CBS Midseason Schedule Brings Big Swings Bold Premieres and a Whole Lot of Sheridan

The just announced CBS midseason schedule brings a crowded lineup of new series returning favorites and a few eyebrow lifting placements that practically beg for commentary. This is the kind of schedule that CBS hopes will dominate the winter television landscape or at least keep your remote from wandering toward streaming platforms.

The loudest headline sits right at the top. Survivor hits its fiftieth season which is wild enough but CBS is celebrating the milestone with a three hour premiere on February 25 that promises to leave longtime viewers exhilarated and casual viewers reaching for electrolytes. Before that mega episode CBS plans two full weeks of encore installments beginning February 9 cherry picking iconic moments across the franchise history. It is the kind of victory lap only a series like Survivor can pull off and honestly the nostalgia alone might draw bigger audiences than several new shows combined.

But Survivor is just the tip of a very busy iceberg. January gets the first swing when Hollywood Squares plants itself on January 7 followed by The Price Is Right at Night and the premiere of Harlan Coben’s Final Twist which hopes to scratch that true crime itch before the midseason storm arrives. Consider it the appetizer plate before the main course.

The late February launches are where all the real chaos and excitement collide. February 23 brings the arrival of CIA starring Tom Ellis who somehow managed to headline the series despite a production run that included more behind the scenes drama than some prestige cable shows. Showrunner changes cast departures creative uncertainty you name it the project faced it. Yet CBS still places it after The Neighborhood DMV and FBI which sends a clear message. The network believes viewers will show up for Ellis led covert operations no matter what happened backstage.

The ever expanding NCIS empire locks down February 24 with NCIS followed by NCIS Origins and NCIS Sydney. At this point NCIS is less a franchise and more a lifestyle choice and CBS has no intention of slowing that momentum.

By February 26 the network leans hard into tonal variety. Comedy fans get Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage and Ghosts followed immediately by Matlock and Elsbeth which is an emotional pivot so sharp viewers may need a neck brace. It is an odd blend but it is also quintessential CBS which thrives on stitching together wildly different audiences.

Fridays get the action treatment beginning February 27 when Sheriff Country leads into Fire Country and then Boston Blue creating a stacked lineup of badges edge of your seat tension and dramatic lighting that screams end of week adrenaline.

Then comes March 1 when CBS makes its biggest flex of the season. After Sixty Minutes delivers its Sunday reality check Taylor Sheridan’s Y Marshals gallops into prime time expanding the Yellowstone universe once again. If Sheridan ever slows down CBS may begin to panic. Y Marshals leads into Tracker in a new time period and Watson which also receives a new placement. Sundays are now officially the network’s frontier fueled centerpiece.

Finally Wednesday March 4 brings the weekly Survivor installment followed by the premiere of Americas Culinary Cup hosted by Padma Lakshmi who will likely make every viewer’s kitchen skills feel aggressively mediocre. Hollywood Squares closes the night because clearly CBS wants Wednesdays to feel like one long variety platter.

For quick reference the full CBS midseason schedule is laid out below.

CBS Midseason Schedule Table

Date	Time	Series
January 7 Wednesday	8 PM to 9 PM	Hollywood Squares
	9 PM to 10 PM	The Price Is Right at Night
	10 PM to 11 PM	Harlan Coben’s Final Twist series premiere
February 23 Monday	8 PM to 8:30 PM	The Neighborhood
	8:30 PM to 9 PM	DMV
	9 PM to 10 PM	FBI
	10 PM to 11 PM	CIA series premiere
February 24 Tuesday	8 PM to 9 PM	NCIS
	9 PM to 10 PM	NCIS Origins
	10 PM to 11 PM	NCIS Sydney
February 25 Wednesday	8 PM to 11 PM	Survivor 50 season premiere
February 26 Thursday	8 PM to 8:30 PM	Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage
	8:30 PM to 9 PM	Ghosts
	9 PM to 10 PM	Matlock
	10 PM to 11 PM	Elsbeth
February 27 Friday	8 PM to 9 PM	Sheriff Country
	9 PM to 10 PM	Fire Country
	10 PM to 11 PM	Boston Blue
March 1 Sunday	7 PM to 8 PM	Sixty Minutes
	8 PM to 9 PM	Y Marshals series premiere
	9 PM to 10 PM	Tracker new time period
	10 PM to 11 PM	Watson new night and time period
March 4 Wednesday	8 PM to 9:30 PM	Survivor regular time period
	9:30 PM to 10:30 PM	Americas Culinary Cup series premiere
	10:30 PM to 11 PM	Hollywood Squares

CBS is pulling out every trick this winter. Nostalgia franchise power prestige producers procedural comfort and more brand loyalty than most networks could dream of. The CBS midseason schedule is loud messy confident and unmistakably CBS. In other words it is poised to dominate winter television whether audiences are ready or not.

If the long cold months ahead need a blast of drama comedy adventure or chaotic franchise expansion this schedule has enough horsepower to keep screens glowing from now until spring.