CBS' fall lineup: James Woods, Jeri Ryan, and more

Ratings king CBS is showing no fear. Its new lineup moves Without a Trace to Sunday, trusting Cold Case to anchor an increasingly besieged Thursday along with Shark, a promising-looking newcomer (starring Jeri Ryan and James Woods, pictured) from Über-producer Brian Grazer and (for the pilot, at least) director Spike Lee. (Need any more proof that the small screen is where the action is these days?)

CBS isn’t adding as many new shows as its rivals, but then again, it doesn’t need to. Aside from Shark, I’m probably most excited about Jericho, another tightly time-plotted thriller of isolation: The premise is, the residents of a small, remote town in Kansas see a mushroom cloud on the horizon; shortly after that, they’re cut off from the outside world. Sounds distinctly Lost-y, which is to say, I’ll definitely give it a try.

Oh, and as for those journeys of happenstance popping up all over the dial? CBS has one, too: The Class, a comedy that follows individuals who happen to be alumni of the same third-grade class. Who knew multiplication tables could be a bonding experience? Apparently, someone at CBS. Hey, Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Broadway’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is in it! My TiVo gives the nod.

And guess what? No new police procedurals. Where would CBS put them? Nearly every night’s lineup features the words “Crime” or “Investigation” already. Apparently, there are already enough detectives on the case. It makes you wonder: If we devoted half the manpower assigned to fictional crime to solving real crimes, would we eliminate crime entirely? Write to your congressperson. I want to see Anthony LaPaglia handing out parking tickets.

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