CBS picks up five episodes of 'Eleventh Hour'

CBS has picked up Jerry Bruckheimer's procedural thriller "Eleventh Hour" for five more episodes, the network confirmed.

The Warner Bros. series has averaged 12 million viewers on Thursday nights this season -- the second-most-watched new show behind CBS' "The Mentalist." In the adult demo, "Hour" has averaged a 3.3 rating.

As with comedy "Gary Unmarried," CBS has opted for a pickup that totals less than a full season. CBS presumably plans to try another program in the show's valuable post-"CSI" time period before the end of the year. Possible contenders include "Harper's Island" or shifting Wednesday night's "The Mentalist."

"Hour" has struggled to retain its hefty "CSI" lead in yet has rated a consistent adult demo second-place in its 10 p.m. slot behind NBC's "ER" (which is in its final season) and ahead of ABC's fellow freshman drama "Life on Mars" (which shifts to Wednesday nights next year).

Though broadcast ratings woes have impacted all the networks, CBS has only had to cancel one new show this year -- Friday night's "The Ex-List."

Updated: Fall TV series survival status report