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#17 Cane
Who picked it up? CBS
When does it air? Tuesdays 10/9
Who stars? Jimmy Smits, Polly Walker, Rita Moreno, Hector Elizondo, and more!
Why should you care? The show is beautifully filmed, the actors are all top-rate (Polly Walker will send chills up your spine with how she commands the screen), the show has a brain, and it is (in pure artistic terms) the best thing to air on CBS in a long, long time.
Why should you worry? First, this show is on the wrong network. This does not feel or look like a CBS show. Consequently, CBS viewers (a incredibly loyal and predictable bunch) will likely reject the show. CBS does not own the show outright, either, meaning they will likely show as much patience for it as they did to the show that occupied this same timeslot last year -- Smith only aired three episodes before getting the boot. Actually, nothing has succeeded in this timeslot on CBS in a long time. Ever since Judging Amy left the slot years ago many CBS fans have been whispering about the Judging Amy curse. Is Cane really the show to break it?
Bottom line? This pilot is stunning -- and if it were being developed for NBC or ABC it would be a better fit. Unfortunately, it is on CBS. While CBS is really smart about airing what it knows how to air, it does not know what to do with shows like Cane. If you think that is harsh, then consider this: CBS has learned nothing about scheduling, putting Cane in the exact same time slot as Smith, another artistic show with tons of potential but that needed a good lead-in and ultimately failed on the night. Cane could give CBS the critical presence it craves, but the net needed to put it in a place where it could be nurtured (the only place for this pilot was the post-CSI Thursday slot). We'll be rooting for Cane, but we won't expect much.