On CBS, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.33, -0.10) declined sharply, Ghosts (0.34, -0.01) dipped slightly, and Matlock (0.17, -0.05) faded away for its finale. Declines were also prevalent on Fox as Animal Control (0.16, -0.04) and Going Dutch (0.14, -0.05) slipped for their own finales. Next Level Chef (0.21, -0.01) was also down at eight. ABC was above the other broadcast networks with its showing of the NFL Draft (0.88), while Law & Order (0.20, -0.04), SVU (0.25, -0.05), and The Hunting Party (0.16, -0.03) all lost momentum on NBC. Scrabble (0.03, -0.03) and Trivial Pursuit (0.04, -0.03) failed to buck the overall trend of the night on the CW. Key: (F) = finale.
NBC drama The Hunting Party (0.19, +0.05) was able to rise markedly at ten, despite the fact that Law & Order (0.21) and SVU (0.23) were in repeat mode. Over on CBS, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.43, +0.05) climbed higher, but Ghosts (0.35, -0.03), Matlock (0.22, -0.01), and Elsbeth (0.15, -0.04) all declined. ABC aired repeats of 9-1-1 (0.17), 9-1-1: Nashville (0.15), and RJ Decker (0.10). On Fox, Next Level Chef (0.22, 0.00) and Animal Control (0.20, 0.00) both matched their week-ago ratings, but Going Dutch (0.19, +0.02) rose enough to tie its season high. On the CW, Scrabble (0.06, +0.01) and Trivial Pursuit (0.07, +0.01) gained a hundredth apiece. Key: (R) = repeat.
This week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, there's little to predict this season, but there's still a lot to talk about, as CBS's fall schedule has been announced, with a lot of changes ahead. Keep reading for my takes on some of the biggest moves present on the schedule, including timeslot upgrades for Elsbeth and FBI, shortened seasons of NCIS: Origins and Sydney, and Ghosts and Matlock heading to the bench.
CBS comedy staple Ghosts (0.38, +0.01) rose slightly on Thursday night, matching its stable Georgie & Mandy lead-in (0.38, 0.00). At nine, Matlock (0.23, 0.00) was steady, while Elsbeth (0.19, +0.01) rose a bit at ten. Law & Order (0.24, +0.01) and Law & Order: SVU (0.30, +0.03) were both up on NBC, but The Hunting Party (0.14, -0.02) declined. ABC aired a trio of RJ Decker encores (0.21/0.18/0.11). On Fox, Next Level Chef (0.22, +0.01), Animal Control (0.20, +0.06), and Going Dutch (0.17, +0.03) all climbed higher. Scrabble (0.05, -0.02) and Trivial Pursuit (0.06, -0.03) cooled down on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
ABC dramas 9-1-1 (0.37, +0.08) and 9-1-1: Nashville (0.27, +0.06) were both up markedly on Thursday night, but Grey's Anatomy (0.19, -0.01) ticked down. On CBS, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.38, -0.03), Ghosts (0.37, -0.01), Matlock (0.23, -0.02), and Elsbeth (0.18, -0.01) all dipped slightly. Law & Order (0.23, -0.04) and Law & Order: SVU (0.27, -0.07) both dropped on NBC, while The Hunting Party (0.16, -0.01) dealt with a more subtle decline. Fox's Next Level Chef (0.21, -0.03) and Animal Control (0.14, -0.04) slipped as well, while Going Dutch (0.14, +0.01) inched up. Scrabble (0.07, +0.02) and Trivial Pursuit (0.09, +0.04) climbed higher on the CW.
9-1-1 (0.30, -0.03) and 9-1-1: Nashville (0.22, -0.02) dipped on ABC, but Grey's Anatomy (0.22, +0.04) rose at ten. On CBS, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.41, -0.02) slipped, but Ghosts (0.38, +0.03), Matlock (0.25, +0.01), and Elsbeth (0.19, +0.04) climbed higher. NBC's Law & Order (0.27, -0.01) and The Hunting Party (0.17, -0.05) were both down, but SVU (0.34, +0.04) was up in the middle. On Fox, Next Level Chef (0.23, 0.00) matched last week's rating, but Animal Control (0.18, -0.02) and Going Dutch (0.13, -0.02) lost momentum. Scrabble (0.05, +0.02) and Trivial Pursuit (0.05, +0.01) ticked up on the CW.
