Television.
It’s the one thing people can not only count on during the Coronavirus pandemic.
It’s the one thing people almost need more than ever, as they remain stuck at home with very little to do except for jump from show to show to show.
With that in mind, CBS made a couple of major announcements on Wednesday afternoon.
The network assured viewers that 18 programs would return — presumably this fall, depending on production schedules affected by the virus — while a number of dramas/sitcoms will not.
Yup, they’ve been canceled.
Or, at the very least, not renewed at this moment.
So, which shows will return to America’s most-watched network?
Here’s a look at the renewed dramas:
- All Rise
- Blue Bloods
- Bull
- FBI
- FBI: Most Wanted
- MacGyver
- Magnum P.I.
- NCIS
- NCIS: Los Angeles
- NCIS: New Orleans
- Seal Team
Did your favorite(s) make the cut?
And now for the comedies:
- Bob ♥ Abishola
- The Neighborhood
- The Unicorn
Moreover, news programs 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, along with reality series Undercover Boss, will come back for new seasons.
They join the shows that have previously renewed for next season:
Evil, Chuck Lorre’s Mom and Young Sheldon — both in the middle of two-year pickups — Survivor and The Amazing Race — for a total of 23 renewed series, scripted, reality and newsmagazines.
Other shows, meanwhile, did not receive positive news today.
Those that have officially been cancelled are: midseason sitcom Broke, Patricia Heaton’s Carol’s Second Act, Edie Falco’s Tommy and Matt LeBlanc’s Man with a Plan.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, it’s conceivable that broadcast networks such as CBS will only be able to debut one or two new shows this fall.
Most will rely on past hits and even semi-hits that already have a cast and crew in place and will therefore be able to resume shooting as soon as given the green light.
The mass renewal, meanwhile, comes as a number of CBS programs are ending this year.
Those include Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary and Criminal Minds, as well as sophomore series God Friended Me.
The sitcom was surprisingly canceled last month, while it was confirmed many months ago that the other three dramas would be airing their final seasons.
They’ve all, indeed, already said goodbye.
Said Kelly Kahl, President of CBS Entertainment, of the above renewals:
“Thanks to these exceptional shows, we’re going to win the current season by 1 million viewers.
“Next year, we’ll have these strong returning series as our foundation…and Super Bowl LV too.
“It’s a well-balanced lineup across Entertainment, News and Sports that will put us in an incredibly stable position for 2020-2021.”