Sherlock Holmes fans, rejoice! ‘Elementary’ earns CBS’ post Super-Bowl slot

If you ever wanted to see a vote of confidence, here it is: a network giving your show the most valuable timeslot of the entire year following the Super Bowl in order to build an audience. For 2012, this show was “The Voice,” and NBC is still reaping the rewards of that decision courtesy of not only high ratings, but also contestants who first watched the show earlier this year (see Mackenzie Bourg) after the big game and decided to try out.

As for the lucky recipient of the slot this time around for CBS, it’s none other than “Elementary”! The Sherlock Holmes mystery show featuring Jonny Lee Miller is several episodes in to its first season, and while the ratings have been better than any other new series on the network, the pedigree of the license has led some to say that the numbers in the 18-49 demographic thus far are a little bit of a disappointment. However, all of this could change once an army of football fans catch Miller’s great performance as the famed detective, who has been transformed into a recovering drug addict living in New York City. The show has some flaws, but it does just enough to elevate itself from crime TV mediocrity.

For many networks, the Super Bowl slot is often used to make an established hit (like “The Voice” or “Glee”) even bigger. However, CBS’ strategy has been different over the past few years, as they have tried instead to use it to help a new show gain an even greater audience in what is obviously an endorsement of the content that they do have. Three years ago, the network chose to launch a show here in “Undercover Boss.”

Do you think that giving “Elementary” this spot is a good move, or should they have just went for a ratings knockout in “The Big Bang Theory,” “2 Broke Girls,” or even another relatively-new series in “Person of Interest”?