On ABC, 9-1-1 (0.33, +0.04) and 9-1-1: Nashville (0.24, +0.04) were up for their crossover event, and Grey's Anatomy (0.18, +0.03) also improved. Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.43, +0.03), Ghosts (0.35, +0.01), Matlock (0.24, +0.04), and Elsbeth (0.15, +0.01) all rose on CBS. NBC was also up across the board with Law & Order (0.28, +0.04), Law & Order: SVU (0.30, +0.04), and The Hunting Party (0.22, +0.05). Next Level Chef (0.23, -0.05), Animal Control (0.20, -0.02), and Going Dutch (0.15, -0.03) all declined on Fox. Scrabble (0.03, -0.01) slipped on the CW, but Trivial Pursuit (0.04, 0.00) held steady.
Matlock (0.20, -0.09) and Elsbeth (0.14, -0.04) had disappointing returns on CBS, while Georgie & Mandy (0.40, +0.04) and Ghosts (0.34, +0.09) were up noticeably from their last installments. On ABC, 9-1-1 (0.29, -0.06), 9-1-1: Nashville (0.20, -0.12), and Grey's Anatomy (0.15, -0.07) all plummeted. NBC's Law & Order (0.24, -0.04) and Law & Order: SVU (0.26, -0.09) also declined, but The Hunting Party (0.17, +0.02) bucked the trend. Next Level Chef (0.28, +0.08), Animal Control (0.22, +0.05), and Going Dutch (0.18, +0.08) all soared on Fox. Scrabble (0.04, +0.01) and Trivial Pursuit (0.04, +0.01) each gained a hundredth on the CW.
CBS has issued another early mass renewal, with ten fall series now confirmed to join Sheriff Country and Boston Blue on next year's schedule, leaving just three series from their fall schedule in limbo. Tuesday night's NCIS lineup of NCIS, NCIS: Origins, and NCIS: Sydney will all be back next season, potentially keeping that block together for another year. Wednesday reality hits Survivor and The Amazing Race have also been renewed. The Thursday lineup is also returning in full, with sitcom Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage and legal drama Matlock earning third seasons and Elsbeth being granted a fourth season pickup, with Ghosts having already been renewed back in February 2025. Fire Country has also been renewed for a fifth season, now confirmed to join its spinoff on the schedule next year. And, in perhaps the least-surprising decision of the year, CBS has picked up a fourth season of breakout hit drama Tracker, the only Sunday night series currently confirmed to be returning. DMV, Watson, and reality series The Road are all still in limbo. All but NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney are correct prediction for The TV Ratings Guide.
Georgie & Mandy (0.36, +0.02) and Matlock (0.29, +0.02) both rose on CBS, but Ghosts (0.33, 0.00) failed to grow alongside them, and Elsbeth (0.18, -0.02) dipped. On ABC, The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.18/0.14) declined from last week's premiere, trailing its Celebrity Wheel of Fortune lead-in (0.28). NBC aired Rudolph (0.32), a Year in Review (0.15), and a Fallon special (0.11). Hell's Kitchen (0.22, +0.05) recovered on Fox, but Next Level Baker (0.12, +0.01) only grew slightly. The CW aired Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors (0.07). Key: (R) = repeat.
This week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, an extra-special edition centering on the three franchise-starters currently on CBS's lineup, including the already-renewed FBI. Keep reading to see which is due for a prediction change and which is looking to be on the ice.
