CBS Eyes Back to You

Recently it was reported that FOX was picking up ‘Til Death but taking a pass on Back to You (FOX also decided to pass on New Amsterdam). Now TV Week is reporting that CBS is taking a look at picking up Back to You.

From a ratings perspective, Back to You did not perform much better than ‘Til Death. It had more viewers and households, but on an 18-49 basis both shows were tied for 104th through the week of May 4th. Back to You was #107 in overall household rating compared to 122 for ‘Til Death (ironically, tied with Jericho, but alas, Jericho was 137th in the 18-49 demo).

But production costs for Back to You may be much higher, especially given its two stars, Kelsey Grammer (of Cheers/Frasier fame) and Patricia Heaton (King of Queens). CBS has been rumored to be considering a second night of comedies, and if they stuck back to you on Monday nights following Two and a Half Men it would no doubt perform considerably better than it did on FOX.

TV Week reports that CBS boss Leslie Moonves has received five episodes of Back to You to screen, and to be honest, I’m a little surprised to find that’s falling on Moonves as opposed to CBS Entertainment president, Nina Tassler. I imagine Ms. Tassler is less surprised than I am.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/11/cbs-eyes-back-to-you/3715

Studio Trying to Save 'Back to You'
CBS mulling a pickup, as ABC and Fox start putting together their schedules
By Josef Adalian

Fox is getting out in front of the upfront greenlight process, ABC is preparing for "Life on Mars" and CBS is being wooed as a possible new home for the canceled comedy "Back to You."

Meanwhile, the CW is moving forward with two scripted dramas and a new reality show from exec producer Tyra Banks.

Those are among the headlines coming out of New York Sunday as the networks begin their scaled-down upfront week for 2008. Here's a look at some of the details:

—ABC has reached a deal with 20th Century Fox TV and David E. Kelley Productions that will likely result in a series order for "Mars," the Kelley-produced adaptation of the BBC drama. Kelley is expected to depart the project, and in exchange, ABC has renewed Kelley's "Boston Legal" for a fifth season. "Legal" will air in the fall, and it's believed ABC has the right to cut back its episode order on the show to 13, a person familiar with the discussions said.

Kelley would not give his blessing to "Mars" moving forward unless he had a greenlight for "Legal," the source said. Executives at ABC were understandably unhappy about "Mars" being held hostage for "Legal," which has failed to catch fire with audiences (though it does do well with upscale viewers).

As for other upfront buzz at ABC, the game show "Opportunity Knocks" is looking good for a fall or late summer berth, with producer J.D. Roth on board as host. "According to Jim" will be back for another season, while "Scrubs" is moving to ABC from NBC.

—20th has given CBS boss Leslie Moonves episodes of "Back to You" to screen as part of its bid to set up the comedy at the network. Fox canceled the Kelsey Grammer-Patricia Heaton show over the weekend, forcing sister studio 20th to find a new home for the project.

Ironically, CBS had been mentioned as a home for "Back to You" a year ago, before it landed at Fox. Heaton is the former star of CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond," while CBS several years ago tried to get Grammer to star in a spinoff of "Frasier." The network is hoping to open a new night of comedy beyond its Monday lineup, and a Grammer-Heaton project could be a solid anchor for such an extension.

CBS is expected to make the bulk of its 2008-09 series orders Monday. It may also decide the fate of bubble shows "How I Met Your Mother," "Shark" and "The Unit"-- all from 20th Century Fox TV.

—While Fox isn't officially saying anything, the network has given a thumbs up to "Fringe," an "X-Files"-like drama from exec producer J.J. Abrams; the Jason Bateman-directed comedy pilot "The Inn"; and the animated half-hour "Sit Down, Shut Up" (from "Arrested Development" creator Mitch Hurwitz). And while "Back to You" was canceled, the network did greenlight a third season of Sony's "'Til Death."

OMG THANK YOU.

*Prays Les Mooves makes right decision*

CBS Eyes Back to You

Recently it was reported that FOX was picking up ‘Til Death but taking a pass on Back to You (FOX also decided to pass on New Amsterdam). Now TV Week is reporting that CBS is taking a look at picking up Back to You.

From a ratings perspective, Back to You did not perform much better than ‘Til Death. It had more viewers and households, but on an 18-49 basis both shows were tied for 104th through the week of May 4th. Back to You was #107 in overall household rating compared to 122 for ‘Til Death (ironically, tied with Jericho, but alas, Jericho was 137th in the 18-49 demo).

But production costs for Back to You may be much higher, especially given its two stars, Kelsey Grammer (of Cheers/Frasier fame) and Patricia Heaton (King of Queens). CBS has been rumored to be considering a second night of comedies, and if they stuck back to you on Monday nights following Two and a Half Men it would no doubt perform considerably better than it did on FOX.

TV Week reports that CBS boss Leslie Moonves has received five episodes of Back to You to screen, and to be honest, I’m a little surprised to find that’s falling on Moonves as opposed to CBS Entertainment president, Nina Tassler. I imagine Ms. Tassler is less surprised than I am.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/11/cbs-eyes-back-to-you/3715

TV Week needs to get its fact straight: Patricia Heaton was never on
King of Queens.

