TV is brutal right now. Honestly, if you’re a fan of network procedurals or long-running sitcoms, the recent news out of CBS probably feels like a gut punch. We’ve seen a massive shift in how networks think about "success," and it has led to a situation where CBS has canceled six shows before the 2025 2026 season even gets close to the starting line. It’s not just about low ratings anymore. It’s about money, streaming rights, and the terrifying cost of keeping a veteran show on the air when the cast wants a raise and the audience is watching TikTok.
The "Eye Network" used to be the safest place for a show to live for a decade. Not today.
The reality of the 2025-2026 transition is that CBS is moving toward a "quality over quantity" (or rather, "profitability over legacy") model. When we look at the list of departures—including heavy hitters like NCIS: Hawai'i, CSI: Vegas, and the beloved So Help Me Todd—it becomes clear that nobody is safe. Even Blue Bloods, a show that still pulls in millions of live viewers every Friday night, couldn't survive the budget ax. It’s a weird time to be a TV fan. You can have a top 20 show and still get the boot because your production costs are too high.
The Financial Math Behind the 2025-2026 Cancellations
Why did this happen? It’s the $64,000 question, or in this case, the $60 million question.
Most people think if a show is popular, it stays. That’s an old-school way of thinking. Now, CBS (and its parent company, Paramount Global) has to look at who actually owns the show. If CBS Studios produces a show, they keep all the backend money from streaming on Paramount+. If an outside studio like Sony or Warner Bros. owns it, CBS has to pay a licensing fee. As the 2025 2026 season approaches, CBS is aggressively cutting shows they don't fully own or shows that have become too expensive due to "season creep."
Season creep is that phenomenon where, by season 4 or 5, the actors’ contracts expire. They want more money. The crew wants more money. But the ad revenue usually stays flat or drops. This is exactly what happened to NCIS: Hawai'i. It was a solid performer. It wasn't "failing" by any metric we used ten years ago. But when compared to the cost of launching a brand-new, cheaper spin-off like NCIS: Origins, the math just didn't work for the suits in the corner office.
The Big Six: Who Got the Ax?
It helps to look at these individually because the reasons for their demise vary wildly.
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Blue Bloods is the most heartbreaking for the traditional audience. Tom Selleck has been very vocal about wanting to keep going. The fans are loyal. But fourteen seasons is an eternity in modern television. CBS effectively told the production they could only continue if they took massive budget cuts, and even then, the decision was made to sunset the series. It’s a legacy play. They’d rather go out on top than bleed out slowly.
Then you have NCIS: Hawai'i. This one stung because it was the first female-led series in the franchise. It had good numbers. But again, the looming 2025 2026 schedule required space for new IP, and Hawai'i was the odd man out in the NCIS ecosystem.
CSI: Vegas was an attempt to revive a legendary brand. It lasted three seasons. While it did okay, it never recaptured the "water cooler" magic of the original Grissom and Willows days. In the current climate, "okay" is the same thing as "canceled."
So Help Me Todd is the one that sparked the most outrage on social media. It was quirky. It had a dedicated, younger-leaning fan base. But it was a "bubble show" from day one. When CBS looked at their development slate for the upcoming year, they saw more potential in new pilots than in a second-tier dramedy that had already peaked in viewership.
Bob Hearts Abishola and Young Sheldon are also departing, though these are "planned" endings rather than mid-season executions. Still, their absence creates a massive hole in the CBS comedy block that the network is desperate to fill with cheaper, multi-cam sitcoms.
Streaming vs. Linear: The Great Divide
We have to talk about Paramount+.
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CBS isn't just a TV channel anymore; it’s a content feeder for a streaming service. This is why CBS has canceled six shows before the 2025 2026 season—they are shifting resources. They need shows that don't just "air" but also "trend." If a show has high linear ratings (people watching with antennas) but low streaming numbers, it’s a dinosaur. Older audiences don't subscribe to apps at the same rate as younger ones, and Paramount is desperate for those monthly subscription fees.
So Help Me Todd had a passionate fan base, but they weren't necessarily the "binge-watchers" that drive streaming growth. On the flip side, look at Tracker or Elsbeth. Those shows took off immediately on both platforms. That’s the new gold standard. If you can’t replicate that "cross-platform" success, your days are numbered.
