CBS puts up its dukes

The already intense TV network battles over Thursday nights are only going to intensify this fall, now that NBC’s “Friends” has left the air after a decade and Fox is reportedly moving its first-year hit “The O.C.” to the night. But CBS also has its eye on another NBC stronghold, the “Law & Order” lock on 10 p.m. Wednesdays.

With 23.1 million viewers tuning in to CBS’ Monday premiere of “CSI: NY” (technically a special episode of “CSI: Miami” featuring the spinoff “CSI: NY” cast of Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes), the network decided it had the show it needed to compete against NBC’s aging “Law & Order.” “We finally have the goods,” CBS Chairman and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said at a press conference Wednesday morning to unveil CBS’ fall schedule, which he also presented to advertisers later in the afternoon.

Moonves also expects to do well on Thursdays, with the tried and true lineup of “Survivor,” the original “CSI” and “Without a Trace.” NBC’s new “Friends” spinoff, “Joey,” he said, “may be OK, but it is not going to be ‘Friends.’ It is not going to change the country like ‘Friends’ did.”

What is less clear is the impact Fox’s “The O.C.” will have when it goes up against “Joey,” “Survivor” and ABC’s young-skewing “Extreme Makeover,” which all will compete at 8 p.m. Thursdays. “The O.C.” has been a breakout hit for Fox this season, airing primarily at 9 p.m. Wednesdays. Fox announces its fall plans today.

Still, the Wednesday time period is likely to prove to be one of the big showdowns of next season, with struggling ABC having scheduled the unscripted series “Wife Swap” there. The program, in which families trade moms for two weeks, is one of the few shows from ABC that immediately impressed a good number of advertisers this week. Meanwhile, NBC and CBS will be facing off with shows set in New York, a factor that Moonves said “doesn’t scare me.”

“CSI: NY” is one of just five new shows CBS is adding to the fall schedule, as it makes the stability of its lineup a key part of its pitch to advertisers deciding where to spend their money next season. The network, which unlike rivals added no new unscripted series, will also schedule two other dramas and two comedies as it attempts to keep its mantle of most-watched network while also trying to lower the average age of its viewers, a goal Moonves called a priority.

Monday nights, CBS is taking “Yes, Dear” out of the comedy lineup and slotting “Listen Up” at 8:30 p.m., which will move “Still Standing” to 8 p.m. The latest attempt to find a workable new comedy for a former “Seinfeld” cast member, “Listen Up” stars Jason Alexander as a sports columnist and is based on the writings of Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post. Moonves called the program a “fastball down the middle” to explain why he thinks Alexander’s show will succeed where other post-”Seinfeld” efforts failed.

The new show will provide the lead-in to the final season of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which is returning with 16 episodes, fewer than usual. “Yes, Dear,” while not on the schedule, was given a 13-episode backup order for a possible midseason return.

Tuesdays at 9, CBS has canceled the older-appealing “The Guardian” and will put in its place “Clubhouse,” a drama about a 16-year-old who is a batboy for a professional baseball team modeled after the New York Yankees. Moonves called the family-oriented show, which stars Mare Winningham and Dean Cain, among others, “next year’s ‘Joan of Arcadia.’ ”

In addition to “CSI: NY,” CBS will add a comedy, “Center of the Universe,” to its Wednesday lineup, at 9:30 p.m., replacing the short-lived “The Stones.” The program pairs John Goodman and Jean Smart as a long-married couple who have to cope with his odd parents, played by Ed Asner and Olympia Dukakis. The Wednesday version of the newsmagazine “48 Hours” is leaving the schedule to make way for “CSI: NY.”

Fridays at 10 p.m., in place of repeats, CBS will try the new drama “dr. vegas,” starring Rob Lowe as the in-house doctor at a casino.

While not adding any new programs, CBS is also taking a new tack on Saturdays, where it has found little success this season despite running the original dramas “The District” and “Hack.” Those programs were canceled and the lineup now will be “48 Hours,” followed by the young-skewing reality show “The Amazing Race,” which the network is still debating whether to air in the summer, as well. At 10 p.m. there will be reruns of CBS dramas, packaged under the title “Crimetime Saturday.”

As its only other backup in addition to “Yes, Dear,” CBS picked up a comedy starring Jenna Elfman (“Dharma & Greg”). In a snipe at his rivals, Moonves said that CBS has confidence in the shows it is putting on and didn’t feel a need to order a large number of potential replacements.

In other news, CBS said the Wednesday newsmagazine “60 Minutes II” now will simply be called “60 Minutes.” In a snipe at NBC’s recent spate of “Dateline” newsmagazine programs dedicated to NBC’s own entertainment series, Moonves said, “I don’t think you’ll see two hours of ’60 Minutes’ devoted to ‘Raymond’ ” when it leaves the air next year.

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CBS lineup

CBS is largely sticking with its existing schedule, adding five new shows, none of them unscripted.

What’s New

“Listen Up” (8:30-9 p.m. Mondays): Jason Alexander plays a family man and sportswriter -- inspired by Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser -- in this new comedy.

“Clubhouse” (9-10 p.m. Tuesdays): A fatherless boy finds his way -- and deceives his mom -- when he becomes batboy for a Major League baseball team. A drama from Aaron Spelling and Mel Gibson’s companies.

“Center of the Universe” (9:30-10 p.m. Wednesdays): John Goodman and Jean Smart star in a comedy about a large family that includes oddball parents played by Ed Asner and Olympia Dukakis.

“CSI: NY” (10-11 p.m. Wednesdays): In the latest extension of the hit drama franchise, Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes investigate crime scenes in New York.

“dr. vegas” (10-11 p.m. Fridays): Rob Lowe is an ER doctor who becomes in-house physician at a Las Vegas casino. Joe Pantoliano also stars.

What’s Moved

“Still Standing” (8-8:30 p.m. Mondays)

“The Amazing Race” (9-10 p.m. Saturdays)

What’s Gone

(shows on CBS’ fall ’03 schedule):

“The Guardian,” “The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.,” “The Handler,” “Hack” and “The District.”

What Else

(shows ordered but not on the fall lineup):

“Yes, Dear”: The veteran relationship comedy has been picked up for the mid-season.

Untitled Jenna Elfman project: Dharma of “Dharma & Greg” reunites with the creator of that show (and “Two and a Half Men”) for a new mid-season comedy.