LOL, CBS would have their best line-up ever if this was it next year;

8 - The Big Bang Theory
830 - Rules of Engagement
9 - Two and a Half Men
930 - Back to You

That is my dream lineup!

*Prays Les Mooves makes right decision*

Please God!!!

Is there a way we can get our signatures over to CBS???

Let's hope CBS gives it a try. They've had more success with sitcoms in the last few years than FOX has in a decade.

We really NEED to act on this...We need to send something over to CBS.

This would be the best outcome possible. BTY just feels more like a CBS show than a Fox show. Put it after Two and a Half Men please.

Brian, you can send the petition over to CBS as well as FOX, can't you? Just change the aim from FOX to FOX/CBS, or something like that. I think a petition would still be needed. Screening episodes of the show won't just cut it . . . we'll have to show CBS that we WANT them to air BTY.

This is great news, though. I thought it might have been a vague possibility that they pick up the show, but now they are seriously thinking about. I think CBS could do wonders for this show. We'll show FOX that passing on this show was a huge mistake.

Maybe another thing we can do is begin to send emails and letters to CBS, telling them we want them to pick up Back to You. Not a bad idea . . .

CBS did this once before when one of my favorite shows Jag was cancelled by NBC. CBS picked it up and it became a huge hit. NBC didn't know how to program it. I think that's the same way with Fox and BTY. It will always be on the bubble at Fox.

Brian, you can send the petition over to CBS as well as FOX, can't you? Just change the aim from FOX to FOX/CBS, or something like that. I think a petition would still be needed. Screening episodes of the show won't just cut it . . . we'll have to show CBS that we WANT them to air BTY.

This is great news, though. I thought it might have been a vague possibility that they pick up the show, but now they are seriously thinking about. I think CBS could do wonders for this show. We'll show FOX that passing on this show was a huge mistake.

Maybe another thing we can do is begin to send emails and letters to CBS, telling them we want them to pick up Back to You. Not a bad idea . . .


I can't chane anything on there as far as I know. I tried earlier and they said once it is signed, you can't edit the petition.


I'll send the LINK to CBS though. I have their mailing address, I just need an email address for CBS.

CBS did this once before when one of my favorite shows Jag was cancelled by NBC. CBS picked it up and it became a huge hit. NBC didn't know how to program it. I think that's the same way with Fox and BTY. It will always be on the bubble at Fox.


Good point

I can't chane anything on there as far as I know. I tried earlier and they said once it is signed, you can't edit the petition.


I'll send the LINK to CBS though. I have their mailing address, I just need an email address for CBS.

Yeah, those online petitions always have given me troubles-LOL. Definitely do send it to both FOX and CBS, though. I know you can send feedback to CBS at http://www.cbs.com/#. I've already sent a request for Back to You there, but I'm not sure how exactly you'd send the petition.

CBS did this once before when one of my favorite shows Jag was cancelled by NBC. CBS picked it up and it became a huge hit. NBC didn't know how to program it. I think that's the same way with Fox and BTY. It will always be on the bubble at Fox.

CBS has also done it before with sitcoms. When ABC cancelled Family Matters and Step by Step back in 1997, CBS picked them up for an additional season. So we know they've done it in the past, let's just hope they do it in the future ;)

I hope CBS decides to pick up BTY.

LOL, CBS would have their best line-up ever if this was it next year;

8 - The Big Bang Theory
830 - Rules of Engagement
9 - Two and a Half Men
930 - Back to You

That is my dream lineup!

That sounds like a very good line-up. :)

CBS has also done it before with sitcoms. When ABC cancelled Family Matters and Step by Step back in 1997, CBS picked them up for an additional season. So we know they've done it in the past, let's just hope they do it in the future ;)
I never knew this. It's the salary part that gives me pause, with Kelsey and Patty. I never understood why the show was on FOX in the first place. Made no sense to me.

http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/back-to-you-kelsey-grammer-patricia-heaton-sitcom-may-not-be-dead/

Back to You: Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton Sitcom May Not Be Dead

Though FOX has cancelled (http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/fox-cancels-back-to-you-renews-til-death/) Back to You (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/back-to-you/), TVWeek (http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/studio_trying_to_save_back_to.php) is reporting the series may find new life on another network. 20th Century Fox (http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/back-to-you-kelsey-grammer-patricia-heaton-sitcom-may-not-be-dead/#) TV produces the series and is trying to find it a new home. They’re reportedly delivered episodes of Back to You to CBS President and CEO, Leslie Moonves, to see if the network wants to take it on for season two.

In early 2007, CBS and other networks were involved in a bidding war for Back to You. FOX eventually won out and gave the series a 13-episode commitment without having seen a pilot. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake as it took awhile for the sitcom to find its groove. The sitcom didn’t live up to ratings expectations and, coupled with production expenses, FOX cancelled the show.

