Vegas Sent to Fridays, Golden Boy Staying on Tuesdays

CBS is changing their plans for Golden Boy and Vegas, the network’s two Tuesdays at 10pm series. Golden Boy was supposed to air twice on Tuesday nights before shifting to Fridays for the remainder of its season. Vegas would then return on March 19th.

Now, the network has decided to keep Golden Boy on Tuesdays and is shipping Vegas to Friday nights instead, starting April 5th (once basketball coverage has finished). An episode of Golden Boy will still air tomorrow night, as originally scheduled.

Neither show has been a success for the network but Golden Boy lost very little steam in week two so they may see it as a better bet than Vegas.

Though it’s seemed unlikely that Vegas would be renewed for a second season, a change in scheduling could end up helping the series survive. If Vegas can maintain about the same ratings on Friday nights, it could end up being a viable replacement for venerable CSI: NY. It’s also a good match with Blue Bloods.

The last few episodes of Vegas drew a 1.5 demo rating while CSI: NY’s attracted just a 1.2 in the demo.

Here’s the press release from CBS:

CBS’s NEW DRAMA “Golden Boy” TO REMAIN IN TUESDAY, 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT TIME PERIOD

An Original “Golden Boy” Will Air This Friday as Previously Scheduled

“Vegas” Moves to Friday, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT, Effective April 5

Golden Boy, CBS’s new drama about the meteoric rise of an ambitious cop who becomes the youngest police commissioner in the history of New York City, will remain on Tuesdays (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), after two special previews in the time period.

CBS previously announced that Golden Boy would move to Friday (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) after the preview broadcasts on Feb. 26 and March 3. An original episode of Golden Boy will still air this first Friday (March 8) at 9:00 PM, ET/PT as planned.

CBS will give the freshman drama Vegas a look in a new time period, moving it to Friday (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) beginning April 5, following the Network’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.

In its two Tuesday broadcasts, GOLDEN BOY is winning its time period in viewers and key demographics, averaging 9.98 million viewers, 2.6/07 in adults 25-54 and 1.7/05 in adults 18-49.

GOLDEN BOY stars Theo James, Chi McBride, Kevin Alejandro, Bonnie Somerville, Holt McCallany and Stella Maeve. Greg Berlanti and Emmy Award winner Nicholas Wootton are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.

Vegas stars Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jason O’Mara, Taylor Handley and Sarah Jones. Greg Walker, Nicholas Pileggi, Cathy Konrad, Arthur Sarkissian and James Mangold are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

What do you think? Is this good or bad news for Vegas? How about for Golden Boy?