CBS used to be the network that was really strong in comedy. There was the very strong comedies of How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half Men. There were the also strong comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly and the reliable Rules of Engagement. Well, the first three were getting old, and today only The Big Bang Theory remains. In 2012-13 they had to cancel something, so Rules of Engagement left, Mike & Molly became the new spackle, and both 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly aren't what they used to be. Since then, Mom has been the only real success. The Millers got a second season, but it became obvious that its season one lead-in was the reason it did so well, and it was canceled and The Odd Couple looks to be the new version of The Millers. Mike & Molly is most likely heading into its final season, so that leaves The Big Bang Theory, Mom, and 2 Broke Girls, and don't forget that the only very strong one here, The Big Bang Theory, is entering season nine.
CBS is really struggling in the drama department. The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, CSI Cyber, Elementary, Hawaii Five-0, and Blue Bloods are all low-rated to decently-rated, and neither of NCIS: Los Angeles or Person of Interest does that well either, and the latter is most likely going to end after its upcoming season. That leaves only Scorpion, NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, and Criminal Minds. Of those four, NCIS: New Orleans looks to be dependent on NCIS, and Criminal Minds doesn't have many years left in it. And that leaves only the never-ending NCIS and new hit Scorpion. That doesn't sound like a bright future to me.
But what we are forgetting is new shows that could potentially be hits. But, with this batch of shows, potentially is more like maybe possibly potentially. Angel from Hell is at a serious disadvantage with it being one of two fall comedies in a year with three mid-season returning comedies and the other new comedy gets The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in. Meanwhile Life in Pieces most likely won't last once it moves because it is a family comedy on CBS. Supergirl is way too unlike anything on the network to be a hit in my opinion, especially without a lead-in. Limitless or Code Black could be a surprise hit, but I doubt either doing well enough to get a second season. That leaves mid-season dramas Rush Hour (based off of the movie) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (a Criminal Minds spin-off). Honestly, I would vote Rush Hour most likely to be a hit, but who knows what timeslot it will get, and I half-expect it to be the next Elementary.
Sunday is a complete mess on CBS this season. Football will hold it up on some fall Sundays, but otherwise it will do very poorly with low-rated veteran The Good Wife airing what will surely be its final season at 9:00 and low-rated sophomores Madam Secretary and CSI Cyber airing on either side of it. Madam Secretary will most likely be the next The Good Wife, though I see it lasting closer to five seasons, not seven. CSI Cyber is most likely dead after season two.
I expected Elementary to end before Person of Interest up until this May. When Elementary got to stay on Thursdays and Person of Interest got only 13 episodes, I knew that Elementary would be back for more, while Person of Interest would be done. I'm shocked that it is getting The Mentalist treatment (which, looking at the schedule looks like almost definitely what CBS will do), but that's the way it goes. I would be extremely surprised if Elementary stayed on Thursdays in 2016-17, with most likely two spots opened up on Sundays, where I expect it at NCIS: Los Angeles to move, with NCIS:LA taking over The Good Wife's timeslot, while Elementary gets the awful Sundays at 10:00 timeslot.
The two Friday dramas Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods are lucky. With the renewal of CSI Cyber I expected a cancelation for Hawaii Five-0, but, surprisingly, it was renewed. Now, it probably has two or three seasons left in it. The Good Wife, CSI Cyber, and Person of Interest will all most likely end in 2016, and Elementary will probably end in 2017, so I think that whether Hawaii Five-0 will be done in 2017 or 2018 depends on Criminal Minds. As I said earlier, that show doesn't have much time left, renewing contracts always comes with major difficulties, they created a new spin-off that they are probably hoping will replace it, and the show is going into its eleventh season. Blue Bloods is very lucky, and it probably has at least three more seasons in it, and I think it could end up airing for five more years if it is lucky. There are enough shows beneath it in the pecking order for it to stay for a while.
CBS's future is looking grim in my opinion. The network will be supported by NCIS, Scorpion, and Mom or an upcoming comedy a few years from now. CBS desperately needs new hits, especially in the comedy department, and quick.
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