‘NCIS’ Renewed for Season 18 at CBS

NCIS — as well as its two spinoff series, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans — has been renewed for another season at CBS. The network gave the longrunning procedural the green light for its 18th season during its digital presentations as part of its May 18-19 “ViacomCBS Upfront @ Home” amid the coronavirus pandemic. NCIS was just one of 15 scripted shows that were renewed at CBS, including FBI, Mom, and Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon. Also set to return are dramas Blue Bloods, Bull, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., SEAL Team, SWAT and comedy The Neighborhood. The network also renewed four of its freshman programs, with All Rise, Chuck Lorre’s Bob Hearts Abishola and The Unicorn joining FBI: Most Wanted. Veteran newsmagazines 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, as well as competition series Undercover Boss, will also return.

“Thanks to these exceptional shows, we’re going to win the current season by 1 million viewers,” said CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said in a statement. “Next year, we’ll have these strong returning series as our foundation … and Super Bowl LV, too. It’s a well-balanced lineup across entertainment, news and sports that will put us in an incredibly stable position for 2020-2021.”

However, the network also announced a slew of cancellations, including the Matt LeBlanc comedy Man With a Plan — which returned for its fifth season in early April — as well as NCIS alum Pauley Perrette’s Broke, Patricia Heaton-led Carol’s Second Act and Edie Falco’s cop drama Tommy.

The TV news comes amid a spot of unprecedented confusion for TV programmers, who aren’t sure what the 2020-21 broadcast season will look like, as it’s unclear when it will be considered safe to resume work after the novel coronavirus prompted a near industry-wide production shutdown. Production on returning series usually resumes after the Fourth of July holiday, but with no clear timeline in place, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the typical September fall season launch is in jeopardy the longer the shutdown remains in place. Others reportedly noted that a January launch could be more likely for scripted series.

All in all, CBS will return 18 scripted shows next season after veteran series Criminal Minds, Elementary, God Friended Me, Hawaii Five-0 and Madam Secretary all ended their runs earlier this season. Should the fall season start in September, CBS would have room for six dramas and three comedies.