CBS has unveiled most of its schedule for the winter and it appears that Murphy Brown and Happy Together will not be getting additional episodes this season.
The network is firming up its comedy slate for midseason but it looks like it won’t include the revival and freshmen comedy series that received a lot of initial hype before the fall season began. The Murphy Brown reboot and Damon Wayans Jr. vehicle Happy Together are both ending their respective runs after their initial 13-episode orders. Both series will clear room on the schedule for rookie comedy Fam and the third season of Matt LeBlanc vehicle Man With a Plan.
The sort-of good news for Murphy Brown is that it was always intended to be a 13-episode order for season one so this news doesn’t necessarily mean it’s canceled. The multicamera comedy, featuring the return of star Candice Bergen and from original creator Diane English, has underperformed (6.2 million total viewers and a 0.9 in the key 18-49 demo) in its prime Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. slot and remains in consideration for a renewal. Fellow multicamera comedy Fam, starring Nina Dobrev and Tone Bell will take over Murphy Brown‘s slot starting Thursday, January 10.
The news is a bit more dire for Happy Together which is CBS’ lone rookie series to not earn an order for additional episodes. The multi-camera family comedy landed pilot season’s biggest star in Happy Endings grad Damon Wayans Jr., who signed on with one of the largest talent deals of the year. The comedy is averaging a lackluster 4.7 million total viewers and 0.9 in the all-important adults 18-49 demographic. The series will wrap its run and clear way for Man With a Plan starting Monday, February 4 at 8:30 p.m.
In other CBS scheduling news, Criminal Minds, the veteran procedural from showrunner Erica Messer will go on a hiatus until a date to be determined in 2019. The series, a CBS TV Studios co-production with ABC Studios, has weathered a number of cast changes (and time slots) as it becomes the poster child for bubble shows finding a way to continue on. The ratings for the series have waned in recent seasons and the show does become a bit more pricey the longer it goes on but it’s a big international show for the network and is a player in syndication. In addition to the fourth season of single-camera comedy Life in Pieces, CBS has a crowded bench of dramas that remain unscheduled as Elementary and Instinct in addition to rookies The Code andThe Red Line await premiere dates.
