The network of the tried and true, CBS did not go against type when announcing its first round of pickups for the fall season.
Known as the home of the spinoffs, CBS added a second iteration of “NCIS” to its schedule. Scott Bakula will star in “NCIS: New Orleans.” CBS already aired a backdoor pilot of the show in which Mark Harmon’s character, Jethro Gibbs, visits The Big Easy to help Bakula’s character, Dwayne Cassius Pride, solve a case.
There’s also a remake of the ABC series (and Neil Simon’s play) “The Odd Couple.” With three failed shows to his name (“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Mr. Sunshine” and “Go On”), Matthew Perry stars as messy Oscar Madison opposite Thomas Lennon as neat freak Felix Unger.
Dylan McDermott (“Hostages”) will star in Kevin Williamson’s “Stalker,” a drama that revolves around a pair of detectives who handle stalking incidents for the Threat Management Unit of the LAPD.
Tea Leoni, once called the next Lucille Ball when she had the NBC series “The Naked Truth” in the late 1990s, has a plum roles as “Madam Secretary.” The Barbara Hall drama explores the public and private lives of a maverick secretary of state.
“American Idol” and “Smash” alumna Katherine McPhee will co-star with Elyes Gabel in “Scorpion,” the story of genius Walter O’Brien, CEO of Scorpion Computer Services.