The 2025-26 CBS season is looking so packed, it's no wonder some shows are worried about renewals!
We're closing in on spring, which means the time of year TV networks start prepping for the fall season. As always, there's a worry about shows "on the bubble" while others are safer.
CBS just did a mass renewal, so we know the NCIS shows are okay, along with Fire Country, Elsbeth, and several comedies. However, there are still several shows whose fates are up in the air as Deadline reports.
Tops among them are The Equalizer, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted and SWAT. There's also the freshman drama Watson, not to mention the various reality TV shows. Some face bigger challenges than others besides just ratings.
The Equalizer, for instance, comes from an outside studio, Universal, meaning Paramount doesn't own it. They have to license it, which adds to costs along with its budget and contract for star Queen Latifah. Given five seasons is a long run for a show like this, it's no wonder the showrunners are reportedly planning the season 5 finale to act as a series finale. It's also possible CBS could order a shortened sixth and final season.
The FBI shows are in a similar boat and complicated by how FBI: International films in Europe. However, the biggest issue with these shows is the fact that CBS's schedule for 2025-26 is already going to be packed, especially with spinoffs!
Why there may be no room in the CBS schedule for some shows
TVLine collected how, incredibly, CBS may have a whopping half-dozen spinoffs airing in the 2025-26 season. So far confirmed:
- Boston Blue, a spinoff of Blue Bloods with Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan.
- An untitled spin-off of The Equalizer starring Titus Welliver and Juana Feliz.
- FBI: CIA, another FBI spin-off
- Two spinoffs of The Neighborhood, one based on the Malcolm and Marty characters and another starring Tracy Morgan)
- Sheriff Country, a spinoff of Fire Country
That's not to mention the usual pilots in development, such as Einstein starring Matthew Gray Grubler or a medical drama with Jared Padalecki, who's attached to a possible second Fire Country spin-off.
In short, unless CBS wants to revive having original shows on Saturday nights (something that hasn't been done in over twenty years), there's not enough room for some "on the bubble" series). It's sad but it's the logistics of television and the irony that CBS may have too many successful series to keep everything.
What can be cut or saved by CBS?
It's tricky to tell the full logistics behind a show's cancellation, as ratings aren't everything these days. Last May, CBS canceled NCIS: Hawaii despite its great ratings due to production costs. Meanwhile, SWAT surprisingly survived two cancellations to continue, even though its fate is now iffy.
Blue Bloods was a continuing ratings hit, but the costs of its large cast played a part in it ending after 14 seasons. With networks trying to tighten belts and face the challenge of streaming services, CBS may figure it's better to go for spinoffs that are cheaper to produce with name value to attract viewers.
So as we get close to when the bubble bursts on some shows, remember it's the simple logistics of CBS not having enough space to keep everything that's the reason some shows are coming to an end while others stick around.
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