Complete Coverage: TCA Winter Press Tour 2013
RELATED: TCA: ‘Under the Dome' to Debut June 24
Pasadena, Calif. - CBS has told Two and a Half Men producer Warner Bros. Television that it would like to bring back the veteran comedy for an 11th season, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour Saturday.
"They're equally interested, so stay tuned, " she said.
None of the series regulars - Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer or Angus T. Jones are signed on for another season yet, but Tassler said that CBS would like to have Jones back despite a video rant late last year in which he called the show "filth" (he has since issued a public apology).
"We'd like him to be part of
it next year. I think
he would like to come back too," she said.
"He's been a beloved member of that cast for years and years
and years," Tassler told reporters after her executive session. "He issued a public apology. At the end of the day, they want him
back and he wants to come back and he's tabling next week.That's it and we
move on."
Other highlights from CBS' executive session:
On the future of How I Met Your Mother:
A ninth season renewal for How I Met Your Mother has been said to be imminent, and Tassler said she expects an official announcement within days.
"Well, I will be very happy
to report in a very few days, I believe, that things will be resolved," she said. "We're very confident and excited that things
will all work out, and almost everything is completed. Almost everything."
An early renewal will ensure that HIMYM creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays can plan towards ending its current eighth season without reveling the series central question.
"They had two plans in place, which is what we
would do if we resolve this year and what we would do if we came back next year
so we're going to sit down and talk to them probably in about a month," Tassler said.
On the new summer drama Under the Dome:
At the start of her session, Tassler showed a making-of video for CBS' upcoming drama Under the Dome, based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, underscoring the net's big hopes for the series. Given the series' auspices (Steven Spielberg is an executive producer), it might seem that CBS would want to schedule it in-season, Tassler saw an opportunity to do a big summer event with the script-to-series order.
"And also, you know,
summers, you have to make some noise," she said. "And we really wanted to this summer. And as you can see from the schedule, we've got a lot of fresh, great
content."
Though Tassler said she is hopeful Under the Dome could come back for a second season, there will be a key piece of information revealed to the audience at the end of the initial 13-episode order.
On Big Bang's big success:
There seems to be no stopping The Big Bang Theory, which has hit series high ratings the last two weeks, on Thursday drawing an eye-popping 6.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 20 million viewers. Tassler credits at least some of that growth to the show's successful run in syndication.
"I think that's got to be a
factor," she said. "Our business is ‑‑ our
economic model thrives on a show being exploited on different platforms. Obviously, the success it's having in
syndication cycles back and gives us, I think, that bump on broadcast."
As to if other networks will start to develop more multi-camera comedies given the growth of BBT six seasons in, Tassler remarked "You know, that's certainly
the conversation. And I think that
copying is the sincerest form of flattery, so we're fine with that."
On the status of Friend Me:
Midseason comedy Friend Me remains unscheduled after the unfortunate passing of series co-creator Alan Kirschenbaum last year.
"As many of you know, it was
a very painful situation this year towards the end of the production of the
show. It kind of slowed things down a
little bit," Tassler said. "So we're still in post. We haven't made any decisions just yet, but I
said that ‑‑ that show has a unique situation, but when we look at it,
we'll make a decision at that time."
