The CSI universe has been a staple of CBS programming for the better part of two decades, but things aren’t looking too great for the franchise thanks to some terrible news coming from the big name behind CSI: Cyber. Ted Danson will be jumping ship from the crime drama to star opposite Kristen Bell in a new NBC sitcom called Good Place that, frankly, already sounds more entertaining than CSI: Cyber.
Good Place will follow the story of a New Jersey woman named Eleanor (Bell) who decides to turn over a new leaf after realizing that she hasn’t been a terribly good person. She sets out to learn what it means to be good and bad, then works to make up for her past behavior. Danson will play Michael, who will be an invaluable resource as Eleanor’s guide through her self-designed course of self-improvement.
Danson’s new sitcom has only been ordered for 13 episodes at this point, according to Entertainment Weekly, so there’s not necessarily any reason why he shouldn’t be able to drop by CSI: Cyber in the future or possibly even return if Good Place flops. Still, Danson returning to his comedy roots to play opposite Kristen Bell, on a comedy produced by Mike Schur of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Office fame, means the odds aren’t half bad that Good Place has a long future ahead of it. Danson’s departure from the already-struggling CSI: Cyber may be the last straw for what relatively few viewers are still tuning in each week.
Of course, CSI: Cyber didn’t exactly start pulling in record numbers once Danson jumped from the end of the cancelled CSI to join the crew for Season 2 of the last remaining spinoff in the franchise, but Cyber might not have held on as long as it has had Danson not come on board when he did.
Danson’s show might not be the only one to lose a cast member to Good Place. Kristen Bell has starred on Showtime’s comedy House of Lies for five seasons. Although Season 5 has yet to air, the possibility of the initial 13-episode order for Good Place being boosted up to a standard network season order of 20+ episodes could make working double duty tough on the actress.
Still, it is possible that Bell is doing the same thing as Danson and getting ready to jump from a sinking ship. Funny as it has been over four seasons to have aired thus far, House of Lies has never been Showtime’s highest-rated series, and Season 5 was the first in the show’s history to have its order cut down from twelve episodes to ten.
Ted Danson and Kristen Bell signing on for Good Place may not bode too well for CSI: Cyber or House of Lies, but it could mean great things for NBC. Danson still has some time left on Cyber so be sure to tune in to CBS on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET if you want to catch the rest of his appearances. If CSI: Cyber isn’t your cup of tea, check out our list of midseason premiere dates to see when your favorite shows are hitting the airwaves in 2016.
