As we head into the spring, networks will start making tough decisions concerning whether to renew or cancel their shows, but CBS has a head start as it has already ended Blue Bloods among two other TV series. Unfortunately, the cancelations won't stop there. CBS executives realistically have to make more cuts while planning their programming lineup for the 2025–2026 season. So, fans should prepare to say goodbye to other shows by the time their current seasons reach their respective finales.
CBS isn't the only network slated to make cuts as the dreaded (but also highly anticipated) May TV upfronts get closer. NBC, ABC, and Fox will also have to cancel some of their original programming. Meanwhile, all the networks will be introducing the new TV series that have made their way onto each network's schedule next season. So, it's bittersweet, but, at least avid TV watchers know the fates of three beloved CBS shows.
4 Blue Bloods
Seasons: 14
CBS announced that Blue Bloods was renewed for a fourteenth and final season back in November 2023, meaning fans had time to prepare for the end. Of course, that didn't exactly heal the heartbreak from losing the police procedural. Many (including Blue Bloods cast members who took pay cuts for season 14) tried to save the show but were ultimately unsuccessful.
CBS split Blue Bloods season 14 into two parts, with the first half containing 10 episodes and the second half having eight episodes. The TV show's finale eventually aired in December 2024, attempting to give satisfying endings for each Blue Bloods character. However, there is some good news. CBS ordered a Blue Bloods spinoff titled Boston Blue in February 2025 for the 2025–2026 season. Donnie Wahlberg is set to reprise his role as Danny Reagan in the upcoming series, which will feature the character moving to Boston.
3 FBI: Most Wanted
Seasons: 6
Shortly after the exciting announcement of the Blue Bloods spinoff, CBS brought its consumers down from that high with the cancelation of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. FBI: Most Wanted is the first spinoff of FBI and is in the midst of airing its sixth season. Consequently, the news that the two police procedural shows are ending has been devastating to most fans, especially since the flagship series has been renewed through season 9. It certainly doesn't help that CBS will probably order another spinoff, FBI: CIA, to series for the 2025–2026 season.
However, FBI: Most Wanted's cancelation isn't all that shocking. According to TVLine, FBI: Most Wanted season 6 is averaging 6.5 million viewers, which is down 10% from season 5. Based on those numbers, the first FBI spinoff ranks ninth among every 2024–2025 CBS drama. Tracker, Matlock, FBI, Blue Bloods, NCIS, Elsbeth, Watson and FBI: International are all performing better than FBI: Most Wanted, making it easier for the network to cancel the series.
2 FBI: International
Seasons: 4
As mentioned above, FBI: International is one of the three TV series CBS has canceled in 2024/2025, as of the writing of this article. Similar to FBI: Most Wanted, the network might be ending the third show in the FBI franchise due to its dwindling ratings. Season 4 is averaging 6.53 million viewers, down 10% from last year. As a result, FBI: International ranks eighth among all the CBS dramas that have aired during the 2024–2025 season.
An FBI:CIA spinoff is still happening despite the cancelations of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. CBS is seemingly making room for new spinoffs of its most popular shows, and the network certainly wouldn't want to completely let go of the FBI franchise, given how well the original series is doing. So, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International are out, and FBI:CIA is (most likely) in.
1 Which Other CBS Shows Are At Risk Of Being Canceled?
More Cancelations Are On The Way
Sadly, CBS will undoubtedly cancel more TV shows by the spring of 2025. Four spinoffs are being considered (or have definitively been selected, like Sheriff Country and Boston Blue) for CBS' 2025–2026 lineup, and the network has already renewed many other drama series, including NCIS, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney, Tracker, Fire Country, Elsbeth, and Matlock. Plus, Einstein, a pilot starring Criminal Minds' Matthew Gray Gubler, is in the works. There are only so many timeslots that CBS can fill, meaning some shows must get the axe.
CBS' Drama Spinoffs In The Works | Original TV Show | Status |
|---|---|---|
FBI: CIA | FBI | In development — FBI season 7 is set to air the spinoff's backdoor pilot in the spring of 2025 |
Sheriff Country (starring Morena Baccarin as Mickey Fox) | Fire Country | Set to premiere during the 2025–2026 TV season |
Fire Country: Surfside (starring Jared Padalecki as Camden Casey) | Fire Country | On hold until after Sheriff Country airs (Padalecki also has another show in the works for CBS) |
Boston Blue (starring Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan) | Blue Bloods | Set to premiere during the 2025–2026 TV season |
Untitled Equalizer spinoff (starring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz) | The Equalizer | Not yet confirmed |
One of the most likely options for CBS to cancel next is S.W.A.T. The action crime drama has been canceled twice already, and it's not performing as well as the network's other shows. The fates of The Equalizer and Watson remain up in the air, as well. Only time will tell what CBS decides to do, but after the cancelation of Blue Bloods, no TV series is safe.
Source: TVLine
