After just two episodes, Matlock is already a big success for CBS, so it’s no surprise that the network has renewed the series for season 2. Looks like Kathy Bates will have to postpone her retirement a little longer.

Matlock premiered last month with a special sneak peek episode, which drew 7.73 million total viewers, giving CBS its most-watched non-post-Super Bowl series premiere in over five years. After a multi-week break, the second episode delivered 6.4 million viewers, making it the second most-watched series of the evening behind the premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.

The series stars Kathy Bates as Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock, “a brilliant septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases all while investigating a deeply personal secret of her own.” As the synopsis teases, ol’ Matty has a pretty big secret which surprised fans who were simply anticipating a gender-swapped version of the classic Matlock TV show.

“This reconceived Matlock was devised by Jennie Snyder Urman with a brilliant surprise plot twist, and we knew we had something very special the moment we saw the first episode brought to life by the incredibly talented Kathy Bates,” said Amy Reisenbach, President of CBS Entertainment. “The audience reception and critical acclaim for it has been overwhelming. We can’t wait to get started on a second season.“

Before Matlock came along, Kathy Bates had been considering semi-retirement. “Quite frankly, I was thinking about going into semi-retirement, and just waiting to see what came along that I might like to do,” Bates told THR. “So I really wasn’t looking to do anything for a while. So this came as a total surprise to me, and continues to be because of the latest numbers that we’ve gotten… I just feel so lucky to have such a strong foundation behind us and the show. It’s a miracle; we all keep pinching ourselves. The crew loves it. The actors love it. I know everyone says that when they’re marketing a show, but this is really unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I really can’t believe all this, especially at my age.” Although she loves working on Matlock, she considers it her “last dance” and will likely retire after it wraps up. “Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” she said. “And it’s exhausting.“

The post Matlock renewed for season 2 at CBS after fantastic debut appeared first on JoBlo.

CBS has come out the winner in a bidding war to become the home to a new TV series based on Dracula’s legendary foe Dr. Abraham Van Helsing… and no, this project does not (despite the image above) have anything to do with the 2004 Hugh Jackman movie. Or the Van Helsing show that ran on Syfy for five seasons, wrapping up in 2021. Or any previous version of Van Helsing, a character who has been played by the likes of Edward Van Sloan, Peter Cushing, Anthony Hopkins, Mel Brooks, Rutger Hauer, and many others over the decades. This is a fresh take on the character that’s coming our way from Elementary creator Rob Doherty, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Lionsgate Television.

Deadline reports that this contemporary version of monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing uses his uniquely inquisitive mind working alongside his ex, relentless FBI special agent Mina Harker, to solve New York City’s most harrowing cases. So at this point it sounds like your typical CBS procedural show, the lead characters just happen to be Van Helsing and Mina Harker. Here’s hoping New York City’s most harrowing cases will cause them to cross paths with vampires and other monsters every now and then.

Van Helsing is being written by author Jonathan Lee, whose books include The Great Mistake and High Dive – and he’s currently working with Eric Roth to script an adaptation of the latter. Lee is also behind the upcoming drama series Lockerbie, from Netflix and the BBC, and is working with Reservation Dogs’ Sterlin Harjo to create a limited series about a Las Vegas heist for FX. So he is quite busy at the moment.

Deadline notes that this isn’t the only Van Helsing series in development, as EastSiders creator Kit Williamson is developing a series based on Jason Henderson’s trilogy of Alex Van Helsing novels, which center on a 14-year-old descendent of Abraham Van Helsing. That project is set up at AGC Television. 

What do you think of Van Helsing getting a procedural series on CBS? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Van Helsing TV series in the works at CBS, set in modern day New York appeared first on JoBlo.

The police procedural series from CBS will be concluding its run this December. Blue Bloods, starring Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, is currently in its 14th season, and it has turned out to be its last. The show’s star, Selleck, had warned CBS earlier this year that there are an “awful lot of people” who still enjoy the show and will not be ready to see it end. However, Deadline has reported that Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach has officially announced in a press conference yesterday that the show will wrap this year despite the network’s attachment to it.

