CBS holds “Angel From Hell” for February

In a last-minute move, CBS announced Wednesday that its sitcom “2 Broke Girls” would be returning for its fifth season on Nov. 12, bumping the network’s new Jane Lynch single-camera sitcom “Angel From Hell” to midseason.

“Angel From Hell” was originally scheduled to debut on Nov. 5, a week after the network’s “Thursday Night Football” commitment ended, but will be replaced that week with a rebroadcast of “The Big Bang Theory” with “2 Broke Girls” beginning the following week.

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It seems likely that the move comes in part due to the underperformance of CBS’ other freshman sitcom, “Life in Pieces,” a single-camera comedy that focuses on the disjointed adventures of a large, unpredictable family. “Life in Pieces” has been airing after “The Big Bang Theory” in the 8 p.m. hour and consistently failing to hold more than half of the long-running show’s audience.

Premiering “Angel From Hell” in February allows the network to focus its energies exclusively on “Life in Pieces,” while giving it additional time to promote the Lynch comedy about a could-be guardian angel, including, potentially, the option of touting the series during the Super Bowl, which the network will broadcast on Feb. 7.

CBS has long-struggled with single-camera comedies. Its most recent such effort to last beyond three seasons was “MASH,” which ended its 11-year run over 30 years ago. (“How I Met Your Mother” incorporated single-camera elements, as well as traditional multicamera set-ups.)

The CBS schedule as it stands for Nov. 5 includes “The Big Bang Theory” and “Life in Pieces” returning to Thursday night, after starting the season on Mondays due to the network’s NFL commitments, followed by the third season premiere of “Mom” at 9 p.m. “The Big Bang Theory” will then be rebroadcast at 9:30, followed by the fourth season premiere of “Elementary.”

The following week, “2 Broke Girls” replaces the “Big Bang Theory” rerun.

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