You’ll Have to Wait a Little Longer for BLUE BLOODS This Fall
By Movieguide® Contributor
CBS is taking a gamble and releasing its new and renewed scripted shows in October, making fans wait an extra month before they can enjoy the shows they love.
The move stems from a strategy to generate hype for new shows through sneak peeks following NFL games. The upcoming MATLOCK reboot will air a sneak peek episode on Sunday, Sept. 22, while THE SUMMIT sneak peek will come a week later.
Networks often capitalize on the high viewership enjoyed by live sports to air new series to the fans who don’t change the channel. While this strategy has not impacted syndicated shows in the past, CBS has decided it wants to air the new seasons of its scripted shows at the same time, rather than allow the familiar series to have a head start.
The result is that the network’s primetime shows like NCIS and BLUE BLOODS will begin their seasons in October, rather than in September — the normal beginning of the fall season. CBS’s fall season will begin on Monday, Oct. 14 with the airing of NCIS Season 22, followed by the new NCIS: ORIGINS, which will premiere with a two-hour special.
Other highlights of the premiere week include the FBI franchise on Tuesday, YOUNG SHELDON spinoff, GEORGE AND MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE on Thursday and the final half of BLUE BLOODS’ last season beginning on Friday.
While this unique strategy is changing the premiere of the network’s scripted shows, its unscripted shows will follow their normal release schedule, with SURVIVOR, 48 HOURS, THE PRICE IS RIGHT and 60 MINUTES starting their seasons in September.
Though this decision may irk some viewers who are excited to see more of their favorite shows, it is unlikely to have a long-term impact on the network’s viewership as CBS reigns as the top dog in TV. Earlier this year, Nielsen found it was the top network for viewership for the 16th consecutive season.
Movieguide® previously reported:
CBS Network is on track to be the most-watched network for the 16 straight TV season.
“According to Live + 7 data measured by Nielsen through April 21, CBS is averaging 5.59 million viewers, putting it 580,000 ahead of its closest competitor, which is NBC with an average 5.01 million viewers. ABC and Fox trail behind at 4.29 million and 3.35 million viewers, respectively,” Variety reported.
CBS’ TRACKER began in February and has quickly become the network’s most-watched series.
Deadline reported, “According to Paramount, since the new season premiered in February, CBS is up 11% versus last year in primetime multi-platform 35-day viewing. That’s only taking into account the viewing that occurred last year in that same time frame. In the 35-day window, TRACKER also stands above the rest with a whopping 20.4M viewers per episode. YOUNG SHELDON and NCIS are each averaging 12.9M viewers, while GHOSTS is managing 11.9M.”
