‘Fire Country’ To Have Shorter Season 5 With Reduced Order
EXCLUSIVE: C.B.S.‘fall 2026 schedule is establishment on Fridays. As the community’s Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said at the schedule reveal Earlier this month, “The CBS Friday night entertainment lineup has been No. 1 for an incredible 16 straight seasons, so we’re sticking with what works, Sheriff Country at 8, Fire Country at 9, and Boston Blue at 10.”
However, not like the 2025-26 season, which featured the three drama procedurals on for the period, Fire Country will depart the lineup early subsequent season, Deadline has discovered. According to sources, the firefighter drama, which had been producing full seasons for the reason that begin (apart from the strike-impacted 2023-24), has obtained a 13-episode Season 5 order, down from 20 this season.
It is just not alone. When CBS unveiled the shock new New York spinoff starring LL Cool J becoming a member of the Tuesday NCIS lineup, it was flanked on the autumn 2026 schedule by the mothership NCIS and prequel origins, with the beforehand renewed NCIS: Sydney disregarded.
Ace Deadline (*5*), NCIS: Origins is getting a decreased Season 3 order and will likely be changed within the 10 PM time slot by NCIS: Sydney in midseason. According to sources, Origins and sydney will every produce 10 episodes subsequent season, down from 18 and 20, respectively, this season.
Matlockwhich is able to return in midseason for its third season, will likely be producing 13 episodes for 2026-27, I hear.
Reps for CBS declined remark.
The episode depend reductions are comprehensible given the dimensions of CBS’ scripted roster for subsequent season. While most broadcast networks are largely conserving the amount of scripted sequence constant year-to-year amid ongoing broadcast enterprise challenges within the streaming period, CBS goes for a large improve in 2026-27.
With nearly all of its present slate performing nicely, the community is just not bringing again just one drama, Watson, and two comedy sequence, The Neighborhood and DMV. At the identical time, CBS is including three new drama sequence, Cupertino, Einstein and NCIS: New Yorkand one comedy sequence, Eternally Yours. Cupertino and NCIS: New York, that are on the autumn schedule, will produce a full-season load of 20 episodes every; Einstein, which is able to debut in midseason, has a 13-episode order.
NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney will now share the Tuesday 10 PM slot, with their whole, 20 episodes, equaling a full-season order dimension at CBS for drama procedurals.
Fire Country‘s episode trim is considerably shocking because it has been a signature sequence for CBS since its breakthrough first season, wherein it ranked as probably the most watched new broadcast sequence. It has additionally spawned a franchise for the community.
Four seasons in, Fire Country continues to be a stable performer. This season, it helped launch two new offshoots on Friday, Sheriff Country and Boston Blue, which each shot out of a cannon and overshadowed the veteran anchor a bit.
While all of them simply handed the renewal scores threshold at CBS, Fire Country, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney‘s multi-platform viewership has been just a little extra modest than different dramas which have obtained full-season orders for subsequent season.
It is unclear but what’s going to succeed Fire Country on Fridays in midseason. CBS has each Matlock and Einstein on deck and three accessible slots, an hour on Friday, Monday, the place Harlan Coben’s Final Twist is on at 10 PM within the fall, and Sunday the place an hour opens up after the tip of soccer season yearly. One of them may doubtlessly go to an unscripted sequence.
While NCIS: New York popped up unexpectedly for fall, there are not any present plans for the recently revealed Fire Country/Sheriff Country offshootwhich is in very early growth, to be rushed to air and succeed Fire Country on Fridays later within the season.
For Matlock, which, like hearth nation, was probably the most watched new broadcast sequence of its maiden season, the explanations for the smaller order, 13 vs. 19 in Season 1 and 16 in Season 2, are largely artistic. The present, which was on the autumn schedule the final two seasons, is being held for midseason as it’s headed for a artistic revamp after wrapping the most important Wellbrexa storyline that dominated the primary two seasons. Creator Jennie Snyder Urman is now taking a while to arrange a brand new arc for the present in Season 3.
While midseason entries sometimes get decreased orders given the restricted time span for his or her runs, CBS is definitely conserving Ghosts at a full-season 22 episodes for its upcoming sixth season regardless of the supernatural comedy not being on the autumn 2026 schedule. The community is doing that by commissioning particular Ghosts Halloween and Christmas specials as a part of the 22-episode order. (Ghosts showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman will likely be delivering a complete of 42 episodes to CBS subsequent season between Ghosts and their new vampire comedy, Eternally Yours, which is able to air 20 episodes, beginning within the fall.)
