Welcome to Week 28 of CBS Renew/Cancel. Below is the updated Renew/Cancel table, followed by an analysis as well as an unveiling of the winner of CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!
True Lies
Of the three scripted series CBS is yet to renew or cancel, True Lies is the only one that aired a new episode this past week. It got a 0.23 A18-49 Live + Same Day rating, holding from the 9 pm program on CBS. It also rose from that program in 18-49 Share, getting a 2.4 out of its lead-in’s 2.2.
While that demonstrates a little bit of promise, True Lies’ lead-in is a rerun of FBI. This means CBS opted to air regularly scheduled reruns of FBI after Survivor, when they could have aired True Lies in the time slot. The fact CBS is content giving True Lies the 0.23 drama rerun lead-in and not the 0.71 lead-in from Survivor says a lot about their lack of intention to renew this show for a second season.
The only clear positive sign for True Lies is if a strike does in fact occur, and CBS decides to stockpile on as many existing shows as they can. Even then, drama reruns are doing just as well as True Lies and there is always the possibility of expanding unscripted hours. With all things considered, it would be surprising to see True Lies get renewed.
A Look Ahead To The WGA Strike Authorization Vote
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is currently in their week-long process of a strike authorization vote, which will conclude on Monday, April 17. The results on whether or not the WGA has voted to authorize a strike will shortly thereafter be revealed to the public. This does not necessarily mean there will be a strike. The WGA voted to authorize a strike this same time of year in 2019, and a strike was avoided as they worked out a deal in the following weeks. If they indeed do vote to authorize a strike, this will lead to a period of roughly two weeks in which a deal can be struck before a strike will officially begin.
CBS has been preparing for such a strike for months, expanding their total number of renewed scripted series to 13 by the end of February. Should WGA vote to authorize a strike, the outlook for S.W.A.T., East New York, and True Lies arguably gets worse. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the renewed shows already have to potential to have had scripts written for their upcoming seasons. Meanwhile, S.W.A.T., East New York, and True Lies would not be able to start being written until after the strike is over, whenever that may be. This could further complicate the likelihood of a renewal for shows that CBS already does not appear to be too keen on renewing.
CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness
After a nail biter of a championship round, Fire Country has won CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness! This is an upset based on previous rounds of voting, as NCIS: Los Angeles was the top vote getter in each of the previous three rounds. Both series far outpaced the previous record for most votes received in a single round, with both Fire Country and NCIS: Los Angeles receiving over 70 votes. Thank you to everyone who participated and watched on!
To conclude the tournament, here is the full bracket with results for every matchup:
