CBS makes Monday moves: ‘We Are Men’ toast, ‘Mike & Molly’ returning

CBS is making big changes to its Monday night lineup after a disappointing start in the new fall television season.

Gone after just two episodes is the new situation comedy “We Are Men,” which was airing in the 8:30 p.m. time slot. “We Are Men,” which followed four men struggling to make connections with women, averaged just 6 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Also, the raunchy sitcom “2 Broke Girls” is being demoted from 9 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. So far this season, “2 Broke Girls” has averaged about 8 million viewers, which is off 17% compared with a year ago.

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CBS will replace “2 Broke Girls” at 9 p.m. with reruns of its Thursday smash “The Big Bang Theory” for the next few weeks. Then in November, the network will bring “Mike & Molly” off the bench to take custody of that crucial time period.

Staying put for now is the 10 p.m. kidnapping drama “Hostages,” which is averaging just 6.2 million viewers. Last year, “Hawaii Five-0” averaged 8.1 million viewers in that same hour. If the ratings for “Hostages” don’t jump up when viewing from digital video recorders and video-on-demand is factored in, CBS will probably make a change there.

Still delivering for CBS is the long-running sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” which is in its last season and occupies the 8 p.m. slot. This season, “How I Met Your Mother” is up 3% in both viewers and adults 18-49, which is the coveted demographic for advertisers.

Overall, CBS’s Monday night audience is down 12% viewers and adults 18-49.

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Follow Joe Flint on Twitter @JBFlint.