CBS hands extended order to four freshman shows and renews one

It’s a great day for CBS freshman shows. The network has given an extended order for four of its shows, while renewing the fifth. Here are the details.

Comedy or drama fan, it’s a good day to be part of the CBS family. All five freshman shows have received some excellent news this morning. Four have had new episodes added to the order while one has scored an early renewal. Which is the one definitely coming back for next year?

EVIL lands the renewal

Let’s get the renewal out of the way first. EVIL, the Thursday night supernatural, psychological thriller, has landed an early renewal, according to TVLine. It’s just the second freshman out of all networks to gain a second season so far, after Bless the Harts on FOX grabbed a renewal after just two episodes.

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The renewal isn’t all that surprising. While the premiere ratings may have seemed low for the network as a whole, they remained steady throughout the first three weeks. The fourth episode saw the demo tick up and it’s held up against fellow Thursday night 10 p.m. drama Law & Order: SVU.

However, the first season has not been extended. CBS has opted to keep it at 13 episodes, possibly due to storytelling and consistency. I like that idea. There’s no need to add extra episodes for the sake of it and plenty of great shows consist of 10 to 13 episodes.

All Rise and comedies extended

All other four freshman shows on the Eye have been extended. Legal drama All Rise and comedies The Unicorn, Carol’s Second Act, and Bob Hearts Abishola have all landed “full-season orders,” according to TVLine.

The network hasn’t shared just how long those “full-season orders” will be. It used to be the case that it meant the seasons would extend to 22-24 episodes, but that has been changing in recent years.

It’s highly possible that the comedies are being extended to the full length. Comedies tend to fair much better with more episodes since they’re shorter in episode runtime and can follow a week-to-week formula better.

All Rise could be extended to anywhere between 16 and 24 episodes to be considered “full season” judging by recent decisions by various networks. However, CBS does have a habit of sticking to the older formula, and it would make sense to run for a full 22 episode season to match fellow legal drama Bull in the hour afterward.

Getting a full-season order doesn’t guarantee a second season, but it’s a good sign. All shows have been steady in the ratings week after week, and CBS has seen that the fanbase is there for the playback. After all, there is the benefit of CBS All Access, where all shows are aired live and on-demand afterward.

What do you think of the renewal and extensions? Which of the new CBS dramas are you watching? Share your thoughts in the comments below.