CBS’ fall line-up: Some familiar shows must wait

Some familiar CBS shows will be on the shelf this fall.
When the new season starts, don’t look for “Matlock” … or “Ghosts” (shown here) … or “NCIS: Sydney.” All will be waiting for mid-season spots.
For that matter, don’t expect “DMV” or “Watson”; they’ve been canceled.
Replacing them, for now, will be shows from familiar sources: A comedy from the “Ghosts” producers, a lawyer show from the “Elsbeth” producers, another “NCIS” show and the return of “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist,” which had a brief run this winter.
In a way, the line-up reflects the relative success of CBS’ comfortable line-up, built around dramas that wrap a story each hour. The network says it has 13 of TV’s 20 most-watched series.
So some shows have to wait … and wait some more: Back in August of 2024, CBS ordered a pilot film for “Einstein,” with Albert Einstein’s illegitmate great-grandson solving crimes. The show was planned for this season (2025-26) … delayed until next season … and now will have to wait longer, alongside “Matlock,” “Ghosts” and “NCIS: Sydney.” (Meanwhile, development will start on a drama with Matt LeBlanc as a burned-out cop, trying to be fired.
But the schedule also reflects the budget cutbacks in recent years. CBS will put reruns at 10 p.m. Sundays and on Saturdays, when football allows. It will have an unscripted show at 10 p.m. Mondays, while trimming to only two comedies for the week. (It was announced long ago that the current “Neighborhood” season is its last.)
The line-up is:
— Mondays: “FBI” and “CIA” move up to 8 and 9 p.m., with “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist,” a true-crime series, at 10.
–Tuesdays: “NCIS” stays at 8 p.m., with “NCIS: Origins” moving back to 10. They sandwich the new “NCIS: New York,” which has LL Cool J returning to the character he played in “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
— Wednesdays: “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” return at 8 and 9:30.
— Thursday: This is the night with major changes. “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” will be followed by “Eternally Yours,” with two vampires who find some of the magic has left their marriage after 500 years. Now they dislike the human who is dating their daughter. “Elsbeth” moves up to 9 p.m., followed by the new “Cupertino”: Cheated by a tech company, a lawyer (Mike Colter, of “Luke Cage” and “Evil”) links with a younger lawyer (Rachel Keller) to take on the tech giants.
— Fridays: “Sheriff Country,” “Fire Country” and “Boston Blue” return.
— Saturdays: Reruns (plus “48 Hours”) or college football.
— Sundays: “60 Minutes,” “Marshals” and Tracker” return at 7, 8 and 9. There will be reruns at 10 … at least during pro-football season, when the whole schedule tends to run late in some time zones.
— Waiting: “Ghosts” (which will air its annual Halloween and Christmas episodes as specials), “Matlock,” “NCIS: Sheldon” and “Einstein,” which has Matthew Gray Gubler as Albert’s great-grandson, reluctantly changing his directionless life to help a police detective (Melissa Fumero) solve crimes.
— In development: “Flint,” with LeBlanc as a burned-out Los Angeles police detective, eager to retire. When the city extends his contract, he breaks any rules he can, hoping to be fired.