High-Stakes Competition Show “The Summit,” Hosted by Manu Bennett, to Debut After “Survivor” in Fall; “The Amazing Race” Returns in Spring
“Hollywood Squares,” Starring Drew Barrymore as the Center Square, to Premiere in January as Part of the New “Game Show Wednesdays” Paired with “The Price Is Right at Night” and “Raid the Cage”
The New Drama “Watson,” Starring Morris Chestnut, to Debut Mid-Season
CBS today announced its 2024-2025 primetime programming lineup of CBS Originals, featuring three new dramas, two new comedies, a new alternative series, a reimagined classic game show, special event programming and 18 returning series.
New drama series for fall include NCIS: ORIGINS, starring Austin Stowell as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs and narrated by flagship NCIS series star Mark Harmon; and MATLOCK, a reimagining of the classic television series, starring Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates as a brilliant, wily lawyer with unusual and unexpected tactics. Midseason will introduce WATSON, starring Morris Chestnut as a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives solving medical mysteries.
The new multi-camera comedies for fall are POPPA’S HOUSE, starring Damon Wayans as happily divorced “Poppa” who finds himself still parenting his adult son, Damon Wayans Jr; and GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE, the sequel to YOUNG SHELDON, following Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) as they raise their young family in Texas while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting and marriage.
The new fall alternative series is THE SUMMIT, hosted by Manu Bennett, which follows 16 strangers embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey through the treacherous New Zealand Alps in an attempt to reach the peak of a distant, towering mountain and win $1 million. Midseason will launch a new edition of the legendary game show HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, starring Drew Barrymore as the center square, in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes.
The new schedule of CBS Original series also includes the return of the new #1 series on television, TRACKER, starring Justin Hartley; the 2023-2024 season’s #2 new program, ELSBETH, starring Carrie Preston; the world’s #1 TV franchise, NCIS; and #1 news program 60 MINUTES.
“This is another CBS primetime schedule that will break through the clutter and entertain a mass audience,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “We’re grateful to the creative talent who deliver the characters and stories, as well as the viewers who spend nights, seasons and years with them.”
In addition to CBS’ new and returning top series, the Network’s year-round schedule of original programming also features annual high-profile events, including the return of the GRAMMY Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Tony Awards, the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash and the recently announced American Music Awards.
CBS Sports’ portfolio of marquee properties and championships will feature the NFL, with a schedule highlighted by TV’s most-watched window at 4:25 PM, ET on Sundays, as well as Wild Card and Divisional Playoff games plus the AFC Championship in January, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament – including the Final Four and National Championship– in March, the Masters Tournament in April, the PGA Championship in May and the UEFA Champions League Final in June. A full season of Big Ten Football comes to CBS this fall at 3:30 PM, ET on Saturdays. CBS will broadcast the Big Ten Football Championship for the first time in December and will also air the NWSL Championship game in primetime in November.
Fast forwarding one year into the future, the Network also ordered its first new series for the 2025-26 broadcasting season – the drama series SHERIFF COUNTRY, starring Morena Baccarin, an extension of the FIRE COUNTRY universe.
The following is the new 2024-2025 schedule:
MONDAY – Monday night features the additions of two new series. The popular comedy THE NEIGHBORHOOD returns for its seventh season at 8:00 PM, paired with the new comedy POPPA’S HOUSE at 8:30 PM. At 9:00 PM, the flagship series NCIS returns for season 22, as a powerful lead-in for the new drama NCIS: ORIGINS at 10:00 PM.
TUESDAY – FBI Tuesday returns with the top-rated lineup of the night. FBI opens the night at 8:00 PM, followed by FBI: INTERNATIONAL at 9:00 PM and FBI: MOST WANTED concluding the block of heroic storytelling at 10:00 PM.
WEDNESDAY – Wednesday night returns in fall and spring with two 90-minute high-stakes competition series, and in mid-winter a special all game show-themed night. In fall, the groundbreaking reality series SURVIVOR kicks off the night at 8:00 PM, serving as a compatible lead-in for the new reality series THE SUMMIT at 9:30 PM. The annual midseason winter break between the spring edition of SURVIVOR and the return of THE AMAZING RACE at 9:30 PM will be eventized with three game shows. A special primetime THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT, hosted by Drew Carey, kicks off the festivities at 8:00 PM followed by the return of RAID THE CAGE, hosted by Damon Wayans, Jr. and co-host Jeannie Mai, at 9:00 PM, leading into a new edition of the HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, starring Drew Barrymore as the center square, at 10:00 PM.
THURSDAY – Thursdays feature a thematic night of comedy and humorous dramas. At 8:00 PM, the new comedy GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE leads into the #2 comedy series, GHOSTS, at 8:30 PM. The amusing new legal drama MATLOCK, starring Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, debuts at 9:00 PM and serves as lead-in to the critically acclaimed #2 new series, ELSBETH, at 10:00 PM.
FRIDAY – Friday night features the return of S.W.A.T. at 8:00 PM followed by the hit drama FIRE COUNTRY at 9:00 PM. At 10:00 PM, BLUE BLOODS closes out the night as it returns for the second half of its 14th and final season. Following the conclusion of Blue Bloods in midseason, NCIS: SYDNEY leads off the night at 8:00 PM, with FIRE COUNTRY remaining in the 9:00 PM slot followed by S.W.A.T. at 10:00 PM.
SATURDAY – CBS’ Saturday night lineup features encore broadcasts of the Network’s popular dramas at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, followed at 10:00 PM by the true crime docuseries 48 HOURS, Saturday’s #1 non-sports primetime series.
SUNDAY – Sunday night begins at 7:00 PM with 60 MINUTES, television’s acclaimed #1 news program, followed at 8:00 PM by television’s new #1 series, TRACKER. At 9:00 PM, THE EQUALIZER, starring Queen Latifah, returns for a fifth season. During the first half of the season, when the CBS Sunday primetime lineup often has a delayed start due to late afternoon NFL broadcasts, the 10:00 PM slot will feature encore broadcasts of popular Network dramas. In midseason, after the end of football, TRACKER and THE EQUALIZER will provide a potent lead-in to the new drama WATSON at 10:00 PM.
