CBS renews 10 shows / Watson and DMV are on the bubble / American Idol looking into adding social media voting
PLUS: Bob Costas returning to NBC Sports to host Sunday Night Baseball pregame show.
CBS renews 10 shows, including Fire Country, Matlock, Survivor and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
The network has picked up a slew of shows for the 2026-2027 season. The Amazing Race will return for Season 39; Elsbeth, NCIS: Sydney and Tracker have been renewed for a fourth season; Fire Country for Season 5; Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Matlock and NCIS: Origins for Season 3; NCIS for Season 24; and, assuming the usual two cycles per TV season in 2026-27, Survivor for its 51st and 52nd installments. CBS previously renewed Sheriff Country and Boston Blue, FBI and Ghosts. “None of the 10 renewals comes as a particular surprise,” says The Hollywood Reporter’s Rick Porter. “Tracker is on pace to be the most watched network entertainment series for the third season in a row, Georgie & Mandy is the most watched comedy and the others have all performed solidly so far this season (CBS has its scripted shows on hiatus currently through the end of the Winter Olympics in late February). With 16 hours of shows locked in for next season, the list of series CBS hasn’t picked up yet is considerably shorter than the list of returnees.” CBS has yet to make a decision on first-year comedy DMV, drama series Watson and the music competition show The Road.
Watson and DMV are on the bubble for next season
With CBS picking up 10 shows for the 2026-2027 season, sophomore drama Watson and freshman comedy DMV are both on the bubble for next season. “Space at CBS will be tight on the drama side,” says Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “With 10 hourlong scripted series already renewed, two new ones, Cupertino and Einstein, waiting in the wings with series orders for 2026-27, and Marshals yet to premiere, it may be hard to find space for Watson. The medical drama set in the Sherlock Holmes universe did respectable business in its midseason launch last season on Sundays behind Tracker, earning a Season 2 renewal. The series was initially held back for another midseason run on Sundays before being summoned to the fall schedule to fill in for the delayed CIA and landed behind FBI on Mondays. Watson, which is set to return to Sundays after its winter break, saw its ratings decline in the new Monday berth. It currently ranks as the lowest-rated scripted series on the network.”
Bob Costas returning to NBC Sports to host Sunday Night Baseball pregame show
Costas, who left NBC in 2019 two years after stepping away from NBC Sports‘ Olympics coverage, will return to his longtime home on March 26 as host of NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball pregame show.
American Idol looking into adding social media voting
While Idol will continue with text and phone voting, social media voting could become part of the show within three years, showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick tells Deadline. She adds that she has wanted to do social media voting for the last five years, something that no other major entertainment show has done. “We have to meet the audience where they are,” she says. “Back in 2002 when the show began, texting was the new hot thing. We also have to meet the technology where it is, as well. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote for their favorites, weigh in from their couch with their second screen, in real time.” Michaels Wolflick adds: “If we can get Gen Alpha and Gen Z to weigh in a little bit more in the easiest way possible, that’s very exciting. It could tip the scale. Trends are always different,” she added.
Federal magistrate judge rejects charges against Don Lemon over anti-ICE protest in Minnesota church
The refusal comes after President Trump called on the former CNN anchor to be arrested after he attended and livestreamed a protest at a St. Paul church on Sunday. The magistrate’s decision “enraged” Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to NBC News and CNN. Abbe Lowell, an attorney representing Lemon, said Lemon engaged in constitutionally protected activity. “The magistrate’s reported actions confirm the nature of Don’s first amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter. It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protected activity as a journalist,” he said. “Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has an impressive debut
The HBO Game of Thrones prequel series drew 6.7 million viewers across all platforms in its first three days of availability. HBO says that makes it one of the top three series launches in the history of HBO Max.
