CBS's Trailers: Back to Basics

Rufus Sewell blinds bad guys with science in Eleventh Hour. / Monty Brinton/CBS

At Carnegie Hall yesterday, CBS screened trailers from five new fall shows and one midseason pickup. After a brief period of experimentation (Jericho, Viva Laughlin), the network went back to its tradition of crime procedurals and domestic sitcoms. And I went back to my tradition of not being particularly excited to see any of CBS' new shows. My brief impressions after the jump:

WORST WEEK: Sitcom about Sam (Kyle Bornheimer), a man desperate to impress his girlfriend's parents. His problem: He has the worst luck! Every week, things go wrong for him! Which has never happened before, in the history of sitcoms! The lameness of the premise aside, there were some hearty slapstick / in-law-humor laughs, thanks to Kurtwood Smith (That '70s Show). But I smell a strong whiff of pilot-itis on this show, which probably would have been better done as a Ben Stiller comedy, and in fact, probably was.

ELEVENTH HOUR: Dark-looking procedural about a government science adviser (Rufus Sewell) who solves crimes related to, um, the government and science. Looks like a parody of a grim Criminal Minds-style CBS crime show.

PROJECT GARY: My notes on this trailer are limited to "AWFUL." Oh, and I underlined it three times. As a single dad getting his dating life back together (you can see the Old Christine crossover already, can't you?), Jay Mohr nearly killed in two minutes all my fond memories of Action, in what looks like another bland CBS difference-between-men-and-women comedy (meaning it will probably be on the air for the next nine years).

THE EX LIST: Thirtysomething Bella (Elizabeth Reaser) doesn't just have a biological clock—she has a parapsychological clock! She visits a psychic, who tells her that she has one year to marry or she will be alone forever. Oh, and the man she is destined to marry (or not) is someonee she's already met. So she makes a list—an Ex List—and revisits her past one guy at a time, My Name Is Earl-style. Beyond the ultra-contrivance of the plot—since when do psychics go around issuing their clients arbitrary challenges?—it's hard to tell if this dramedy will be charming or boring, although I wish the trailer had made me laugh more.

THE MENTALIST: Long ago, CBS decided that Simon Baker (The Guardian, Smith) was a star, and they will make him one, dammit, if they have to go to your house and sign you up for his fan club at gunpoint. Here, he plays a former (fraudulent) celebrity psychic who now uses the powers of observation he employed in his scams to help the cops. In other words, it's Psych, except it doesn't look as funny. This show ticks off any number of cliche boxes—CBS procedural, check, "eccentric" sleuth/doctor/lawyer, check, straight-arrow foil and possible love interest (Robin Tunney), check—so it will live or die on whether you think Baker is as awesome as CBS does.

HARPER'S ISLAND: Midseason 13-episode thriller, in which a party of guests goes to a resort island for a wedding, and they start getting murdered one by one. I can't tell if it'll be an entertaining escape or Lost for Dummies.

In any case, you don't have to take my word for it; TV Week has posted CBS trailer clips here. (As I find more trailers available online, I'll try to post links.)