'Big Brother'-'Glass House' Fallout: CBS “Greenlights” 'Dancing On The Stars' Series

After it failed to block the Monday premiere of ABC’s The Glass House over similarities to its own Big Brother, CBS is hitting back with a tongue-in-cheek “press release” about new reality series Dancing On The Stars. Read the spoof announcement below. Meanwhile, the judge handling CBS’ request for a temporary restraining order against ABC and Glass House has yet to hand down his official ruling after declining to grant the TRO at a hearing Friday, when he also said he was leaning towards denying the request. It will likely come down by end of this week. In addition to laying out the similarities between Big Brother and Glass House, CBS also has argued that the ABC series is being produced by former Big Brother producers in violation of nondisclosure agreements. Despite the publicity surrounding the legal battle, Glass House premiered to soft ratings on Monday premiere, earning a 1.6/4 in 18-49.

CBS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF “DANCING ON THE STARS,” AN EXCITING AND COMPLETELY ORIGINAL REALITY PROGRAM THAT OWES ITS CONCEPT AND EXECUTION TO NOBODY AT ALL

Los Angeles, June 21, 2012 – Subsequent to recent developments in the creative and legal community, CBS Television today felt it was appropriate to reveal the upcoming launch of an exciting, ground-breaking and completely original new reality program for the CBS Television Network.

The dazzling new show, DANCING ON THE STARS, will be broadcast live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and will feature moderately famous and sort of well-known people you almost recognize competing for big prizes by dancing on the graves of some of Hollywood’s most iconic and well-beloved stars of stage and screen.

The cemetery, the first in Hollywood, was founded in 1899 and now houses the remains of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, producer Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Paul Muni, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, among many other great stars of stage, screen and the music business. The company noted that permission to broadcast from the location is pending, and that if efforts in that regard are unsuccessful, approaches will be made to Westwood Village Memorial Park, where equally scintillating luminaries are interred.

“This very creative enterprise will bring a new sense of energy and fun that’s totally unlike anything anywhere else, honest,” said a CBS spokesperson, who also revealed that the Company has been working with a secret team for several months on the creation of the series, which was completely developed by the people at CBS independent of any other programming on the air. “Given the current creative and legal environment in the reality programming business, we’re sure nobody will have any problem with this title or our upcoming half-hour comedy for primetime, POSTMODERN FAMILY.”

“After all,” the spokesperson added, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”