BB9 to premiere Feb. 12 at 9pm

CBS to unveil revamped schedule
Network plans ninth edition of 'Big Brother'
By JOSEF ADALIAN

With hopes for a quick settlement of the WGA strike dimming, CBS is getting ready to unveil a revamped winter sked -- and that includes moving forward with plans for an in-season edition of reality hit "Big Brother."
Ninth installment of the summer staple will make its bow Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m., Eye insiders confirmed Monday. Julie Chen-hosted reality skein will also air Wednesday and Sunday nights at 8 p.m.

On Tuesday nights, “Brother” will act as a lead-in for “Jericho,” which will return for its second season Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. CBS revealed that news to fans of the show Monday afternoon via its website.

CBS will announce other January and February sked changes later Monday.

Meanwhile, NBC continues to shake up its post-January sked, dumping "Bionic Woman" and "Life" for a double dose of Dick Wolf.

"Law & Order," which was supposed to return on Sundays next month, will instead be back in its old 10 p.m. Wednesday slot, starting Jan. 2. It'll get a two-hour premiere that night, airing from 9-11 p.m.

On Jan. 9, NBC will begin airing repeats of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Skein's first-run segs have been airing on NBC sister cabler USA Network this season.

NBC didn't offer any word on the fate of "Bionic" or "Life." Latter skein has been renewed for a full season, but NBC hasn't made any official decisions on "Bionic."

Eye scheduling execs, staying true to form, have slotted the winter "Big Brother" in a manner that's minimally disruptive to the net's current sked.

While the Tuesday edition of "Brother" displaces the scripted series "The Unit," the Wednesday and Sunday episodes take the place of reality shows--"Kid Nation" and "The Amazing Race"--- that will have wrapped their respective runs by February.

Winter air pattern for "Brother" is also very similar to the skein's summer sked, in which episodes air on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights.

Among the potential skeins on CBS's winter slate: "Jericho," "Swingtown," "Million Dollar Password," "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "The Captain."

It's unclear if the ninth season of "Brother" will still air in the summer.