CBS has been interested in both Grammer and Heaton for some time. Heaton, of course, co-starred on the popular Everybody Loves Raymond (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/everybody-loves-raymond/) for nine seasons. CBS Paramount Television (http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/back-to-you-kelsey-grammer-patricia-heaton-sitcom-may-not-be-dead/#) tried to woo Grammer for a Frasier (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/frasier/) spin-off but it didn’t work out.

If CBS attempts another block of sitcoms, that will likely mean good news for not-yet-renewed shows like How I Met Your Mother (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/how-i-met-your-mother/), Rules of Engagement (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/rules-of-engagement/), and The New Adventures of Old Christine (http://tvseriesfinale.com/shows/the-new-adventures-of-old-christine/). Stay tuned! http://tvseriesfinale.com/assets/tvseriesfinale-end.gif (http://%20tvseriesfinale.com/)

Fox cancels 'Back to You'
Monday, May 12, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Carin Baer/Fox
Sadness all around: Fox cancels "Back to You," starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.Fox has canceled the Pittsburgh-set newsroom sitcom "Back to You" after a single season, a surprise decision that also caught producers off guard.

At the same time, Fox renewed "'Til Death," even though it gets lower household ratings. "Back to You" has regularly built on the ratings of "'Til Death," its Wednesday night lead-in.

Despite some midseason tinkering with the cast -- one actress was let go, another role recast -- Fox seemed high on "Back to You," which stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, was created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and is directed by James Burrows ("Friends").

Hollywood trade publications suggest it was those marquee names on-screen and behind-the-scenes that pushed the show's cost up to a point that even its ratings superiority relative to "'Til Death" didn't matter.

"Back to You," a traditional sitcom that always seemed like it would have been an out-of-the-box hit in the '80s or '90s, garnered interest from multiple networks while in development more than a year ago. The show seemed like a better fit for CBS than Fox, but it landed on Fox, sister-company of the Fox studio that produces the show.

]Producers may try to shop "Back to You" to another network, but such last-minute attempts for a reprieve seldom bear fruit. [B]The show's final episode airs at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on WPGH. Fox will announce its full fall schedule on Thursday.

I never knew this. It's the salary part that gives me pause, with Kelsey and Patty. I never understood why the show was on FOX in the first place. Made no sense to me.

Yeah, the salaries are a huge holdup when it comes to renewing this show, but I'm sure CBS understand this. FOX obviously didn't. I wonder if Kelsey and Patricia and even the other actors would be willing to take a small paycut if it means keeping this show on the air.

as someone has mentioned in a previous thread, fox is not a traditional sitcom network- they never have been. if you take a look at their track record, the simpsons, futurama, malcolm in the middle, american idol, x-files to name but a couple have been major successes in their own right, but they are not sitcom shows. btw, if you thought that you guys were the only ones missing back to you, check out some of the threads on the 'back to you' board on IMDB, where of which some of the fans echo their sentiments of the show

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105805646?d=105875530&p=1#105875530

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105805469

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105723255

as someone has mentioned in a previous thread, fox is not a traditional sitcom network- they never have been. if you take a look at their track record, the simpsons, futurama, malcolm in the middle, american idol, x-files to name but a couple have been major successes in their own right, but they are not sitcom shows. btw, if you thought that you guys were the only ones missing back to you, check out some of the threads on the 'back to you' board on IMDB, where of which some of the fans echo their sentiments of the show

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105805646?d=105875530&p=1#105875530

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105805469

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0950721/board/thread/105723255

If you can, tell them about our campaign here...PLEASE :)

If you can, tell them about our campaign here...PLEASE :)

I'm way ahead of you Brian . . .

I'm way ahead of you Brian . . .

Hey Julie, when you wrote to TV Guide did you address you message to one of the reporters (Ausiello, Roush) or just tvguide? Ausiello is the one reporting on the pickups and cancellations.

Hey Julie, when you wrote to TV Guide did you address you message to one of the reporters (Ausiello, Roush) or just tvguide? Ausiello is the one reporting on the pickups and cancellations.


I sent one to Michael Ausiello.

Is there a way we can get our signatures over to CBS???

Go over to CBS and send them a comment. I did. The more the better. Also, the more of ALL kinds of noise made, the better!

Hey Julie, when you wrote to TV Guide did you address you message to one of the reporters (Ausiello, Roush) or just tvguide? Ausiello is the one reporting on the pickups and cancellations.

I believe I emailed it to TV Guide in general. Either that, or one of the department heads. It could have been 1 of them, but if not, I'm sure it'll be forwarded. I still haven't gotten a reply from any of them yet.

The salaries weren't an issue here, just a convenient excuse to pull the show. Studio/network could have asked to reduce the cost if this truly was an issue. Again just another poor excuse from these pernicious people that run FBC.

The salaries weren't an issue here, just a convenient excuse to pull the show. Studio/network could have asked to reduce the cost if this truly was an issue. Again just another poor excuse from these pernicious people that run FBC.

That's a good point. FOX never asked the producers once (from what I know) to cut costs on the show). If they really wanted this show to get a second season, they would have easily asked for budget cuts to made. But, the more I think about it, the more it seems like an excuse by FOX.