How will putting it on opposite two of the biggest hits on television benefit the show?
Because the show is cooler than either of those shows, and FOX needs to put something in that slot. By your estimation, nothing would survive there. People say the same thing about Fridays.
The show needs to go on at 9, it's too scary for 8pm.
CSI has little competition where it is for what it is, which means it's getting ratings both for being fairly decent and for not having much in the way to draw anyone's attention elsewhere.
Point Pleasant is terrible. It's anti-entertainment.
There's what? 3 CSIs available? And the one set in Vegas is in syndication, which means you really can miss it if something cooler is around the corner and catch it later, over and over and over again.
You'd have to discount how good The Inside is to just brush it aside as unable to take a chunk of CSI's audience.
It's darker, tighter, and unlike CSI, has a dark X-Filian sense of humor. It's also sexier and tastier than CSI.
I always resort to food comparisons, and CSI has the sort of salty reliability of a bowl of chicken soup. It's fulfilling and familiar, but given the choice between that and a rich slab of prime rib...
It's still familiar, a staple, but it's to be savored in a different way, and stays with you longer.
It has the same procedural elements as CSI, which is attractive to audiences who love those interesting problem/twist/reveal/solve stories found in L&O, House, all those CSIs...but it has the inner life present in an NYPD Blue. There's something about the inner life that attracts loyalty and makes for a must-see program.
The problem isn't that it's up against CSI or Apprentice, the problem is that FOX hasn't started marketing the show. The pilot has terrifying, creepy, deep waters perfect for a sexy promo. It's a mistake to not trot out teasers, big time. That's the worry, wasting the enormous potential present in this show, which has every shot at putting FOX back in the game.