Below is the table for Week 6 of CBS Renew/Cancel followed by an analysis. In this edition, Buddy Games is upgraded from Tilts Cancel to Tilts Renew.
Buddy Games
Let’s make one thing clear: CBS absolutely does not need Buddy Games. Its 0.28 Adults 18-49 Live + Same Day average puts it on the lower end of CBS’s ratings this fall. Even though ratings decline each season, a 0.28 average is still abysmal compared to last season, where only one fall series (The Real Love Boat) averaged below it. But at the very least it has a massive advantage over Raid The Cage and Lotería Loca. For one, CBS has ownership in the series. Additionally, it wasn’t dumped on Fridays, nor is it averaging a 0.20.
Most importantly, CBS appears to still be completely behind Buddy Games. It’s prominently displayed all over the CBS app and shows at least some signs of life on Paramount+. CBS could cancel Buddy Games and be perfectly fine, but it appears they are intent on making it work. I can’t bring myself to update it to be among the likes of The Amazing Race and The Price Is Right At Night or even The Challenge: USA, but it’s becoming evident that CBS would like to give Buddy Games a second chance if they can. It gets upgraded to Tilts Renew this week, not because of its ratings, but in spite of them.
Looking Ahead to SEAL Team
CBS is showing the Season 5 premiere of SEAL Team on Thursday, directly after Big Brother. This is an episode they showed in 2021 on a Sunday as a CBS original, given they made the decision to air the first few episodes of Season 5 on CBS before moving it to Paramount+. I can’t say I expect the premiere to go well, mainly because of the incompatibility with Big Brother and the fact that this episode has been so readily available for nearly 25 months.
The real question is how it performs later this month, when it gets the UK version of Ghosts as a lead-in. While we don’t know for sure how Elsbeth would’ve done this fall, if SEAL Team can muster up 0.25s it will probably be out-rating whatever CSI: Vegas would’ve done had it stayed in the same time slot. In fact, even 0.20s may be enough to achieve that feat. Depending on the ratings, how long the SAG-AFTRA strike lingers on, and how many new shows CBS has the chance to premiere this season (if any besides Tracker), keep an eye on SEAL Team’s ratings. For all we know, Season 6 may end up airing on CBS as well.