CBS adds two new crime procedurals, "Battle Creek" and "CSI: Cyber," to its primetime lineup in March.
"Battle Creek" comes from Emmy-winners David Shore ("House M.D.") and Vince Gilligan ("Breaking Bad"). The show will premiere on Sunday, March 1 and fill the 10 p.m. timeslot currently held by the "CSI" flagship series, which had its episode order cut from 22 to 18 in October.
The show stars Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters as two mismatched law enforcement officers whose polar opposite views of the world and crime-solving breed frustration, disdain and humor as they clean up the "hardscrabble streets" of Battle Creek, Michigan. The show also stars Janet McTeer, Kal Penn, Aubrey Dollar and Edward Fordham, Jr.
Gilligan wrote the pilot for "Battle Creek" 12 years ago. Shore will run the show as Gilligan remains tied to his "Breaking Bad" spinoff "Better Call Saul" on AMC.
"I'm sorry I'm not a bigger part of ['Battle Creek'] as I would like to be because of my duties on 'Better Call Saul,'" Gilligan told reporters in July. He added, "I'm lucky to be up on this stage" with the cast and executive producers, "who do a great job."
"CSI: Cyber" will premiere on Wednesday, March 4 at 10 p.m. The "CSI" spinoff replaces the well-rated "Stalker," which will return later in the season.
Patricia Arquette, who plays the head of the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI, made her debut on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" last spring and will lead a team of investigators solving Internet-based crimes. Her co-stars include James Van Der Beek, Peter MacNicol, Shad Moss, Charley Koontz and Hayley Kiyoko.
The new series has been compared to the beginning of the original series in 2000 when audiences were introduced to the world of crime scene investigation.
"I think it's what 'CSI' was 14 years ago. People were not aware of forensic mysteries and how DNA and all of that stuff plays into solving crimes," said "CSI" star Ted Danson.
