Two CBS Shows Might Jump to Paramount+ Next Season
SEAL Team and Clarice are two CBS shows still awaiting word on their fate, and that news could [...]
SEAL Team and Clarice are two CBS shows still awaiting word on their fate, and that news could come soon. The two shows might move to Paramount+ next season to stay alive for the 2021-2022 TV season. This could be a sign of how networks might save bubble shows, now that many of them have sister streaming venues.
The plan for the David Boreanaz-starring SEAL Team is to air at least the first four episodes of Season 5 on CBS before moving the rest of the season to Paramount+, sources told Deadline Friday. The series was surprisingly not among the shows CBS renewed last month, but Deadline previously reported that CBS executives like SEAL Team and acknowledged that the show has a "devoted fan following." The issue is that the show saw a decline in viewers for Season 4 and is very expensive to produce. Then again, getting the show to a fifth season could bring it up to 100 episodes, which is still a nice round number that will make the show more valuable.
Meanwhile, Clarice's entire second season would be available exclusively on Paramount+. The show's first season has struggled to find an audience in its Thursday 10 p.m. ET timeslot. However, it has done very well in delayed viewing, averaging 6.1 million viewers. The show was developed by Alex Kurtzman, who works on the current Star Trek TV series for Paramount+. Clarice is a follow-up to Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs novel, featuring Rebecca Breeds as Clarice Starling. Unlike many other crime dramas on the show, Clarice is a serialized crime drama, which would make it perfect for a streaming platform.
The moves for SEAL Team and Clarice show that CBS is interested in doing the same thing its rivals have by taking advantage of a streaming platform under the same corporate umbrella. NBC recently moved the sitcom A.P. Bio from the broadcast network to NBCUniversal's Peacock, while TBS' Search Party successfully moved to HBO Max. Younger also moved from TVLand to Paramount+. NBC is reportedly considering doing this again, with Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist possibly moving to Peacock if it gets a Season 3 renewal.
Last month, CBS renewed Blue Bloods, S.W.A.T., Magnum P.I., Bull, and NCIS for the 2021-2022 season. NCIS: Los Angeles was also renewed, and CBS ordered NCIS: Hawaii, which replaces NCIS: New Orleans. CBS is also airing the CSI sequel CSI: Vegas this season, as well as FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and the new FBI: International in the fall.
On Friday, CBS ordered two new shows, the comedy Smallwood and the drama Good Sam, reports Variety. Smallwood is inspired by the life of professional bowler Tom Smallwood and stars comedian Pete Holmes. Good Sam stars Sophia Bush as a surgeon who is thrust into a leadership role after her boss falls into a coma.