Cedric's The Soul Man LIVE Premiere to Be Simulcast on 3 Networks; CBS Renews Big Bang Theory for 3 More Seasons, Plus 17 Other Series Renewed

Monday, March 17, 2014

Cedric's The Soul Man LIVE Premiere to Be Simulcast on 3 Networks; CBS Renews Big Bang Theory for 3 More Seasons, Plus 17 Other Series Renewed

Viacom networks TV Land, BET and CENTRIC have announced that they will simulcast the LIVE season three premiere of TV Land's original sitcom The Soul Man on Wednesday, March 26 at 10:30pm ET/PT. CENTRIC will also showcase the series beginning in April by running marathons of the first two seasons. Additionally, starting April 5, CENTRIC will air the new third season every Saturday at a special time of 10pm, 10 days after the episode debuts on TV Land. All subsequent episodes will air Saturdays at 9pm. The LIVE season premiere of The Soul Man will air on all three networks immediately following the LIVE season premiere of Hot in Cleveland, airing on TV Land at 10pm ET/PT. Fans can live tweet along with all three networks using the hashtag #SOULMANLive.

The Soul Man stars Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash and follows R&B superstar-turned-minister Reverend Boyce "The Voice" Ballentine (Cedric) after he relocated from Las Vegas to St. Louis with his wife Lolli (Nash). While learning to adjust to their new humble life, they have plenty of obstacles in their way. One of these is Boyce's brother Stamps (Wesley Jonathan), who seems to have taken up permanent residence in their house - and that's only made worse when Stamps sparks a new relationship with Lolli's sister (Kellee Stewart). Eight episodes have been ordered for the third season.

The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory, which is TV's most-watched comedy and the top-rated broadcast entertainment show among adults 18-49, has been renewed for an additional three years, extending it through the 2016-2017 season. Also, CBS announced pick-ups for 17 other series for next season. Combined with its previously announced pick-ups, CBS has now renewed 20 returning series for the 2014-2015 season, encompassing 17 hours of primetime programming. The 18 series renewed comprise 15.5 hours of CBS's weekly primetime schedule and include nine dramas, five comedies, two reality series and two news programs. The nine dramas picked up are: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, CSI, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Elementary and The Good Wife. The other renewed comedies in addition to The Big Bang Theory are 2 Broke Girls, The Millers, Mike & Molly, Mom and Two and a Half Men. In alternative programming, the Network announced pick-ups for its Emmy Award-winning reality series The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss, joining the previously announced renewal of Survivor for two more editions in 2014-15. Finally, in news, CBS will return 60 Minutes and 48 Hours Mystery. There are other series that still could be picked-up for next season, like The Crazy Ones, but no word yet and we probably won't know until the upfront in May. Stay tuned!