By Shawn Smith
As last season’s TV shows wrap up, news of which shows are getting renewed and which ones are canceled is coming down the pipeline.
Although streaming surpassed cable and broadcast viewership since 2022 and remains a formidable threat to linear TV, networks are still in the game.
“Several network shows have achieved breakout status in the past year, and each of the big four broadcasters (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) can claim at least one success story among their crop of first-year series,” Rick Porter wrote in The Hollywood Reporter.
Long-standing series like NCIS, which was renewed for Season 23, and THE SIMPSONS, which was just greenlit for a 40th season (up till 2028-2029), are enough to “keep streaming services humming,” Porter added.
Among the first-year shows getting a second season are CBS’s legal drama MATLOCK, ABC’s HIGH POTENTIAL and medical drama DOC (Fox).
After being on “pins and needles,”according to Kat Dennings regarding SHIFTING GEARS’ renewal, she and the rest of the crew got the good news that they would be returning again next season.
Dennings, who plays estranged daughter Riley to Tim Allen’s character Matt on the show, was cautiously optimistic towards the end of Season 1.
“You just never know with TV, but we’ve gotten such great numbers, and I’ve heard that people are happy,” the 2 BROKE GIRLS star said. “So who knows? I’m a very negative person, so I never expect anything to happen.”
The ABC show started off strong, debuting at 6.10 million views and dropped to 3.77 million views by episode 10.
Meanwhile, Reba McEntire celebrated along with fellow castmates as she shared that her hit show HAPPY’S PLACE would be returning for a second season.
“Tears of joy. We got picked up for a second season. They told us right before we’re about to go on to do the last show of the first season,” McEntire shared as her and fellow cast member clapped and hugged. “What a gift, thank you Lord, thank you Lord. Woo!”
The sitcom’s pilot, starring the country star as Bobbie who inherits her father’s tavern and learns that she has a half-sister Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) who is also her business partner, has reached over 17.6 million in views across all platforms, per Deadline.
Related: MATLOCK: Episode 1.1: “Pilot”
As well as original series, there are several of the franchise series that Porter called “the cheat sheet for broadcasters” that were greenlit for another season.
NCIS: ORIGINS and NCIS: SYDNEY were picked up for Seasons 2 and 3, respectively.
CBS’s YOUNG SHELDON spinoff series GEORGIE AND MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE will return for a second season.
NBC’s drama CHICAGO FIRE was renewed for a 14th season, while it’s spinoff series CHICAGO MED and CHICAGO PD were renewed for their respective 11th and 13th seasons.
Not all fan favorites will be returning. BLUE BLOODS ended after 14 seasons. No one, perhaps, was more disappointed at the news of the cancelation than its star Tom Selleck.
“I’m kind of frustrated,” Selleck told TV Insider. “During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for BLUE BLOODS but about it still being wildly successful.”
Regardless, the veteran actor says he isn’t one to hold grudges and says what he will miss the most is his fellow cast members.
“There isn’t a single one of them who didn’t want to come back,” the 80-year-old said. “Most shows don’t end that way — there’s petty jealousy and all sorts of things — and we seemed to overcome that. It’s something for everybody to hang their hats on and be proud of.”
All is not lost for BLUE BLOODS fans, though, as Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan will return in the spinoff BOSTON BLUE.
“Now, it’s just Danny going to this new world, but I can’t say a lot about it — but I could say, if he’s a Reagan, it will never be just Danny,” Wahlberg shared. “There’ll always be a Reagan a phone call away. And the traditions that the Reagans have, Danny wouldn’t abandon those traditions.”
The upcoming TV season is full of old and new favorites. What will you be watching?
Read Next: Everything You Need to Know About BLUE BLOODS’ Final Season
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