Welcome to another Upfronts season?
Welcome to another Upfronts season? I only pose that as a question because CBS seems to be foregoing the traditional Upfronts presentation which the other networks will embark upon some 10 days from now, and instead released their fall schedule and previews of their new shows well ahead of time.
If you’ve been around Foolish Watcher for a while now, you know that the Upfronts is the week or so when the networks introduce their upcoming schedules to advertisers in hopes that they will be wooed into buying commercial airtime. It’s the networks’ big dog-and-pony show, one that has been diminishing in recent years thanks to the pandemic, the strikes, and the decline of network broadcast televsison’s stranglehold on the audience in general. But this year, there is nothing holding the networks back from introducing a full fall schedule.
CBS’s ongoing philosophy continues to be “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” They are introducing five new shows this fall: two new prequels to two of their most popular series, The Big Bang Theory and NCIS; and two new series that are unrelated to other CBS properties that were pulled from the 2023-2024 season in order to give them a starring role this fall, because they are natural companions to other shows on the schedule. CBS also seems to have learned a few things from last year’s strike-altered schedule: they’re keeping the supersized Survivor and Amazing Race on the schedule, and adding another 45-minute reality competition, The Summit.
Schedule
MONDAY
7/8 p.m.: The Neighborhood (October 21)
7:30/8:30 p.m.: POPPA’S HOUSE (October 21)
8/9 p.m.: NCIS (October 14)
9/10 p.m.: NCIS: ORIGINS (October 14)
TUESDAY
7/8 p.m.: FBI (October 15)
8/9 p.m.: FBI: INTERNATIONAL (October 15)
9/10 p.m.: FBI: Most Wanted (October 15)
WEDNESDAY (Fall)
7/8 p.m.: Survivor (September 18)
8:30/9:30 p.m.: THE SUMMIT (Sneak preview September 19; October 16)
WEDNESDAY (Winter)
7/8 p.m.: The Price Is Right at Night
8/9 p.m.: Raid the Cage
9/10 p.m.: HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
WEDNESDAY (Spring)
7/8 p.m.: Survivor
8:30/9:30 p.m.: The Amazing Race
THURSDAY
7/8 p.m.: GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE (October 17)
7:30/8:30 p.m.: Ghosts (October 17)
8/9 p.m.: MATLOCK (Sneak preview September 22; October 17)
9/10 p.m.: Elsbeth (October 17)
FRIDAY (Fall)
7/8 p.m.: S.W.A.T. (October 18)
8/9 p.m.: Fire Country (October 18)
9/10 p.m.: Blue Bloods (Final 8 Episodes) (October 18)
FRIDAY (Spring)
7/8 p.m.: NCIS: Sydney
8/9 p.m.: Fire Country
9/10 p.m.: S.W.A.T.
SATURDAY
7/8 p.m.: Repeats
8/9 p.m.: Repeats
9/10 p.m.: 48 Hours (September 21)
SUNDAY (Fall)
6/7 p.m.: 60 Minutes (September 22)
7/8 p.m.: Tracker (October 27)
8/9 p.m.: The Equalizer (October 27)
9/10 p.m.: Repeats
SUNDAY (Spring)
6/7 p.m.: 60 Minutes
7/8 p.m.: Tracker
8/9 p.m.: The Equalizer
9/10 p.m.: WATSON
New Fall Shows
Poppa’s House
Official synopsis: POPPA’S HOUSE, starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., features Wayans as legendary talk radio host and happily divorced “Poppa” who has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host (Essence Atkins) is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son (Damon Wayans Jr.), a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.
T’s Take: This series was originally supposed to premiere in the 2023-2024 season, but it would have been foreshortened thanks to the strikes. Instead, CBS decided to hold off and premiere it this season, giving it a lot more runway, which shows confidence in the family sitcom.
As such, I’m just going to quote myself from last year: “While I am not likely to consistently watch this series, I do love me some Damon Wayans, Jr. and might give it a chance just for him alone. In fact, as most people in my generation, I have a soft spot for the entire Wayans clan, and I can see this being a successful companion to The Neighborhood.”
