The drama this year isn’t just contained to CBS’ fall lineup.
Despite the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, which could ultimately delay production many scripted programs for weeks or months, the network was confident enough to announce its fall schedule on Wednesday—whether those programs ultimately debut in the fall or not.
The highlights of the broadcaster’s 2023-24 strike-contingent primetime programming include three new dramas, one new comedy, special event programming and 22 returning series. Additionally, Super Bowl 58 will air on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, live on CBS and Paramount+ from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., with Justin Hartley’s new series, Tracker, getting the coveted post-Super Bowl slot.
CBS usually unveils its fall schedule during upfront week, hours ahead of its Carnegie Hall presentation, but this year, parent company Paramount opted to exit upfront week and hold more intimate dinners with clients and partners instead. After wrapping those New York upfront dinners in late April, Paramount ad sales chief John Halley told Adweek the company is “not going back” to upfront week.
Besides the new schedule, CBS is also announcing that the network is continuing its streak as the most-watched primetime broadcaster for the 2022-23 year, getting the honor for the 15th consecutive season and tying broadcast television’s longest winning streak on record, also held by CBS from 1955-1970.
The network is currently averaging 5.97 million viewers, which is more than half a million viewers ahead of NBC (5.39 million) in second place, according to Nielsen’s most current ratings through Sunday, April 30.
Though CBS claimed the most average viewers once again, the number is below last year’s total of 6.26 million.
“CBS programming across entertainment, news and sports continues to appeal to audiences on all platforms, including Paramount+, the fastest-growing streaming service in the U.S.,” said George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer of CBS, in a statement. “It all starts with a winning broadcast network that has an undeniable track record for nurturing long-running franchises and launching new hits every year.”
Only minor schedule tweaks
With its latest win in mind, CBS is taking an “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to its latest schedule.