Below are Week 24 predictions for CBS Renew/Cancel, followed by an analysis. Underneath that is a Schedulogy update and an announcement for the winner of CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness. Let us know what you think in the comments!
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Week 24 Predictions
The Equalizer
CBS proved in the 2023-24 TV season that their rerun schedule is one worth paying attention to. Shows that eventually ended up canceled like CSI: Vegas, So Help Me Todd, and NCIS: Hawai’i received an outsized number of Saturday reruns, perhaps partially for exposure but possibly also for the purposes of make goods due to first-run underperformances. After the canceled FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted received the Saturday rerun treatment, one would be more inclined to believe the latter reason is more prevalent than the former, at least when the network isn’t repeating some of their higher-rated shows as they do on occasion.
CBS slotted a rerun of The Equalizer on Saturdays on February 8, and they’re doing so again on April 26. As one of their lowest-rated shows, The Equalizer is not being rerun because the network thinks it would be the best option from a linear ratings perspective. These reruns, and in particular the upcoming one on April 26, are almost certainly for the sake of make goods. In other words, CBS overpromised advertisers and The Equalizer underdelivered. This is a terrible sign for a show’s future, especially one like The Equalizer that realistically is not in the position to score a time slot upgrade to salvage its ratings.
Ironically, another ominous sign for The Equalizer comes from a rerun omission. This past Sunday, CBS opted not to rerun The Equalizer in its regular Sundays at 10 pm time slot after the Elton John/Brandi Carlile special, but rather yet another out-of-time slot rerun of Watson. Non-Saturday reruns could spell make goods, but ultimately are meant to give a show more exposure the way a Saturday rerun would not. CBS has been all-in on Watson since it premiered, and it continues to be at The Equalizer’s expense. The Queen Latifah-starring drama is still considered to be on the bubble, as it is still the only veteran scripted show we have not received news on, but it did not have a very promising week.
Schedulogy Update
With CBS’s fall 2025 schedule announcement less than a month away, it’s time for a Schedulogy update. (If you missed the first edition, you can find that here. The below image includes a fall 2025 schedule prediction, with an analysis underneath. New shows are denoted in bold, while shows changing time slots are denoted in italics.
Changes from Previous Schedulogy & Analysis
Monday - Zarna takes over the coveted new comedy slot from the untitled Neighborhood spinoff, which itself could premiere at 8 pm either midseason or fall 2026. Due to financials working more favorably to multi-cam sitcoms than single-cams and The Neighborhood itself is a multi-cam, the unowned Zarna gets the strong edge over the owned single-cam DMV. NCIS and NCIS: Origins stay put to close out the night.Tuesday - No changes from previous edition. This night is a wild card as either the two Country series or FBI could conceivably end up on Friday instead. A series order for FBI’s CIA spinoff would likely keep the Dick Wolf series where it is now.
Wednesday - The Amazing Race ends up staying put in the post-Survivor time slot, remaining a 90-minute program. This bumps new singing competition series The Road to a new night. While CBS has a history of launching their latest unscripted series after Survivor, there is no indication The Road is meant to be a 90-minute program or that The Amazing Race will be cut back down to 60 minutes.
Thursday - No changes from previous edition.
Friday - Friday gets the biggest overhaul from the previous edition, with two scripted series joining Boston Blue on the night. Watson makes a S.W.A.T.-like trek from Sundays to the Friday at 8 pm time slot, leading into NCIS: Sydney, which shifts an hour back to 9 pm. In reality, both series are major wild cards; Watson when it comes to finding a time slot, and NCIS: Sydney when it comes to making the fall schedule at all. This schedule presumes the rumors of a 20-episode season of NCIS: Sydney are true.
Sunday - Previously slotted after Survivor, The Road now finds itself on Sundays after Tracker. That’s because, when determining a time slot for The Road, the question had to be asked of which time slot could plausibly see a change midseason? The Road could be compatible with the Country shows on Tuesday, but it would demote Sheriff Country to 10 pm and leave the network with a hole at the start of the night midseason. Meanwhile, Sundays at 9 midseason could well go to the new Yellowstone spinoff in development. Yellowstone itself aired on Sundays, and both the hit western and The Road are created by Taylor Sheridan.
Midseason - Hollywood Squares, The Price Is Right At Night, and a cooking competition series from Padma Lakshmi and Susan Rovner air on Wednesdays in the winter. Einstein will take either Sundays at 10 if CBS is high on the Yellowstone spinoff, or Thursdays at 10 if the expectations aren’t super high. Elsbeth takes whichever of those time slots Einstein does not.
After a matchup that saw over 4,400 votes cast, S.W.A.T. has emerged the victor of CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness for the second consecutive year. S.W.A.T. was the only show in the entire tournament to get more votes each week than it did the previous week. It also led all shows in vote totals in every round. FBI’s appearance in the finals meant all three of Dick Wolf’s franchises reached the championship round across CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness and NBC Renew/Cancel March Madness. However, despite being practically steady in its vote total from the first round, FBI proved no match for its opponent in S.W.A.T. Congrats to S.W.A.T. and thank you to everyone who voted and shared the polls!
CBS Renew/Cancel March Madness Winner
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 Amazing Race | |||
| Thurs | Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | Ghosts | Matlock | Elsbeth | |
| Fri | NCIS: Sydney | Fire Country | S.W.A.T. | ||
| Sun | Tracker | Watson | The Equalizer | ||
Renewed
Certain Renew
Likely Renew
Leans Renew
Tilts Renew
Tilts Cancel
Leans Cancel
Likely Cancel
Certain Cancel
Canceled