NCIS: ORIGINS
Official synopsis: NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid).
T’s Take: Young Gibbs.
The Summit
Official synopsis: THE SUMMIT, hosted by Manu Bennett, follows 16 strangers embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through the treacherous New Zealand Alps in an attempt to reach the peak of a distant, towering mountain. With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million, the group must traverse an exhausting distance in just 14 days in order to win the cash they are carrying. But not everyone will make it, as these strangers must work together to tackle the dangerous terrain, unforgiving Antarctic winds, heart-pounding challenges and gut-wrenching eliminations on their way to the peak. Tracking them along this journey is the “Mountain’s Keeper” who will surprise the trekkers with brutal twists and force decisions that complicate an already grueling ascent. Morals and relationships will be tested when they must decide what to do if someone falls behind – because if the group fails to reach The Summit in time, all the prize money will be lost.
T’s Take: Well, based on the trailer above, this appears to be a 45-minute-long panic attack every week. I’m with the crying guy.
GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE
Official synopsis: GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE, the sequel to Young Sheldon, follows Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) as they raise their young family in Texas while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting and marriage.
T’s Take: CBS has learned above all else that you mustn’t kill the golden goose. As such, we have our second prequel to The Big Bang Theory, stretching that show’s lifespan even further. I didn’t watch The Big Bang Theory; I didn’t watch Young Sheldon; I’m not going to watch this, but there will be plenty of CBS viewers who will.
MATLOCK
Official synopsis: Kathy Bates stars as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock in the new drama series, MATLOCK, inspired by the classic television series of the same name. Madeline achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the work force at a prestigious law firm, where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within.
T’s Take: Like Poppa’s House, Matlock was originally set to debut last year, but CBS pulled it from the schedule, waiting to pair it with another quirky, female-led legal dramedy, Elsbeth. They seem to be the perfect pairing.
And as I said last year: “Frankly, I’m surprised it has taken CBS this long to remake a hit show about a brilliant and underestimated septuagenarian. This seems like the easiest call to patronize their audience. So, when are they bringing Murder, She Wrote back?”
Midseason
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
Official synopsis: HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, starring Drew Barrymore, is a classic game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The “board” for the game is a vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The celebrities are asked questions and the contestants judge the legitimacy of their answers to win the game. Award-winning actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore will take her place as the famed “center square” answering questions for the contestants.
T’s Take: You don’t need me to TVsplain what Hollywood Squares is, right? I don’t know that Drew Barrymore is quite as known for her comedy stylings as previous center squares Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, and Whoopi Goldberg, but maybe she’s the center square we deserve.
WATSON
Official synopsis: WATSON takes place seven months after the death of the titular character’s friend and partner Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty. Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Watson’s old life isn’t done with him, though – Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century. Watson is a medical show with a strong investigative spine, featuring a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries.
T’s Take: It’s difficult to judge a series without a preview, but I will note that there are some folks out there who are irritated by the premise, calling it a House rip-off (which honestly, sounds fair?). I will also add that the creator is Craig Sweeney, who had previously worked as a writer on Elementary — which this is not a sequel to — but the guy clearly has a thing for Sherlock Holmes.
Cancellations
- Blue Bloods
- Bob Hearts Abishola
- CSI: Vegas
- NCIS: Hawai’i
- So Help Me Todd
- Young Sheldon
Renewals
- 48 Hours
- 60 Minutes
- The Amazing Race
- The Equalizer
- Elsbeth
- FBI
- FBI: International
- FBI: Most Wanted
- Fire Country
- Ghosts
- Let’s Make a Deal Primetime
- Lingo
- NCIS
- NCIS: Sydney
- The Neighborhood
- The Price is Right at Night
- Raid the Cage
- Survivor
- S.W.A.T.
Shows Still Up in the Air
- Big Brother Reindeer Games
- Buddy Games
- The Challenge: USA
- FBI True
- Loteria Loca
- Secret Celebrity Renovation
- Superfan
- Tough as Nails