For a third year in a row, CBS will be the first broadcast network to present its schedule for next season ahead of upfront week. With the 2025-26 lineup reveal day, May 7, fast approaching, CBS is getting ready to make its final decisions on new and returning series for fall and beyond. (Under the network’s longterm development strategy, CBS last May picked up Fire Country spinoff Sheriff Country for the 2025-26 season, so it’s possible that it could pick up a new show now for 2026-27.)
The three standalone CBS pilots this year, the hourlong Einstein and half-hour DMV and Zarna, all screened well, I hear.
Einstein, which lured back to CBS Criminal Minds star Matthew Gray Gubler, has been well received and seems to be in good shape for a pickup. The adaptation of the German format by Monk creator Andrew Breckman is hitting CBS’ sweet spot of procedural drama with humor and a popular CBS star as the lead.
Things remain tricky on the comedy side. As Deadline reported last month, DMV and Zarna were believed to be vying for a single slot alongside The Neighborhood planted spinoff and bubble freshman series Poppa’s House.
Both DMV and Zarna had received orders for a backup script each. DMV, starring Harriet Dyer and Tim Meadows, has since been commissioned for a third script, I hear. It also was well received and tested well. DMV is single-camera but shot in Canada on a modest budget. Its sensibility could be a fit for CBS’ only other single-camera series, hit Ghosts, which recently received a two-season renewal. Meanwhile, the Zarna pilot, which I hear underwent some tweaks, fits well into CBS’ multi-camera tradition. Headlined by comedian Zarna Garg and executive produced by Mindy Kaling, it also screened well, sources said.
Ultimately, it may come down to the wire among DMV, Zarna as well as Poppa’s House, which had been asked to reduce its budget for renewal consideration. Of the three, DMV and Poppa’s House come from CBS sibling CBS Studios; Zarna from Warner Bros. TV. DMV seems to have a slight age at the moment but it’s a tossup situation with the pilots coming in at similar financial terms, so things could change. At this point, it is unclear whether CBS would open another comedy slot.
On the drama side, it’s also coming down to the wire for CBS and Universal Television’s multi-project negotiations on The Equalizer renewal and pickups for the potential Equalizer spinoff starring Titus Welliver and the proposed new FBI spinoff (fka FBI: CIA).
The Equalizer had been eying a 13-episode renewal for what could be sixth final season. Following the cancellation of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International, the new FBI spinoff was getting on track for a straight-to-series order but that hit a bump when the offer for the lead role did not pan out. The project has remained in contention with other casting choices explored.
Already picked up for next season are CBS drama series Sheriff Country, starring Morena Baccarin, and Blue Bloods universe drama Boston Blue, starring Donnie Wahlberg.
On slower track are Robert King and Michelle King’s Silicon Valley-set legal one-hour Cupertino and Joe Port and Joe Wiseman’s vampire comedy Eternally Yours, which could be contenders for midseason 2026 — or more likely fall 2026.
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