Yes, there is such a thing. Primetime television’s 2012-2013 season officially kicks off on the Monday after the Emmys telecast, which falls this year on September 23. Over the past decade or so broadcasters have bucked that idea, debuting some shows — mostly the newer ones — either before or well-after the fall season starting line in order to beat the season premiere traffic jam. The idea is to give said series a chance to stand out from the rest of the pack.
However, CBS has rarely engaged in that strategy because as the #1 network, it doesn’t have to get out of anyone’s way. Everyone else gets out of its way. Thus, it can premiere “Survivor: Philippines” on September 19 and call that an early start when, relative to the competition, it really isn’t.
Other noteworthy return dates: “How I Met Your Mother” is back on Monday, September 24 at 8pm, with the season premiere of “Hawaii Five-O” riding the wave on the same night at 10pm. “NCIS” makes its 10th season premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 8pm, the same night at the series premiere of Dennis Quaid‘s new period drama “Vegas” at 10pm. “The Big Bang Theory” returns on Thursday, September 27th at 8pm, with the series debut of the contemporary Sherlock Holmes series “Elementary” at 10pm. “The Good Wife” and “The Mentalist,” meanwhile, return on Sunday September 30 at 9pm and 10pm respectively.
Read on for the full schedule, taken from CBS’s press release.
Wednesday, Sept. 19
8:00-9:30 PM “Survivor: Philippines” (25th edition premiere)
Monday, Sept. 24
8:00-8:30 PM “How I Met Your Mother” (8th season premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM “Partners” (Series Debut)
9:00-9:30 PM “2 Broke Girls” (2nd season premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM “Mike & Molly” (3rd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM “Hawaii Five-O” (3rd season premiere)
Tuesday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 PM “NCIS” (10th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM “NCIS: Los Angeles” (4th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM “Vegas” (Series Debut)
Wednesday, Sept. 26
9:00-10:00 PM “Criminal Minds” (8th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (13th season premiere)
Thursday, Sept. 27
8:00-8:30 PM “The Big Bang Theory” (6th season premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM “Two and a Half Men” (10th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM “Person of Interest” (2nd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM “Elementary” (Series Debut)
Friday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 PM CSI: NY (9th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM “Made In Jersey” (Series Debut)
10:00-11:00 PM “Blue Bloods” (3rd season premiere)
Saturday, Sept. 29
10:00-11:00 PM “48 Hours Mystery” (26th season premiere)
Sunday, Sept. 30
7:00-8:00 PM “60 Minutes” (45th season premiere)
8:00-9:00 PM “The Amazing Race” (21st edition premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM “The Good Wife” (4th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM “The Mentalist” (5th season premiere)
