CBS is arguably the best-run network in TV land: Stable, sure of itself, and consistently No. 1 in overall viewership (while nipping at Fox’s heels for the lead in adults 18 to 49). But when it comes to name their new shows, CBS execs do the darnedest things. Like in 2009, when they turned the Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says into a show and made all of us pronounce it “Bleep My Dad Says” while simultaneously telling the world to spell the show’s title $#*! My Dad Says. Then last month, the Eye announced it was debuting a new Rob Schneider sitcom called ¡Rob! (he plays a Latino character and the double exclamation points were meant to highlight his ethnicity). Wary TV reporters, however, rebelled, since it’s really hard to figure out how to do that double exclamation point thingy, and plus, it’s Rob Schneider, and who wants to emphasize anything involving him? Well, now Vulture has learned that CBS has retreated: The Schneider show is now simply called Rob. There is a twist, however: We hear CBS on-air and print ads will still use the double exclamation points, even if the show’s official title is punctuation-free. Ay, caramba! (Meanwhile, this other bit of CBS title news just in to Vulture: The Robert De Niro–produced midseason drama The 2-2 will no longer make us think of ballet. Its title has been changed to NYC 22. The New York City tourism board is no doubt fist-bumping all over the office today.)
