Prediction Key:
Week 13 Predictions:
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| Shows' 18-49 demo average and weekly peak performance on Paramount+ are listed in parenthesis |
DMV: It must have been love, but it's over now. CBS was all-in on this workplace comedy, but all signs are now pointing to them being completely over it now. Just three fall series were left out of CBS's mass renewal this week, and DMV is one of them. It was already bad enough when CBS renewed their other freshman series without picking DMV up, but this is undeniably grim news for the show's future. If they were genuinely set on giving this show a second season, they'd have done it - low ratings be damned. Instead, it's left to wait out news on its fate, much like freshman comedy Poppa's House last year, which was canceled two months after CBS left it out of 2025's mass renewal. A comedy cut is very much in the cards now, with both Monday comedies now looking like they won't be around next season. DMV's only real hope is that CBS is intent on keeping a second comedy hour on the schedule and that they only want to pick up one of their current comedy pilots. At this point, it seems like CBS will only pick up DMV for a second season if they see no better options available, and that isn't how CBS has operated in recent years. Also damning is that repeats of DMV that were planned to air in February leading up to its return have now all been scraped - six repeat airings in all. It will not be repeated again before its midseason premiere, putting it in the same category as the already-canceled The Neighborhood. The frequent repeats were one positive sign that had me believing they were trying to still make this show work, even as it struggled in linear ratings. The scrapping of those repeats is the last straw. This show is now a major underdog for renewal. If only it had the potential to be a "brand" for them... Having been left out in the cold by CBS, DMV is now a likely cancelation.
Watson: From the moment it was renewed last season, Watson already felt unlikely to be renewed again Its ratings weren't great last season, and CBS knew it - that's why they didn't even plan on airing it this fall. It was only after CIA became a logistical nightmare that Watson was moved up to a fall berth, and they're shuffling it back to the initially-planned Sunday at 10 slot once CIA is finally able to debut. So, it's not exactly a shock that Watson was left out of the mass renewal. What was a bit of a surprise was that Watson was one of several Paramount series (along with Matlock and popular past titles) which had streaming rights sold to Netflix this week. That's an additional revenue stream for the show, which is always important. However, a Netflix deal did not help The Equalizer last year, and it didn't help Watson get included in their mass renewal, despite Paramount knowing about that deal before their renewals. I don't think this is going to be enough to get Watson over the line, especially when their 2026-27 schedule is filling up fast. It's also unlikely that they're simply waiting to spring to see how it performs in its new time slot before they decide on it. NCIS: Sydney was renewed with ratings just as bad (and likely worse in multiplatform ratings), and they already saw how (poorly) Watson retained Tracker just last season. It just doesn't seem like CBS is interested in a third season off Watson, and based on how it's performed this season, it's hard to blame them. It's still a likely cancelation.
NCIS: Sydney: The only major surprise in this week's renewals was NCIS: Sydney, which is incredibly cheap, but also incredibly low-rated in every regard and treated like an absolute afterthought by CBS. It is possible that this is CBS's attempt of saving face to avoid admitting the overall failure of their NCIS night, one year after scrapping a generally successful FBI night, because we do know CBS can be stubborn. They could also be trying to build up episodes for syndication - it's unlikely Sydney will reach the typical episode total we see for syndicated series, but NCIS: Hawai'i is syndicated on some smaller networks, and Sydney will likely reach a similar episode total next season. It's also possible that CBS is just incredibly frugal and are more than happy to get whatever ratings come their way if it means filling an hour of their schedule up with something that's technically a scripted original, but costs a small fraction of their other scripted programs. Regardless of the reason CBS stuck with NCIS: Sydney, this one was a miss for us.
NCIS: Origins: This show seemed to be a true bubble show. First-run ratings are poor, and multiplatform ratings aren't that good either, and it's noticeably down from last season in all aspects. It's underperforming FBI: International, and is failing to keep Tuesday nights afloat despite a solid NCIS lead-in. However, it was always safer than NCIS: Sydney (the weakest of this NCIS trio by far), and it did have some factors working in its favor, which ultimately manifested into a renewal. CBS is clearly doubling down on the NCIS brand, even if they're doing so with the two weakest NCIS spinoffs they've ever aired. We'll see how that pans out next season.
Interactive Schedule:| The TV Ratings Guide | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | The Neighborhood | DMV | FBI | Watson | |
| Tues | NCIS | NCIS: Origins | NCIS: Sydney | ||
| Wed | Hollywood Squares | The Price Is Right At Night | Harlan Coben's Final Twist | ||
| Thurs | Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage | Ghosts | Matlock | Elsbeth | |
| Fri | Sheriff Country | Fire Country | Boston Blue | ||
| Sun | Tracker | The Road | Encores | ||
