BEVERLY HILLS

CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler began her executive session at the TV press tour on Sunday by taking the stage with a stuffed monkey in hand.

It was an obvious jab at rival networks, who have deployed props and gimmicks during their tour stints, including NBC, which brought out a hairy little primate to promote the sitcom "Animal Practice."

In contrast, Tassler presided over a much less splashy session, preferring instead to let the numbers do the talking. Essentially, the message was this: CBS continues to rule prime time and is king of the world.

Among the subjects broached in the very un-newsy session:

  • The network wants "How I Met Your Mother" to return for a ninth season next fall. "We're in early conversations and we're optimistic," said Tassler, who added that there is a "strategic" end planned to the show.

  • CBS has a plan to text viewers when NFL overruns affect the starting time of "The Mentalist" on Sunday nights.

  • The network is very high on "Elementary," a modern update of the Sherlock Holmes saga set in New York. "It was a show we immediately gravitated to," Tassler said. "So many of the detectives on TV owe (something) to Sherlock Holmes."

  • The CBS executive said "CSI: New York" will contain more humor this year. As for the decision to cancel "CSI: Miami," it came down to a "jump ball."

  • On the decision to bring back "Unforgettable," after dropping it
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    from the schedule: "It was a tough decision and we did not want to let it go." "Unforgettable" will return next summer.

  • On why CBS has stuck to the traditional late-September lineup launch, while other networks are scheduling early and late premieres: "It works for us," Tassler said. "We like the energy and excitement."