CBS Adds ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, ‘One Day At A Time’ & ‘Manhunt: Deadly Games’ To Fall Schedule As Net Eyes November Launch For Scripted Originals

Peter White
·6 min read

CBS has reshuffled its early fall schedule with a mix of acquisitions, scripted series from other areas of the company and non-scripted programming as it deals with the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

The broadcast network is adding Star Trek: Discovery, One Day at a Time and Spectrum’s Manhunt: Deadly Games as well as a documentary spinoff of FBI to the schedule in September and October.

This comes as CBS hopes to roll out its previously announced schedule of scripted dramas and comedies in November. (Its drama S.W.A.T. is already in the production, NCIS and NCIS: LA have early September start dates, with a number of other scripted shows to follow.)

The move will mean that there will be at least two to three hours of original programming, or new to CBS, per night across the week on the network in September and October. Despite the global pandemic, this is comparable to last year.

“This is hardly a traditional fall season, but we are prepared with a strong slate of original content while our regular scripted series begin production,” said Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment. “Based on our current timeline, we hope to start rolling out our previously announced fall series as they become available in November.”

Manhunt: Deadly Games, which stars Cameron Britton, Jack Huston, Judith Light and Carla Gugino, will premiere on CBS on Monday, September 21 at 10 p.m. The Lionsgate TV and Spectrum co-production, which is a follow-up to Discovery’s Manhunt Unabomber drama, began airing on Spectrum’s On Demand platform in February. It tells the story of the manhunt that ensued following the deadly terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The acquisition makes sense as Spectrum is not available in all parts of the country, so it gives viewers around the country the chance to watch it and gives CBS a fully-produced drama to air as it waits for its originals to return. Another Spectrum drama series, L.A.’s Finest, landed on Fox’s COVID-proof fall schedule.

The first season of CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery will air on the network beginning Thursday, September 24 at 10 p.m. The first episode of the Alex Kurtzman- and Bryan Fuller-created series aired on CBS in September 2017 as promotion ahead of the digital run, but this marks the first time that a full season is available on linear TV in the U.S. It also comes ahead of the launch of the Sonequa Martin-Green-fronted third season, which begins airing on CBS All Access on October 15.

It is the second CBS All Access show to air a full season on its sister broadcast network after the first season of The Good Fight ran on CBS last summer.

Elsewhere, the fourth season of One Day at a Time will air on CBS with back-to-back episodes beginning Monday, October 12 at 9 p.m. The fourth season of the Norman Lear show premiered on Pop in March; its run was cut short by the COVID-related production shutdown. The revival was saved by the ViacomCBS-owned cable network after its Netflix cancellation in a deal that included a second window on CBS.

On the broadcast network, the available Season 4 episodes of One Day at a Time will follow repeats of CBS’ Monday comedy block.

The COVID-19 production shutdown meant that many of its CBS’ non-scripted series began airing much later than usual. This means that the network will have original episodes of Big Brother and Love Island to air through to the end of October. The Love Island finale is set for Tuesday, September 29, while Big Brother is set to end Wednesday, October 28.

The 10th season of Undercover Boss will premiere on Friday, October 2 at 9 p.m., while The Greatest #At Home Videos, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will begin airing Friday, September 25 at 8 p.m. The 32nd season of The Amazing Race, hosted by Phil Keoghan, begins on Wednesday, October 14 at 9 p.m.

Finally, the network is launching The FBI Declassified, narrated by FBI star Alana De La Garza. The show, which comes from the team behind CBS News’ 48 Hours, will launch on Tuesday, October 13 at 10 p.m. It joins 60 Minutes, which returns on Sunday, September 20; 48 Hours: Suspicion, which begins Wednesday, September 9 at 10 p.m.; and the return of 48 Hours Saturday edition on September 12 at 10 p.m.

The rejigged schedule comes as CBS’ dramas have started to return to production. At the start of August, S.W.A.T., produced by Sony Pictures Television and CBS TV Studios, began work on its fourth season after being moved up from midseason to replace Survivor, whose fall installment was sidelined by the pandemic.

NCIS is set to return to production on September 9, with NCIS: Los Angeles set to return on September 3. Bull, which films in New York, and Magnum P.I., which shoots in Hawaii, have also been given the green light to return to filming.

Here are CBS’ new premiere and finale dates:

Wednesday, Sept. 9

8-9 PM: BIG BROTHER
9-10 PM: LOVE ISLAND
10-11 PM: 48 HOURS: SUSPICION (Special Wednesday edition)

Saturday, Sept. 12

9-10 PM: LOVE ISLAND: MORE TO LOVE
10-11 PM: 48 HOURS (Season 34 premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 20 (NFL doubleheader)

7:30-8:30 PM ET/7-8 PM PT: 60 MINUTES (Season 53 premiere)
8:30-9:30 PM ET/8-9 PM PT: BIG BROTHER
9:30-10:30 PM ET/9-10 PM PT: LOVE ISLAND

Monday, Sept. 21

9-10 PM: LOVE ISLAND
10-11 PM: MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES (Broadcast premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 24

8-9 PM: BIG BROTHER
9-10 PM: LOVE ISLAND
10-11 PM: STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (Season 1, broadcast premiere)

Friday, Sept. 25

8-9 PM: THE GREATEST #ATHOME VIDEOS
9-10 PM: LOVE ISLAND

Tuesday, Sept. 29

8-9 PM: LOVE ISLAND (Season 2 finale)

Friday, Oct. 2

8-9 PM: THE GREATEST #ATHOME VIDEOS
9-10 PM: UNDERCOVER BOSS (Season 10 premiere)

Monday, Oct. 12, 19, 26

9-10 PM: ONE DAY AT A TIME (Season 4 broadcast premiere)
10-11 PM: MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES

Tuesday, Oct. 13

10-11 PM: THE FBI DECLASSIFIED (Season premiere)

Wednesday, Oct. 14

8-9 PM: BIG BROTHER
9-10 PM: THE AMAZING RACE (Season 32 premiere)

Wednesday, Oct. 28

8-9 PM: THE AMAZING RACE (NTP)
9-11 PM: BIG BROTHER (Season 22 finale)

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