The first half of Blue Bloods‘ 14th season premiered earlier this year on February 16. The second half, which will serve as the last batch of episodes for the series, will return in October. Reisenbach had told reporters at the press conference, “We really want to thank the cast and crew, everyone involved in the show. We absolutely will miss the family dinners. It is important to give show the sendoff it deserves.” The press conference was called to announce CBS’ slate of shows in the fall. And while many have campaigned to CBS to have them reconsider their decision to end it, Reisenbach insisted, “We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to us to refresh the schedule. We are going to end the show come December.”

Blue Bloods started its run on CBS on September 24, 2010. It would give Magnum P.I. and Quigley Down Under star Tom Selleck a new hit series and the show became a long-running series that spanned over a decade. Selleck released a statement to the fans saying, “For the past 13 years, it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family,” he wrote. “Working alongside these incredible actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew has been a dream come true and I’m grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary group for over 275 episodes.”

The post Blue Bloods will be turning in its badge as the long-running series comes to an end this year appeared first on JoBlo.

Following in the footsteps of The Office, CBS’ Ghosts takes a BBC show and gives it an American makeover. And like the Steve Carrell hit, Ghosts has managed to break out of the shadow of its UK counterpart and created a world all its own. And as a fan of the strange and unusual, I absolutely clung to it. Ghosts is quirky and much more inappropriate than you’d think for a Network comedy. It features a fantastic cast that includes Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and the person I was lucky enough to talk with: Asher Grodman.

If there’s one thing you’ll immediately notice about Grodman’s character of Trevor, it’s his lack of pants. As someone who can’t help but think about the logistics of filming, I was dying to ask Asher about what it’s like to be the only person without pants on every day. So we went over that (probably to Asher’s annoyance) and what people can expect from this upcoming season. While the season may be short (there was this little thing called the Actors and Writers Strikes, which threw a wrench into a traditional season) it sounds like it packs a punch. Here’s hoping no other Ghosts get sucked off.

Ghosts synopsis: A young couple, Sam and Jay, inherit a haunted mansion and, unaware of their invisible housemates, plan to turn it into a B&B. Their lives become much more complicated after a fall causes Sam to see the ghosts. Based on the UK series.

CBS’ GHOSTS PREMIERES NEW EPISODES ON THURSDAYS 8:30 EST AND THE NEXT DAY ON PARAMOUNT PLUS.

The post Interview: Ghosts’ Asher Grodman Talks New Season + What It’s Like To Be Pantless On Set appeared first on JoBlo.

After adding impressive viewership numbers to CBS‘s broadcast presentation of Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King is making a similar move this summer. The acclaimed original Paramount+ drama Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, will air its first season on CBS ahead of its Season 2 premiere this fall exclusively on Paramount+.

The move to bring Tulsa King to CBS hails from Paramount Global. Like Yellowstone’s CBS screenings, Paramount hopes to rope more people into watching Tulsa King. The original crime drama plays exceptionally well with Paramount+ subscribers, and expanding to CBS should increase the show’s power and influence before Season 2. The goal is to whet viewers’ whistles with the first season and hopefully entice them to subscribe to Paramount+ for the second. Hey, it worked for Yellowstone.

“I think it just speaks to that the company is working across all different parts right now as much as possible, and we’re all looking for those wins together,” CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach told Deadline about expanding the reach of its original programming across other platforms.

Sylvester Stallone stars in Tulsa King as New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi. After he’s released from prison after 25 years, Dwight is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that might as well be another planet.

“Tulsa King scored as the #1 new series of the year, topping all others including the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, with its preview on Paramount Network, and on Paramount+, it shattered records, driving us to our biggest new sign-up day in history – which is why we instantly greenlit season two,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios in 2022 after Tulsa King’s outstanding launch. “Tulsa King together with Mayor of Kingstown, 1883 and the upcoming 1923, undeniably confirm the success of our strategy to franchise Yellowstone and use it to supercharge streaming growth – none of which would be possible without the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan.”

Does Tulsa King‘s move to CBS encourage you to check it out? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Taylor Sheridan & Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King to rough up a broadcast summer debut on CBS appeared first on JoBlo.

In between drags of cigarette smoke, Patty and Selma Bouvier are likely freaking out over the idea of a new Matlock series coming to CBS. The Matlock reboot gets a new star today with Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Max Payne, Hit and Run) joining the cast. Bridges replaces Jayme Sheridan, who starred in the pilot, to act opposite Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes, Dolores Claiborne) in the updated version. CBS’ Matlock debuts in 2024-25 after the strike delayed production.

