CBS will announce the fate of Everybody Loves Raymond in the next two to three weeks, chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves said Tuesday.
"We’re talking," he said. "That’s better than not talking. We’re still very guardedly optimistic."
Moonves said bringing the show back with a limited number of episodes is one option. CBS typically buys 24 episodes of the hit comedy each year, but executive producer Phil Rosenthal wants to be sure the show still has stories to tell before he reups for season nine.
Moonves also said the network is going to be "more careful, vigilant about what goes on the air," after last month’s incident at the Super Bowl and subsequent hearings on indecency on Capitol Hill. "Clearly we are working with different organizations and talking about ratcheting up public service announcements on content, the V-chip, and so on."
But CBS does have one controversial project on the horizon. The network has decided to go ahead with made-for-TV movie Helter Skelter, a remake of a movie about the life of serial killer and cult leader Charles Manson.
"It’s a piece that is very violent," Moonves said. "There will be warnings throughout the show, warnings at every commercial break throughout the show and in every promo about the show. It’s important to be able to put on adult content but essential to warn our audience about what it is they are going to be seeing and that it’s inappropriate for children."
Moonves also said the finale of Survivor: All-Stars will be broadcast live from Madison Square Garden on May 9 from 8 to 10 p.m.
