The Hollywood Reporter
CBS’ 2023-24 season is starting to come into focus.
The network has opted to cancel its last two remaining bubble shows, True Lies and East New York, both of which ran a single season. True Lies, a reboot of the film of the same name, will air its series finale May 17, while procedural East New York will wrap May 14.
Reps for CBS declined comment.
The decisions come as CBS is poised to announce series orders for the upcoming 2023-24 broadcast season on Tuesday, with its fall schedule set to be announced Wednesday. For the first time in recent memory, CBS and parent company Paramount Global backed out of its traditional upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers with that slot now occupied by Netflix.
The decision to cancel East New York, starring Amanda Warren and produced by Warner Bros. TV and creators William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn, and True Lies, starring Steve Howey and Ginger Gonzaga and from creator Matt Nix, comes after CBS reversed its decision to cancel veteran drama SWAT after six seasons. Earlier Monday, CBS announced it has actually renewed SWAT for a seventh and final season consisting of only 13 episodes.
SWAT is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios, meaning Paramount Global has a slice of ownership of the series from Shawn Ryan (The Night Agent) and starring Shemar Moore. East New York and True Lies, meanwhile, were both fully owned by outside studios (Warners and Disney’s 20th Television), which meant that CBS had to pay a licensing fee to both studios.
As linear ratings continue to crater, networks are increasingly looking to fully own the bulk of their scripted originals in an effort to keep costs down. CBS, it’s worth noting, owns Blue Bloods but reduced the salaries of its cast and creatives by an estimated 25 percent in order to keep the show on the air. Meanwhile, the Chuck Lorre-produced comedy Bob Hearts Abishola — which hails from Warners — reduced all but two cast members from series regular to recurring in yet another cost-saving measure.
CBS’ returning series for 2023-24 are Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, CSI: Vegas, The Equalizer, FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, Ghosts, NCIS, NCIS: Hawai’i, SWAT, The Neighborhood, Young Sheldon and Fire Country and So Help Me Todd. CBS either fully owns or is attached a co-producer on all of them save for Young Sheldon and Abishola as Warners does not do co-productions on shows produced by the prolific Lorre.
In terms of CBS’ rookie class, the network went 2-for-4, with Fire Country and So Help Me Todd returning after the cancellations of East New York and True Lies.
The network already has Justin Hartley drama Tracker on tap for next season with additional pickups coming this week. CBS has two comedies (Jumpstart and the untitled Wayans entry) and a pair of dramas (The Good Fight offshoot Elsbeth and a sequel to Matlock) in contention.
Keep up with all the broadcast renewals, cancellations and new series orders with The Hollywood Reporter’s handy scorecard.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
