Below are the predictions for Week 10 of CBS Renew/Cancel, followed by an analysis of key shows. Underneath that is a poll and an interactive schedule, where you can create and share your own predictions. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Prediction Key
Week 10 Predictions
The Equalizer
The main argument for a renewal for The Equalizer is for syndication purposes. It will finish its fifth season with 76 episodes, which is only 12 away from the 88 episodes typically needed to reach a syndication deal. That would give NBCUniversal an incentive to lower the licensing fee if necessary, allowing CBS to air a short final season of The Equalizer in a low-priority time slot for a fairly inexpensive rate.
The Equalizer’s first three seasons are also now available to stream on Netflix. If Netflix shows an interest in streaming subsequent seasons, NBCUniversal has another reason to do everything they can to secure a renewal at CBS. This would put NBCUniversal in a similar position as Sony with S.W.A.T.
The problem for NBCUniversal is CBS seems ready to move on from The Equalizer. After four seasons airing in the prime Sundays at 8 pm time slot, The Equalizer is about to get its second time slot downgrade of the season. It also didn’t make a particularly graceful move to 9 pm, and there’s not any reason to believe the ratings will improve in the spring at 10 pm. Perhaps it’s all a farce from CBS, and they’re just trying to make The Equalizer look more vulnerable than it actually is so they can get a sixth season for a relative steal. But more likely, they’re phasing out an aging drama that was their final renewal of the 2023-24 TV season.
CBS does have a spin-off of The Equalizer in early development, with the co-leads to be introduced in an episode late this season. A spin-off would be a way to keep the IP alive for a lower cost — something CBS is familiar with from their current handling of the NCIS franchise. CBS is well past the point where The Equalizer and a spin-off (or two) will air back-to-back or take up an entire night. It’s highly likely a spin-off will either replace The Equalizer, or not be ordered at all. The real question is if such a decision would come down for the 2025-26 TV season, or 2026-27. As we’ve seen with shows like Fire Country’s upcoming spinoff Sheriff Country, CBS likes to take a long-term approach to development.
Ultimately, The Equalizer’s fate will likely come down to how much NBCUniversal is willing to lower the licensing fee, how far along in development its spin-off is, schedule space, and possibly negotiations with star Queen Latifah. After all, a short final season airing Sundays at 10 would likely involve pay cuts. While it Tilts Cancel for now, it’s too soon to completely write off The Equalizer until we know how everything shapes up with the midseason schedule.
Blue Bloods
Blue Bloods ended with a 0.33 Adults 18-49 Live + Same Day demo rating, a modest rise from the previous week but its highest demo rating since March. A show known for its stability, Blue Bloods faltered a bit recently in both linear ratings and multi-platform. It still went out as a highly-viewed series, and it’s doubtful anything will match its ratings in that time slot. The question now becomes how long will S.W.A.T. air in the Fridays at 10 pm time slot, and will a script show succeed it? Being the only show to air in the time slot regularly since 2010, CBS may find themselves coming back to the Blue Bloods IP eventually if they can’t get anything to work in the time slot long-term. They could also treat it as a second death slot, similar to the Sundays at 10 pm time slot. When it comes down to it, though, Blue Bloods has become one of CBS’s lowest-rated shows on the linear schedule in the key Adults 18-49 demo. Blue Bloods will likely remain profitable for years to come between streaming and syndication, and is still allowed to go out with the dignity of being one of only seven dramas across the broadcast networks to average above 5 million viewers Live + Same Day this season.
Poll
Interactive Schedule
| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Neighborhood | Poppa’s House | NCIS | NCIS: Origins | |
| Tues | FBI | FBI: International | FBI: Most Wanted | ||
| Wed | Survivor | The Summit | |||
| Thurs | Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | Ghosts | Matlock | Elsbeth | |
| Fri | S.W.A.T. | Fire Country | Blue Bloods | ||
| Sun | Tracker | The Equalizer | Encores | ||
Renewed
Certain Renew
Likely Renew
Leans Renew
Tilts Renew
Tilts Cancel
Leans Cancel
Likely Cancel
Certain Cancel
Canceled