Crimetime After Primetime

Crimetime After Primetime was a line-up of late-night crime-investigation shows that debuted at various times on CBS during 1991 and 1992, running through late summer of 1993.

The line-up was originally supposed to debut in January 1991, but it was delayed several weeks due to the beginning of the Gulf War.

History
Prior to 1989, CBS aired the similarly formatted CBS Late Night; the block was canceled to make way for "The Pat Sajak Show", a conventional late-night talk show. After the shortening and eventual failure of "The Pat Sajak Show," a revamped CBS Late Night block debuted, airing a variety of news, talk shows, reruns and adult game shows.

In March of 1991, after a two-month hiatus due to Gulf War coverage, CBS retooled the block by airing original series under the new umbrella title of Crimetime After Primetime.

Much like CBS Late Night did in the late 1980s, "Crimetime After Primetime" relied heavily on dramas that were imported from Canada, giving the programs (most of which were produced to meet Canadian content quotas) an additional revenue stream. CBS also invested in producing some original series for the block.

The block was dropped when CBS began broadcasting the "Late Show with David Letterman" in August of 1993.

Series Line-Up

 * late Monday nights/early Tuesday mornings: Sweating Bullets (known as Tropical Heat outside of the U.S.) and Urban Angel.
 * late Tuesday nights/early Wednesday mornings: Forever Knight (later new episodes were syndicated through May 1996, after CBS cancelled it) and The Exile
 * late Wednesday nights/early Thursday mornings: Scene of the Crime (replaced by Dangerous Curves)
 * late Thursday nights/early Friday mornings: Fly by Night; replaced by Silk Stalkings (continued with new episodes on the USA Network through April 1999 after CBS cancelled it)
 * late Friday nights/early Saturday mornings: Dark Justice (the series was later rerun by the TNT network)