Yet Another CBS Show Moves to Paramount+

Another show is likely moving from CBS to Paramount+, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet learned that Evil is most likely picking up its long-delayed second season in the streaming world, not on network TV. It joins a handful of other shows that have now made the jump to Paramount+.

Evil stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colter and Aasif Mandvi as paranormal investigators working for the Catholic church. The series premiered in the fall of 2019 and was relatively successful, earning a second season renewal. However, it fell by the wayside in the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic and never turned back up in the 2020-2021 season. Now, THR reports that it may be jumping to streaming, though no one at CBS or Paramount+ has commented publicly on this rumor.

Evil got a big boost in popularity when it became available on Netflix in the fall of 2020, so streaming might be just the right home for it. The series is about the gray area between science and religion in the modern world, and it comes from acclaimed creators Robert and Michelle King — best-known for The Good Fight. The Kings have an overall deal with CBS Studios.

If the reports are true, Evil will be the third show to jump from CBS’ network to its streaming outlet, the first two being SEAL Team and Clarice. The network got an early start on the streaming war with CBS All Access, which was the first OTT subscription service offered by a conventional network. However, with the re-branding to Paramount+ earlier this year, it now strikes many as a newcomer to the “streaming wars.”

Evil relies on distinct characters to explore its broad range of theological questions. Colter plays David Acosta, a Catholic seminarian studying to become a priest, but who has a background in journalism as well. He also takes hallucinogens in order to see what he suspects may be divine visions — though his confidence on this wavers. He works as an assessor for the church, attempting to verify the truth of alleged miracles.

Herbers plays Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic psychologist hired by Acosta to help him distinguish between “true” cases of possession and simple mental illness. However, she is a skeptic who maintains that science can explain everything they see. Finally, Mandvi plays Ben Shakir, a technical expert who helps Acosta by handling all of his equipment. He plays devil’s advocate against both Acosta’s beliefs and Bouchard’s objectivity.

More details on this and other renewals in the ViacomCBS family of outlets are expected on Wednesday, when the company is holding its upfront presentations. For now, Evil Season 1is available to stream on Paramount+ — with a free trial here for new users — or on Netflix. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.