CBS: 'Two and a Half Men' to Thursday

Sensing opportunity -- nice word for “blood in the water” -- CBS will move “Two and a Half Men” to Thursdays this fall, effectively ensuring a clean win over “American Idol” and “The X Factor” -- at least in the early-to-mid stages of their respective seasons. In addition, “The Mentalist” is going to Sunday. Another big move.

The network also added a new show called “Elementary”  (that was expected) starring Jonny Lee Miller as a modern-day Sherlock. 

The meaning of the "2.5 Men” move? Simple: CBS easily has the pieces to keep the Monday sitcom lineup intact -- speaking here, of course, of the resurgent “How I Met Your  Mother,“ which will lead off the night. In addition, it's spent a fortune for this aging hit -- speaking of "2.5 Men” -- and now's the time to take full advantage of it, on a night where commercials are sold for a premium (in part because of movie releases) and where more viewers are available to watch. It also speaks to an extent about what CBS thinks about the forthcoming appearance of Britney Spears on “X Factor,“ also airing at 8. That show will skew younger, but not a lot younger, and so the network clearly thinks it's vulnerable even with the bright new shiny judges (Spears and Demi Lovato).

Here's the lineup: