CBS Cancels 2 Sophomore Series

CBS canceled two more shows on the bubble Saturday, The Unicorn and All Rise. There was some hope The Unicorn might get a third season, but it never reached a wide audience and stuck out like a sore thumb among CBS’ more traditional sitcom offerings. All Rise was unlikely to get a third season due to behind-the-scenes issues, including the departure of creator Greg Spottiswood.

The Unicorn was a single-camera sitcom featuring Sons of Anarchy alum Walton Goggins as a widower re-entering the dating scene while raising two daughters. The show never had good ratings, at least compared to CBS’ more popular fare, but it earned a second season thanks to critical acclaim and a strong cast. Its short second season ended in March.

The show was produced by CBS Studios with Kapital Entertainment, which had a streaming deal with Netflix. That helped with the cost, but it was not enough. Sources told Deadline CBS was only considering a third season if producers cut the budget by moving production. In the end, CBS decided not to renew the show.

All Rise was a legal drama starring Luke Cage‘s Simone Missick as idealistic Los Angeles Judge Lola Carmichael and followed other public defenders and prosecutors in a Los Angeles courthouse. The show faced several behind-the-scenes issues. After the first season ended, it was reported that many of the show’s writers left to protest how Spottswood depicted race and gender. Staff members continued to protest Spottiswood’s role as showrunner until Warner Bros. Television fired him in March due to misconduct allegations. All Rise still has two episodes left to air, with the finale slated for Monday, May 24.

The cancellation of All Rise and The Unicorn leaves two shows still waiting for official word on their futures. SEAL Team and Clarice have not been renewed for the 2021-2022 TV season yet. However, it has been reported that the new plan is to air the first few episodes of SEAL Team Season 5 on CBS before moving it to the Paramount+ streaming platform. If Clarice is renewed, its entire second season will be released on Paramount+.

CBS also ordered Good Sam, a new medical drama starring Sophia Bush, and Smallwood, a sitcom starring Pete Holmes, to series. Good Sam is about a surgeon who must work with her father after he wakes up from a coma. Smallwood tells the story of a laid-off factory worker who becomes a professional bowler. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.