Prediction Key:
Week 9 Predictions:
Shows' 18-49 demo average, weekly peak performance on Paramount+, and MP+35 viewership are listed in parenthesis
NCIS: NCIS is a very old show, on a network that's shown a clear preference for younger - and, going hand-in-hand, less expensive - shows. That's really its only liability, and it's probably going to do it in sooner than its ratings warrant. That won't be now, as NCIS remains the powerful flagship series in one of CBS's most important brands. Its spinoffs aren't doing nearly well enough to be seen as viable replacements for it, so CBS still needs it around for at least another season. It's still doing well in multiplatform viewing for its current episodes, with its premiere rating being strong enough for it to rank ninth across broadcast TV in MP+35 ratings, with older episodes also being a valuable asset on Paramount+. Given the value of the NCIS IP, and CBS's penchant for spinning off their top titles (particularly this series, which has spawned six spinoffs), it won't be much of a surprise to see NCIS joined by a new spinoff on the schedule next season, given that Origins and Sydney are both in clear danger after seasons of middling linear and multiplatorm ratings. When and if CBS graces us with another NCIS, they'll want the hit franchise-starter as a launchpad. NCIS is upgraded this week to a certain renewal, though it's a bit less safe than shows like Survivor and Tracker.
FBI: Speaking of acronym-titled franchise starters about government departments, FBI is in its second season of a three-season renewal. Its status on CBS has been heavily downgraded this season, as have its ratings. It's an outright linear ratings flop, averaging just a 0.23 in the demo. Only five scripted shows on CBS are performing worse, and four of those shows air at 10 PM, and two air on Friday. It was always destined to plunge in the ratings as it moved from its longtime home on Tuesdays and shifted to a 9 PM time slot after our years at 8, but 42% is dramatic. Its multiplatform ratings have also taken a hit. It averaged 10.6 million viewers in MP+35 ratings, and while we don't know its exact MP+35 average this season, it didn't even crack 10 million viewers for its season premiere in that metric. This show is clearly in decline, and many viewers that didn't stick with watching it live after it moved to a new night aren't bothering to catch up on DVR or Paramount+. The way things are going, this is likely not a case of ifSeason 9 will be the last, but rather when that will be announced. The question now turns to if CIA gets a proper launchpad out o an ailing FBI, and if it can be the FBI franchise replacement likely once hoped it would be. Regardless, FBI looks like it's on its way out soon, and with CBS clearly deprioritizing it this season, it would be a shock if it were renewed past season nine. Its performance this season would certainly warrant dropping that axe.
Fire Country: Last and least of franchise starters we have Fire Country, which is faltering at the worst possible time. It does seem to do OK on streaming, performing about on par with Sheriff Country there, but it is worth noting that it does have more episodes. to stream than Sheriff, so its performance on the Paramount+ is likely influenced by people watching old episodes. Its multiplatorm ratings are certainly concerning, in addition to the linear ratings slump. After averaging 9.6 million viewers in MP+35 this season, Fire Country wasn't even in the top twenty in Nielsen's recent MP+35 report. The top ten is all that's been publicly shared, and it encompassed all shows above ten million viewers. CBS noted that FBI, Georgie & Mandy, and 60 Minutes were their shows ranked between eleventh and twentieth. Last season, 8.9 million viewers was enough to crack the top twenty on broadcast in MP+35. The #10 show in this season's report came in a million viewers below last season's #10 show, so the #20 show was probably a bit under that 8.9 million viewers figure. If Fire Country debuted in the mid-to-high 8 million range, it's down about a million viewers from last season's average, and it's at least three million viewers behind the other Friday shows, including its own spinoff. Forbes has reported that a new "Country" drama, Rescue Country, is in early development. Given the middling season Fire Country has had, in which it's sunk 40% and has set a new series low four times in just seven episodes, one has to wonder if this is a plan to expand the Country universe or the beginning of plans to replace Fire Country, which is struggling to keep up with Sheriff Country. Fire Country still seems to be safe for now. It would be very unusual for a show to be canceled the same season it premieres a promising spinoff, especially after Fire was always solid before this season. It remains a certain renewal, but the future of CBS's Friday night remains a question mark, as we're let to wonder if it will become an all-Country night or if an existing show will end if Rescue Country really is on its way.
