CBS Sitcom Plot Rises From Trade Center Ruins

In another sign that the entertainment industry is starting to process and incorporate the events of Sept. 11 rather than shy away from them, CBS Television President Leslie Moonves said Thursday that his network is considering a pilot for a comedy series whose plot arises out of the terrorist attacks.

The proposed CBS comedy, whose creator Moonves declined to identify, was originally conceived before Sept. 11 as a middle-aged romance. Afterward, the writer suggested that they “heighten the stakes,” Moonves said, and have it revolve around a widow and widower brought together after losing spouses in the World Trade Center bombing.

The network has yet to commit to a pilot episode and wouldn’t tape a prototype until the spring, Moonves said, so circumstances of their meeting “could easily be changed.” He stressed that the network isn’t trying to exploit the tragedy but rather respond to the touching personal stories that have come out about the victims and their families.

“When appropriate, we shouldn’t run away from it,” he said. “You want relevance when it’s appropriate.”

Moonves also told reporters that the network will broadcast the previously delayed first episode of its CIA drama “The Agency,” which had been postponed because its terrorist plot too closely resembled reality.

“The Agency” pilot initially dealt with CIA efforts to stop terrorists from blowing up Harrods department store in London. Moonves said a reference to Osama bin Laden will be edited out and the name of the store changed, at the request of its owner, Mohamed Al Fayed.

CBS retested the episode with a focus group and received strong approval as being appropriate to air now, Moonves said. The episode will be shown in November during the so-called rating “sweeps,” which are used to determine future ad rates for local stations.

Moonves said that the networks “to a certain degree” overreact when confronted with situations such as the Sept. 11 tragedy and that the references to the subject will inevitably arise where appropriate. In that respect, he said there are certain natural topics to be covered in a show about the CIA.

Network television’s first instinct when the attacks occurred was to strip out anything that could be even remotely conceived of as objectionable in light of actual events, going to such extremes as digitally editing out the trade center towers from the New York skyline in some cases.

A notable exception was NBC’s “The West Wing,” whose creator, Aaron Sorkin, insisted on writing a special episode that aired Oct. 3 exploring terrorism’s roots. NBC’s drama “Third Watch,” which revolves around police, fire and rescue personnel, will also begin a three-part arc Monday that addresses the attacks. In Part 1, cast members will talk with their real-life counterparts; the two following episodes will look at characters’ lives before and after the attack.

Among the networks, CBS has been especially hard hit in terms of scheduling disruptions brought about by the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, having twice postponed the Emmy Awards--a telecast that would have helped promote its fall lineup.

Moreover, a White House press conference scheduled for Thursday evening was expected to force CBS to run the premiere of “Survivor: Africa” at a later hour in the Eastern and Central time zones.

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Times staff writer Brian Lowry in Los Angeles contributed to this story.