The Impact on the 2025 2026 Schedule
What does the schedule actually look like now? Empty.
Well, not empty, but very different. By clearing out six shows, CBS has made room for a heavy roster of new content. We’re looking at NCIS: Origins, which takes us back to Gibbs' early days. We’re looking at Matlock with Kathy Bates. They are betting big on "rebooted" familiarity. It’s safer. Advertisers love a known quantity, and in a year where the economy is a bit wonky, "safe" is the word of the day at the upfronts.
- Reduced Scripted Volume: CBS is likely to rely more on unscripted fare or "event" programming.
- The Rise of the Franchise: Expect even more FBI and NCIS. If it isn't a brand you already recognize, it's a harder sell.
- Shortened Seasons: We might see more shows getting 10-13 episode orders instead of the classic 22. It’s cheaper and less risky.
Why "Save Our Show" Campaigns Rarely Work Anymore
Fans of So Help Me Todd and NCIS: Hawai'i sent literal thousands of letters and even hired planes to fly banners over the CBS studios. It was impressive. Ten years ago, that might have worked. Jericho was saved by fans sending nuts to the network. Friday Night Lights was saved by fans sending lightbulbs.
But today? The data is too precise.
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CBS executives can see exactly when you pause a show, when you stop watching an episode, and whether you’ve ever searched for the show on Paramount+. A plane flying over a building is a drop in the bucket compared to the millions of data points telling them that a show’s growth has plateaued. When CBS has canceled six shows before the 2025 2026 season, they did it with a spreadsheet in one hand and a stopwatch in the other. They know the audience isn't growing, and in the world of corporate media, if you aren't growing, you're dying.
Real-World Consequences for Production
It’s easy to forget that when a show like CSI: Vegas gets canceled, hundreds of people lose their jobs. This isn't just about actors. It’s about the grips, the electrics, the caterers, and the writers who moved their families to Los Angeles or Vancouver.
The 2025-2026 season is shaping up to be one of the "leanest" in recent history. Following the strikes of 2023, networks are being incredibly cautious. They are "trimming the fat," and unfortunately, many beloved mid-tier shows are being classified as "fat." This leads to a consolidation of talent where everyone is fighting for a spot on the three or four "mega-hits" that remain.
How to Navigate the New CBS Landscape
If you're a viewer, you need to change how you consume these shows. The "wait and see" approach—waiting for a season to finish before starting it—is actually killing the shows you love. Networks look at the first 3 to 7 days of viewership more than anything else. If you want a show to survive the 2025 2026 cuts, you have to watch it immediately.
Also, engagement matters. Not just tweets, but actual "active" viewing on official platforms. Piracy or watching clips on YouTube doesn't help the show's internal metrics.
Actionable Insights for TV Fans
If you're worried about your favorite show being next on the chopping block, here is what you can actually do to help it survive the next round of cuts:
- Watch Live or Within 24 Hours: This is the most important metric for advertisers. DVR numbers are "okay," but "Live+Same Day" is still the king of revenue.
- Stream on Paramount+: If you're a cord-cutter, make sure you watch on the network's own app. This proves to CBS that the show has "digital legs" and is worth keeping for the subscription revenue.
- Avoid "Peak TV" Fatigue: Don't just stick to what's comfortable. If you see a new show like Elsbeth that you enjoy, talk about it. Word of mouth is still the only way these shows break out of the "procedural" noise.
- Check the Ownership: A quick Google search will tell you if CBS Studios produces the show. If they don't, and the ratings are just "average," start preparing for a cancellation. Shows owned by outside entities are always the first to go when budgets get tight.
The fact that CBS has canceled six shows before the 2025 2026 season is a signal that the "Golden Age" of endless content is over. We are entering the "Efficiency Age." It’s less about making everyone happy and more about making the numbers work in a world where broadcast TV is fighting for its life against Netflix, YouTube, and the ever-shortening attention span of the modern human.
Keep an eye on the fall previews. The shows that replace these six will tell us everything we need to know about the future of the network. If they are all spin-offs and reboots, we know CBS is playing it safe. If they take a few more swings on original concepts, there might still be some creative life left in the old Eye Network yet. Regardless, the 2025-2026 season will be a turning point that determines what "Network TV" even means for the rest of the decade.