CBS Reduces Episode Order for 4 Shows for 2026-2027 Season

May 2, 2026, 7:24pm

CBS is changing things up for next season.

Deadline reports that four shows on the 2026-2027 schedule will have reduced episode orders for their upcoming seasons.

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When CBS unveiled its fall schedule, it was revealed that the Friday night lineup consisting of Sheriff Country, Fire Country, and Boston Blue will remain the same. However, it won’t be all season. Sources say that Fire Country has received a 13-episode Season 5 order, down from a 20-episode order for Season 4, and will leave the lineup early next season.

Pictured (L-R): Max Thieriot as Bode Leone, Jordan Calloway as Jake Crawford, and Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards. Photo: Eike Schroter/CBS

Also getting a 13-episode season will be the Kathy Bates-led legal drama Matlock, which will return for its third season during midseason 2027. Creator Jennie Snyder Urman previously shared that she had asked the network to push the show to midseason so she and the writers have more time to craft the storyline, which is being given a “big reset” after the Wellbrexa storyline wrapped up in the Season 2 finale.

Meanwhile, the NCIS franchise will see a bit of a shake-up. While the Mothership, entering its 24^th season, is expected to get a full order, spinoffs NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney are not so lucky. Origins, which is returning this fall, will only get 10 episodes and will be replaced by Sydney in the 10 p.m. ET slot on Tuesdays during midseason, with the Australia-set series also getting 10 episodes for Season 3. NCIS: New York, which received a surprise series order, will get a full 20 episodes and will join NCIS for the entire 2026-2027 slate.

Pictured L to R: Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Mariel Molino as Cecilia “Lala” Dominguez, Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf Photo: Greg Gayne/CBS

As of now, it’s unclear what will succeed Fire Country in the 9 p.m. ET hour on Fridays during midseason. Matlock and new series Einstein are both being held for midseason, so it’s likely one of those will take over Fridays. CBS probably won’t reveal the midseason schedule until the fall, so fans will have to wait until then to get a better idea of the lineup.

What this means for the future of CBS shows in regards to episode orders is unknown. In this case, it seems like the network simply has too many shows on the schedule. But how the reduced episode order will affect those four shows, both storyline-wise and for future seasons, remains to be seen. NCIS: Origins Season 3 and Fire Country Season 5 will air this fall, while Matlock Season 3 and NCIS: Sydney Season 4 will air during midseason 2027.