CBS showed off its new slate of shows Wednesday at New York’s Carnegie Hall, in an effort to entice advertisers to pay big bucks for the broadcast network’s valuable commercial time.
Here are TheWrap‘s top seven takeaways from Leslie Moonves’ annual upfront event:
Charlie Rose Steals the Show
Who would have thought the standout from a Stephen Colbert cold open musical would be Charlie Rose? The “CBS News This Morning” anchor actually rhymed fellow Tiffany Network journalist “Josh Dickerson” with “I got a brand new ticker, son.” That’s pretty damn good for a fella recovering from heart surgery.
Colbert Goes Hard at Trump
Stephen Colbert thanked President Trump for his “Late Show” TV ratings gains — and then he immediately went after the guy. Click here for Colbert’s best jokes from CBS’ 2017 upfront event.
Cowboys QB Gets Love From Giants Fans
Retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback and new NFL on CBS gridiron analyst Tony Romo actually didn’t get booed in New York City — for once. That was a weird feeling for the 14-year veteran.
“The last time I got cheered in New York, I was on my ass in MetLife stadium,” Romo, who is Jim Nantz’s new on-air partner, quipped.
We Finally Saw “Star Trek: Discovery” — and Then James Corden Mocked It
The latest “Star Trek” reboot has been in the works for quite a while, and we finally caught some footage of the CBS All Access tentpole show. We have to say, it looked quite good — even if “The Late Late Show” host isn’t quite impressed with the choice of IP.
“Boldly going where only six TV shows and 13 movies have gone before,” he said of the franchise. Welcome to TV in 2017, James.
Cute Kids Still Rule
The Carnegie Hall crowd was pumped to see some “Little Sheldon,” but when the kid who plays the nine-year-old version of Jim Parson’s “Big Bang The0ry” character came out on stage, they were enamored. You don’t normally hear that many “Awwws” at an upfront.
Colbert’s Not the Only Guy With Jokes
You know who actually killed on-stage during the CBS upfront? “Superior Donuts” star, Jermaine Fowler. Who knew? We suppose “Superior Donuts” fans did.
The real-life twin dropped some solid punchlines about his ne’er-do-well brother, and expressed disbelief at being CBS’ first black lead in a decade. “‘Amazing Race,’ ‘Code Black,’ ‘Big Brother,’” he set up, rattling off current CBS series, “You think there’d be more black people.”
But Kelly Kahl Drops the Best Diss
After boasting to advertisers that Oprah Winfrey will join the landmark 50th season of “60 Minutes,” the senior executive vice president of CBS Primetime took a shot at closest competitor NBC: “Good Luck, Megyn Kelly.”