CBS announced Thursday that 9PM comedies “The Crazy Ones” and “Two and a Half Men” will be swapping timeslots.
Beginning February 27, freshman “The Crazy Ones” will move from 9 to 9:30PM. Veteran “Two and a Half Men,” which had been airing in that slot for the entirety of the season, will assume the earlier position at 9PM.
The move comes as CBS continues to endure a ratings bleed on Thursday nights. “The Big Bang Theory” routinely gives CBS a strong start at 8PM, but a significant portion of that audience exits before “The Millers” gets into its groove at 8:30PM. A significant portion of the remaining audience then exits before “The Crazy Ones” assumes the airwaves at 9PM.
In addition to being a stronger brand, “Two and a Half Men,” as a multi-camera sitcom, is theoretically more compatible with “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Millers” than single-camera “The Crazy Ones.” It should thus do a better job of retaining its “The Millers” lead-in; if the move is truly successful, it might also boost “The Millers” by creating a “bookend effect” with 8PM staple “Big Bang.”
Another motivation for the move? The need to bring eyeballs to new comedy “Bad Teacher.” If one assumes “Men” will perform better than “Crazy” at 9PM, he will naturally assume it is a more compelling lead-in for “Teacher.” That series, which stars Ari Graynor, premieres at 9:30PM on April 24–exactly one week after “The Crazy Ones” wraps its first season.
