NCIS Tuesday, Y: Marshals & Boston Blue: CBS Packs 2025-26 Season With Franchise Firepower

CBS is betting big on brand loyalty this fall, rolling out a franchise-forward primetime schedule that includes new expansions of NCIS, Blue Bloods, and FBI alongside a slate of star-powered unscripted series and first-time ventures. 

Coming off its 17th consecutive season as the most-watched network, CBS is focused on delivering “viewer flow” through thematically linked programming blocks and powerful IP.

The biggest surprise is that they’re doubling down on Taylor Sheridan away from Paramount+ with two new shows, one reality and one carrying on the Dutton universe.

All In on Franchises

Tuesdays become an NCIS lover’s dream with a triple-block lineup: flagship NCIS, NCIS: Origins, and the international-flavored NCIS: Sydney. This is the first time CBS has fully devoted a night to the NCIS universe — and it’s likely to pay off.

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Meanwhile, Mondays reinforce the Dick Wolf brand with FBI at 9/8c followed by the new Wolf-produced drama CIA, starring Tom Ellis as a brash CIA case officer working reluctantly with the FBI. It’s another expansion of Wolf’s connected procedural universe.

Over on Fridays, Blue Bloods continues — sort of. In the new spinoff Boston Blue, Donnie Wahlberg reprises his role as Danny Reagan, now working with Boston PD and paired with Sonequa Martin-Green’s Lena Peters. 

It rounds out a trio of Jerry Bruckheimer dramas, including Fire Country and new entry Sheriff Country.

Sheridan Sundays and Starry Midseason Surprises

Sundays will belong to Taylor Sheridan, whose country music competition series The Road (executive produced with Blake Shelton and Keith Urban) will trail hit drama Tracker this fall. 

Then, in midseason, Sheridan brings Luke Grimes back to CBS as Yellowstone‘s Kayce Dutton in Y: Marshals, now part of an elite federal unit bringing frontier justice to Montana.

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What makes Y: Marshals of particular interest is their employment of Spencer Hudnet, the SEAL Team showrunner.

Another high-profile arrival: Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, a true crime anthology guided by the bestselling author himself, premieres midseason on Wednesdays at 10/9c following The Price Is Right at Night and a primetime version of Hollywood Squares.

Later in spring, Wednesdays shift again, with Survivor 50 returning in an extended 90-minute format, followed by Padma Lakshmi’s high-stakes cooking competition America’s Culinary Cup and Hollywood Squares sliding to a new 10:30 slot.

Comedy at the DMV

CBS also adds one new comedy to its fall roster: DMV, a single-camera workplace sitcom starring Harriet Dyer and Tim Meadows. It’s sandwiched between The Neighborhood and FBI on Mondays and offers a quirky peek into the chaos behind everyone’s least favorite government agency.

CBS 2025–2026 Primetime Schedule

Monday

• 8:00 PM – The Neighborhood
  
• 8:30 PM – DMV (New)
  
• 9:00 PM – FBI
  
• 10:00 PM – CIA (New)

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Tuesday

• 8:00 PM – NCIS
  
• 9:00 PM – NCIS: Origins
  
• 10:00 PM – NCIS: Sydney
  

Wednesday (Fall)

• 8:00–9:30 PM – Survivor
  
• 9:30–11:00 PM – The Amazing Race
  

Wednesday (Starting January)

• 8:00–9:00 PM – Hollywood Squares
  
• 9:00–10:00 PM – The Price Is Right at Night
  
• 10:00–11:00 PM – Harlan Coben’s Final Twist (New)
  

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Wednesday (Spring)

• 8:00–9:30 PM – Survivor 50
  
• 9:30–10:30 PM – America’s Culinary Cup (New)
  
• 10:30–11:00 PM – Hollywood Squares
  

Thursday

• 8:00 PM – Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage
  
• 8:30 PM – Ghosts
  
• 9:00 PM – Matlock
  
• 10:00 PM – Elsbeth
  

Friday

• 8:00 PM – Sheriff Country (New)
  
• 9:00 PM – Fire Country
  
• 10:00 PM – Boston Blue (New)
  

Saturday

• 8:00 PM – Encores / Sports
  

Sunday (Fall)

• 7:00 PM – 60 Minutes
  
• 8:00 PM – Tracker
  
• 9:00 PM – The Road (New)
  

Sunday (Midseason)

• 7:00 PM – 60 Minutes
  
• 8:00 PM – Tracker
  
• 9:00 PM – Y: Marshals (New)
  

What do you think of the lineup? Do any of the new shows catch your eye?

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