ESPN had its best-ever viewership with 37.9 million watching Sunday’s New England Patriots-Houston Texans Divisional NFL playoff game
The Sunday afternoon game delivered the best audience ever for any sport, beating the previous most-watched ESPN event: The 2006 Texas-USC college football national championship game, which drew 35.6 million viewers. Meanwhile, NBC finished with a total audience delivery of 45.4 million viewers for the Rams’ overtime win over the Bears on Sunday night, marking the network’s best Divisional audience on record.
Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor and HBO’s The Alabama Solution score Oscar nominations
Both documentaries were nominated in the Documentary Feature Film category.
Rosanna Arquette cast on Ballard
She’ll recur on Season 2 of the Prime Video drama series as the estranged mom of Maggie Q’s Renée Ballard.
Shoresy renewed for Season 6 as Hulu announces Season 5 premiere date
The hockey-centric comedy series spinoff of Letterkenny, from Canadian Heated Rivalry streamer Crave, returns for Season 5 on Feb. 21.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver sets Season 13 premiere date
John Oliver will return from his months-long hiatus on Feb. 15.
Sundance Now is rebranding as a streaming service focused on indie film and festival titles
With the Sundance Film Festival kicking off this week, Sundance Now will bring “the festival directly into viewers’ homes with films straight from their theatrical runs,” according to today’s announcement, promising a library that is “algorithm-free,” AMC Networks announced in a statement. As The Hollywood Reporter’s Mia Galupppo notes, “the rebrand comes amid a small wave of new exhibition opportunities for independent films, which have had trouble selling out of film festivals amid Hollywood’s larger contraction. Last year, Letterboxd, the cinephile-led social platform, launched a new film rental program, Video Store.”
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza to visit Jimmy Fallon tonight after winning the college football national championship
The Heisman-winning quarterback, likely No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and LinkedIn enthusiast will make his late-night talk show debut on The Tonight Show after leading the Indiana Hoosiers to a stunning victory over Miami Monday night and completing a 16-0 season.
Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will help carry the Winter Olympics torch
HBO Max announced today that Williams and Storrie will carry the torch for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics torch relay.
Survivor is getting a museum exhibit
The Paley Museum for Media in New York City has announced an “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast: Celebrating 50 Seasons of Survivor” exhibit that will open Feb. 20 and run through May 3. According to the museum, “highlights of the experience for visitors will include Instagrammable moments with a Survivor torch and the chance to take a seat at Tribal Council and reenact the show’s dramatic votes; authentic outfits from host Jeff Probst and Survivor castaways, as well as immunity idols and necklaces, a torch snuffer, and other rare game pieces; original sketches of legendary Survivor props, logos, and sets; behind-the-scenes photos and videos highlighting the most memorable and impactful moments in the series’s history; screenings of classic Survivor episodes in The Paley Museum’s Bennack Theater; and more.”
Netflix announces a documentary on Lucy Letby, the British nurse found guilty of murdering babies
The Investigation of Lucy Letby premieres Feb. 4 with “new materials and testimony from the British police who investigated the case and never-before-seen footage of Letby during her arrest and questioning,” says Netflix.
Substack launches a TV app
The newsletter platform’s new TV app will allow users to watch video posts and livestreams on their TV set.
Top Chef winner Kelsey Clark arrested for DUI
Clark, who won Season 16 of Top Chef in 2019 and who serves as a judge on Next Gen Chef, was taken into custody and booked on DUI on Wednesday night in Alabama.
Invincible gets a Season 4 premiere date and trailer, revealing the first look at Thragg
Lee Pace‘s fierce Thragg will be revealed when the Amazon animated superhero series returns March 18.
Watch the trailer for Disney+’s Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
The animated series created by newly installed Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni premieres April 6.
Paramount+ reveals a premiere date and trailer for Can You Keep a Secret?
Dawn French, Craig Roberts, Mark Heap and Mandip Gill star in the British comedy co-produced with the BBC and premiering on Feb. 12.
Southern Hospitality gets a Season 4 premiere and trailer
The Bravo reality show returns March 4.