CBS is getting out in front with early renewals for fall, picking up 18 of its series for next season. Among the dramas landing renewals on Wednesday were NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Mentalist, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife and freshman entry Person Of Interest. Comedies getting a greenlight were Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls. Reality shows The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss earned pickups as well.

Previously renewed for next year were comedies How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, as well as reality hit Survivor. 60 Minutes and 48 Hours Mystery are also back for next season.

CBS confirmed that the network and Warner Bros. TV are “in preliminary discussions regarding future seasons for Two and a Half Men.” At the PaleyFest panel for Two and a Half Men on Monday, star Ashton Kutcher dodged questions about signing up for another year by pointing out that the show had not yet been renewed. But Kutcher and creator Chuck Lorre have all but said that they expect to be back for another year.

The Wednesday announcement did not include pickups for CSI: Miami or CSI: New York — at least one of which isn’t expected to return. Freshman dramas A Gifted Man and Unforgettable are also still awaiting their fate, while comedies Rob and Rules of Engagement remain on the bubble. (The future of those two shows may depend on whether CBS goes forward with a 4-comedy block on Thursdays next year, as most expect.) CBS’ NYC-22 doesn’t debut until April 15.

CBS traditionally waits until closer to the May upfront announcement to make its series renewals — keeping producers on their toes until then. But as ABC, NBC and Fox hold back this year from making too many fall decisions, CBS executives saw an opening to make a splash this week with a whole-scale announcement (and assert their position as TV’s No. 1 network with total viewers).

“This large-scale renewal is testimony to the strength, stability and success of a deep and diverse roster of top-rated programming,” says Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment. “It positions us for continued success next season and certainly creates an environment that will give our new shows the best possible chance to succeed.”

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The March 27 episode of CBS’ NCIS, titled “The Good Son,” is centered around Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) and will provide a rare glimpse into the character’s personal life — along with the addition of a new family member.

Joining returning members of Vance’s kin will be hunky actor Jocko Sims as Vance’s brother-in-law, Michael. According to my source, Michael is brought into the world of NCIS when he becomes the lead suspect in a murder case.

Jocko (cool name by the way!) was a series regular on the 2008-09 series, Crash.

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Pauley Perrette is getting out of the lab. The NCIS star will voice Lois Lane in the upcoming animated DVD-movie Superman vs. The Elite. Based on the story “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?,” which ran in Action Comics No. 775 in 2001, the film pits the Man of Steel against a ruthless team of “heroes” with staggering powers. Unlike Superman, The Elite are not afraid to use violence, including killing, to stop anyone they consider bad guys. As the public begins to rally around these superhuman vigilantes, Superman (George Newbern, who also voiced the character in the Justice League series) must figure out a way to stop them without compromising his principles of (you guessed it) “truth, justice and the American way.”

Helping him sort it out is Lois, balancing her roles as a Daily Planet reporter and Superman/Clark Kent’s wife. “I think there are similarities between Abby and Lois,” Perrette says, comparing this character with her quirky NCIS forensic scientist. “They’re both very smart and confident and really good at their jobs. They’re both really focused. Abby just doesn’t have a Superman.”

Superman vs. The Elite, the latest in a series of DC Comics-themed movies from Warner Bros. Animation, will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital download and on demand. An exact release date has yet to be determined, but expect to see it before July’s Comic-Con International.

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Along with being the star of one of the most popular procedurals on television, Pauley Perrette also found time to launch a small business, the idea of which was anything but half-baked.

“Me and my two best friends took my mother’s recipes and all of her inspiration and opened a Southern country bake shop in Manhattan called Donna Bell’s Bake Shop. That was her name — Donna Bell,” says the actress, who plays the quirky forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on “NCIS.”

Perrette’s inspiration for the bakery, which opened in April 2011, came from her southern childhood, where she spent plenty of time in the kitchen with her mother, decorating cakes and feasting on Southern specialties such as Red Velvet cake, corn bread and shortcake. Her mother, who passed away in 2002, left her recipes in good hands.

Darren Greenblatt, a longtime friend and now business partner, inherited many of Donna Bell’s recipes. He and Perrette met while living in Hell’s Kitchen almost 20 years ago, “and bonded almost instantly,” says Greenblatt. “She had just finished school and was modeling, bartending and getting her master’s degree. I had just finished fashion school.

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