CBS this morning renewed 18 shows for a total of 23 scripted/reality series and newsmagazines picked up for next season. Left off the list were freshmen Tommy, Carol’s Second Act and Broke and comedy Man with a Plan, now in its fourth season. The development is not surprising: All four had been on shaky ground and now have been canceled.
As Deadline has reported, the grounding of all broadcast pilots was expected to benefit bubble series as networks are considered more likely to stick with a modest performer that has an established following than to take a chance on a pilot that has not been filmed and tested.
Indeed, CBS has renewed nearly all of its established series, with Matt LeBlanc starrer Man with a Plan as the only returning CBS show not to make the cut for renewal this year. The family sitcom has been a reliable utility player as a midseason replacement with has drawn solid viewership numbers this season, but it also is pretty expensive, which was expected to be a major factor in the renewal decision.
The other three canceled series are freshmen..
Midseason sitcom Broke was a somewhat unexpected breakout and looked promising early on, though its numbers largely have been sliding week-to-week, raising a flag, and there have been questions about its creative.
Fellow freshmen Carol’s Second Act and Tommy also were heavily on the bubble, hampered by low ratings but helped by the star power of their respective leads, Patricia Heaton and Edie Falco.
All four canceled CBS series air on Thursday, which has emerged as a problem area for the network beyond 8 PM and 9 PM anchors Young Sheldon and Mom. The network has been able to solve a similar problem on Mondays with the addition of The Neighborhood and Bob ♥ Abishola and the move of Bull.
In addition to the pilot season washout, the fact that the entire returning CBS drama lineup was renewed with no cancellations likely also is tied to the significant number of the network’s drama series that ended their run this season. The list includes veterans Hawaii Five-0, Madam Secretary and Criminal Minds and sophomore God Friended Me.
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