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
Survivor
The Amazing Race
Thurs
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
Ghosts
Matlock
Elsbeth
Fri
Sheriff Country
Fire Country
Boston Blue
Sun
Tracker
The Road
Encores
Renewed
Certain Renew
Likely Renew
Leans Renew
Leans Cancel
Likely Cancel
Certain Cancel
Canceled
What do you think of these predictions? What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments and vote in the poll below!
Fox's Next Level Baker (0.11) made no noise on series premiere night, declining sharply from an already sinking Hell's Kitchen (0.17, -0.06). On NBC, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (0.35) and Frosty the Snowman (0.34) posted strong ratings, with Grinch topping the night in the key demo. On CBS, Georgie & Mandy (0.34, -0.08) and Ghosts (0.33, -0.03) slipped, while Matlock (0.27, +0.01) inched up. Elsbeth (0.20, 0.00) was steady. On ABC, The Great Christmas Light Fight (0.22/0.20) fell behind its Celebrity Family Feud lead-in (0.30) in its premiere. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.
This week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, we take a look at a struggling comedy that received some good news with the anticipated release of the season's first MP+35 ratings. Plus, a look at the seasons's first renewals, and a downgrade for an embattled new reality show.
It was a quiet week on CBS this week, but that doesn't mean it's another quiet week of the CBS Renew/Cancel, as it's time for multiple prediction changes this week, including one show's prediction shifting from a renewal to a cancellation. Keep reading to see which shows are on the move!
This week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, CBS's midseason schedule lets to questions about two shows that are on the move. Keep reading to see if either are due for a prediction change! Plus, the ever-curious case of NCIS: Origins is once again investigated.
9-1-1 (0.34, -0.01) only lost a hundredth on ABC, but 9-1-1: Nashville (0.20, -0.06) and Grey's Anatomy (0.13, -0.04) declined significantly. On NBC, Law & Order (0.22, +0.01) and Law & Order:SVU (0.30, +0.03) were both up. Georgie & Mandy (0.39, -0.03) and Matlock (0.26, -0.04) dropped on CBS, while Ghosts (0.39, +0.02) and Elsbeth (0.18, +0.02) rose. On Fox, Hell's Kitchen (0.20, -0.01) ticked down, but Special Forces (0.18, +0.06) surged. Police 24/7 (0.02, -0.05) plummeted on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
This week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, we take a closer look at a show that's struggling in linear ratings this season. Is this veteran CBS drama doomed, or do the live ratings only tell part of a larger picture about this show's true strength? Keep reading for the latest update on Elsbeth, as well as several other shows on the bubble.
NBC special Wicked: One Wonderful Night (0.38) performed well on Thursday night, placing second in the 8 p.m. time slot. On CBS, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage (0.42, +0.07), Ghosts (0.37, +0.03), and Matlock (0.30, +0.10) all grew, but Elsbeth (0.16, -0.01) slipped. 9-1-1 (0.35, +0.02) rose on ABC, but 9-1-1: Nashville (0.26, -0.02) and Grey's Anatomy (0.17, -0.07) dropped. Hell's Kitchen (0.21, -0.1) and Special Forces (0.12, -0.09) plummeted on Fox. Police 24/7 (0.07, +0.04) jumped on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
The recent release of multiplatform data is the talk of the town this week on the CBS Renew/Cancel, as it helps to make some of their shows look a bit safer and solidifies others as the most obviously endangered shows on the network. Plus, a combination of factors leads to one show previously seen as a lock to get a downgrade.
Law & Order (0.21, -0.06) and Law & Order: SVU (0.27, -0.06) dealt with sharp declines on NBC, as did Ghosts (0.34, -0.05) and Matlock (0.20, -0.04) on CBS. Georgie & Mandy (0.35, -0.01) fared better, and Elsbeth (0.17, 0.00) held steady. 9-1-1 (0.33, -0.02) dropped slightly on ABC, but 9-1-1: Nashville (0.28, +0.02) and Grey's Anatomy (0.24, +0.01) ticked up. Fox's Hell's Kitchen (0.31, +0.03) climbed to another new season high, and Special Forces (0.21, +0.03) also improved. Police 24/7 (0.03, 0.00) was flat on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat.
