum is based on Mommy-Track Mysteries, a book series by author Ayelet Waldman. The story follows an ex-public defender turned stay-at-home mom who becomes a private investigator to stave off boredom. Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) will direct the pilot and is among the executive producers.
• An untitled period piece from screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (American Gangster) and Without a Trace executive producer Greg Walker will follow a 1960s rodeo cowboy turned Las Vegas sheriff. James Mangold (Walk the Line) will direct the pilot for the series based on the true story of Ralph Lamb.

Also from the network, Homeland’s executive producer and pilot-director Michael Cuesta recently signed a seven-figure deal that was good from the time the ink dried until June 1st of next year. His next test will be directing the pilot titled Elementary for the network’s contemporary Sherlock Holmes series. Hit the jump for more.