— THR reports that CBS is considering spinning off crime drama “Criminal Minds” later this season. According to sources, a “Criminal Minds” episode planned for this spring will serve as a potential backdoor for the spin-off.
Talk of a “Criminal Minds” off-shoot had come up previously, but such hype disappeared when CBS instead opted to pursue “NCIS: Los Angeles,” a spin-off of hit series “NCIS.”
The new series would reportedly revolve around new FBI agents, as opposed to characters on the original show.
— Monday’s ratings revealed continued success for “The Big Bang Theory,” continued trouble for “Heroes” and poor openings for “Lie to Me” and “Trauma.”
Following “How I Met Your Mother” (8.7 million, 3.6 in adults 18-49) and “Accidentally on Purpose” (8 million, 3.1), “Two and a Half Men” (13.9 million, 4.8) and “The Big Bang Theory” (13.3 million, 5.3) made big gains for CBS–the latter hit a series high. “CSI: Miami” followed with 14 million viewers and a 4.1.
NBC’s struggle, meanwhile, continued. “Heroes” was down to just 5.7 million viewers with a 2.5, while new drama “Trauma” opened to a mere 6.7 million and 2.2. “The Jay Leno Show” aired for 5.5 million viewers with a 1.7 in 18-49.
While “House” held up well (14.7 million, 5.8), “Lie to Me” bombed in its season two premiere (7.7 million, 2.9), throwing away about half of its lead-in. It nonetheless did better than “Prison Break” did in the slot last year.