Below is the table for Week 5 of CBS Renew/Cancel, followed by a discussion and a poll. Let us know what you think by voting in the poll and leaving a comment!
One change was made this week: Lotería Loca is downgraded from Leans Cancel to Certain Cancel.
Lotería Loca
In CBS Renew/Cancel Week 3, we polled if Lotería Loca would ultimately move to 8 pm in mid-November as originally scheduled. According to FutonCritic, the 55% who picked ‘No’ are indeed correct; Lotería Loca will not be moving to 8 pm in mid-November. While CBS has not put out a press release about any schedule changes, FutonCritic’s listings display reruns of NCIS at 8 pm and 10 pm. For now, Lotería Loca is sandwiched between them, keeping its original 9 pm time slot.
If true, the odds CBS will actually air Lotería Loca in between two reruns of NCIS are arguably slim to none. At first, Lotería Loca’s ratings were at a level that were cancelable on face value, but could possibly be saved depending on how the show does with Latino viewers. Now, the ratings are flat-out embarrassing. Its most recent airing got a 0.14 Live + Same Day Adults 18-49 rating out of a 0.30 in the same demo for a rerun of The Price Is Right At Night. CBS could’ve plugged an encore of nearly any other show into the time slot and likely seen the same or better results. Lotería Loca needed to show signs of growth; instead, it’s nosediving to a level considered bad even for a strike-proof schedule in 2023.
The Challenge: USA
The Challenge: USA just completed airing its second season, concluding over a month further into the calendar year than the first season. There are a few assumptions we can make based off this season. First, The Challenge: USA will never be as valuable to its network as MTV’s The Challenge, which has been renewed through its 39th season. Second, The Challenge: USA isn’t all that different success-wise from all the short-lived international versions that populated around the same time as it. Third, if renewed, The Challenge: USA will probably never air outside of summer again.
The Challenge: USA had plenty more potential than the trio of new series on CBS’s fall schedule, but has fallen short of becoming CBS’s next reality hit. A renewal may depend on how busy their schedule is next summer. Depending on when the SAG-AFTRA strike ends and when scripted shows can return, CBS could hand over the time slot to something like S.W.A.T. CBS really does not need The Challenge: USA, but they could find it to be good summer filler if they have the schedule space, leading to the Leans Renew prediction. It’s not like Lotería Loca is about to compete with it for a time slot.