Upfront Update: CBS Dims "Moonlight," Embraces "Mother"

CBS, at its press breakfast this morning, announced the addition of five new series to the fall schedule, and the re-establishment of a Wednesday night comedy block. The biggest news for fans of current series, though, is that How I Met Your Mother made the final cut, and Moonlight did not.

"We had a very passionate fan base," CBS President Nina Tassler said of Moonight, "and that's a good thing." To fans of the show, though, her using the past tense is a bad thing. Tassler acknowledged that what happened to Jericho -- with its very vocal cult fan base that shrank significantly after the series was renewed -- played a part in her decision.

"It was a factor, obviously," she said, adding, "I love the vampire. What can I tell you?"

On the brighter side, Tassler said CBS had "a fantastic comedy year," and senior executive v.p. Kelly Kahl said, "We loved what we saw coming out of the strike," where the CBS Monday comedies were some of the few programs to improve over pre-strike levels. Hence, How I Met Your Mother lives for another season.

(Those Britney Spears appearances sure didn't hurt... and her mini-cliffhanger paves the way for her return next season as well.)

Also getting a reprieve is Rules of Engagement, which will return at midseason. And The New Adventures of Old Christine, at last getting the respect it deserves, opens the new Wednesday comedy block.

I'll detail the new series after I've seen clips at this afternoon's upfront. Meanwhile, the comedy Worst Week has some strong advance buzz, and one of the network's midseason offerings, Harper's Island, has an intriguing twist. Tassler describes it as a mix between Ten Little Indians and Scream, with 35 people invited to an exclusive event -- with one character dying each week. Instead of being fired, they're retired -- permanently.

I should point out, for those with faint hearts or low expectations of TV, that Harper's Island is a scripted series, not a reality show.

Stay tuned. The CBS upfronts are held in a few hours...