CBS’ Matlock hails from Jennie Snyder Urman (Something Borrowed, Charmed, Men in Trees) and stars Bates as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a sharp-minded septuagenarian with a stellar track record for solving cases. After being away from the game for years, Matlock rejoins the workforce at a distinguished law firm, where she uses her years of experience and unique tactics to achieve justice. At her new place of employment, Matty teams up with Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker who thirsts for fair play. Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), the son of the head of the firm (Bridges), is fascinated by Matty and her precocious skills.

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Bridges plays Senior, “a managing partner of the firm, who has an indomitable presence that immediately alters the temperature of any room. The man’s influence reaches far and wide, and although he loves his son, Julian (Ritter), he might respect his daughter-in-law, Olympia (Marshall), more.”

David Del Rio and Leah Lewis join Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, and Beau Bridges for CBS’ new Matlock series, with Urman, Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, John Will, and Bates executive producing.

Beau Bridges appears in the Apple TV+ series Lessons in Chemistry, starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) as Elizabeth Zott, whose dream of being a chemist is put on hold when she finds herself pregnant, alone, and fired from her lab. Lewis Pullman and Aja Naomi King star in Lessons in Chemistry, with Patrick Walker, Stephanie Koenig, Marc Evan Jackson, and more.

Talk about a blast from the past! What do you think about Beau Bridges joining the cast of CBS’ Matlock? Did you ever watch the original show in reruns or on DVD? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Beau Bridges replaces Jamey Sheridan to star opposite Kathy Bates in CBS’ Matlock series appeared first on JoBlo.

The CBS drama Fire Country is turning up the heat with plans for a spinoff starring Morena Baccarin (Deadpool, Homeland, Greenland). Reports say Baccarin plays a sheriff in a Season 2 episode with the option to become a series regular in the simmering spinoff series. Deadline was the first to report the news, saying CBS Studios would produce the potential spinoff.

Baccarin’s sheriff character is named Mickey. She’s been a sheriff’s deputy for fifteen years and spent much of her tenure studying the landscape and populace of Edgewater. With a tremendous amount of hometown pride flowing like fire through her veins, Mickey does whatever it takes to keep the citizens of Edgewater free from harm.

Deadline says negotiations for the series began before the holiday rush, with Baccarin as the top runner to lead the proposed spinoff. The upcoming episode introducing Mickey acts as a backdoor pilot for the character, with more development ahead for the spinoff. Fire Country is a tremendous hit for CBS, becoming the most-watched new broadcast for the network. Last season, Fire Country stoked the flames with an average of 8 million viewers per episode and 10 million in live+35 multi-platform viewing.

“We are focused on mass-appeal franchises,” CBS President and CEO George Cheeks said. “This season’s number one show was Fire Country, which completely lends itself to building out a whole new universe… It became very clear that not only was the show special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch. And so I’m like, ‘you guys, congratulations, you got your back nine. Now let’s start talking about ideas for new extensions.’ They’ve already come up with some great ones.”

In Fire Country, a young convict named Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot), who is seeking redemption, joins a firefighting program to shorten his prison sentence. He and other inmates work alongside elite firefighters to extinguish massive regional blazes.

In addition to Thieriot, Fire Country stars Billy Burke (Twilight, Red Riding Hood), Kevin Alejandro (Arrow, True Blood), Diane Farr (Californication, Rescue Me), Stephanie Arcila (Don’t Breathe 2, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Jordan Calloway (Black Lightning, Riverdale), and Jules Latimer (Rustin, Guilty Party).

Are you excited about Morena Baccarin joining the Fire Country cast? Do you like the show? Will you tune in for the spinoff if it happens? Let us know in the comments below.

The post A Fire Country spinoff starring Morena Baccarin is heating up at CBS appeared first on JoBlo.

Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s The Big Bang Theory is the gift that keeps giving at CBS, as another spinoff of the beloved ensemble comedy is in the works. As you’re likely to know, The Big Bang Theory paved the way for Young Sheldon, a series focusing on the early days of Big Bang’s Sheldon Lee Cooper, Ph.D., Sc.D (Jim Parsons). After six incredibly successful seasons, Young Sheldon will end with its season seven finale. Thankfully for the Young Sheldon spinoff fans, another show revolving around Georgie Cooper and his fiancée Mandy McAllister, played on the show by Montana Jordan and Emily Osment, is nearing a straight-to-series order at CBS.

The Young Sheldon spinoff hails from the series’ executive producers Steve Holland, Steven Molaro, Chuck Lorre, and Warner Bros. Television. According to Deadline, deals are ongoing for Jordan and Osment to reprise their roles. The spinoff aims for a 13-episode order stretched across the 2024-25 season.

Jordan plays Sheldon’s brother, George Marshall “Georgie” Cooper Jr., on Young Sheldon. A part of the spinoff from its inception, Georgie is a high school dropout who went to work full-time at Meemaw’s laundromat. Amidst the spinning piles of laundry and dustings of detergent, Georgie met Mandy in Season 5. Mandy was 29 when she met Georgie, who lied to Mandy by telling her he was 21. Georgie eventually confessed his truth to Mandy, but not before the couple became pregnant with their first child. It took a while, but Georgie gradually regained Mandy’s trust, and the couple got engaged in the Season 6 finale.

Jerry O’Connell plays Georgie on The Big Bang Theory. In BBT, Georgie is a successful tire store chain owner who has been married and divorced twice. While this could gum up the works for the Young Sheldon spinoff, the creators say they could take liberties with BBT canon to make the new show work. In other words, the Young Sheldon spinoff could rewrite BBT history to suit its needs. The Young Sheldon spinoff is a multi-camera endeavor, marking a return to the Big Bang Theory filming format. Holland, Molaro, and Lorre will write the script and executive produce the spinoff.

What do you think about CBS eyeing a Young Sheldon spinoff focusing on Georgie and Mandy? Has the Big Bang Theory well run dry, or are you excited about this curious project? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Young Sheldon spinoff about Georgie and Mandy nearing a straight-to-series order at CBS appeared first on JoBlo.

Boy howdy, folks! Yellowstone is bucking like Broncos on CBS after a successful inaugural broadcast run. With the show continuing to perform like gangbusters, CBS is bringing Season 2 to the network beginning on October 29 after the telecast of the Season 1 finale, airing on October 22. Want to be impressed? CBS says Yellowstone roped 21.6 million viewers for at least one episode, with 52% new to the series. The first episode alone clocked 7.5 million viewers over three days.

Yellowstone follows “the Dutton family, led by John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The ranch is under constant attack by those it borders—land developers, an Indian reservation, and United States of America’s first National Park.”

The premiere season finale, “The Unraveling: Pt. 2,” follows John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who must uncover which family members and allies will stand with him as he faces competition and opportunists. The episode airs on CBS on October 22. The Season 2 episode, titled “A Thundering,” comes to CBS on October 29 and focuses on Kayce (Luke Grimes) as he settles into his new role at the ranch. “A damaging article threatens to expose John. Rainwater pitches his new plan to the tribal council,” reads the description, per CBS.

It was announced several months ago that the current incarnation of Yellowstone would be coming to an end as Kevin Costner had decided to exit the series, but that wasn’t meant to be the end. While on the stand, the actor said that he had originally been in negotiations to stick around for seasons five, six, and seven of Yellowstone, with a $12 million payday for each season. However, that changed when season five was split into two parts.

“Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things,” Costner said. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B… affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.” The actor added that he had even shifted filming on Horizon to accommodate the changed schedule, but by the time he was ready, the show wasn’t. Still, Costner said that negotiations for season six continued before they eventually fell apart. “We did negotiate,” he said. “There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.” Costner added that he’s “disappointed in the production” and will “probably go to court over it.”

When it was announced that Kevin Costner would be exiting the series, Paramount quickly announced a sequel series that would continue the story of the Duttons with Matthew McConaughey tapped to star. “Yellowstone has been the cornerstone on which we have launched an entire universe of global hits, from 1883 to Tulsa King, and I am confident our Yellowstone sequel will be another big hit, thanks to the brilliant creative mind of Taylor Sheridan and our incredible casts who bring these shows to life,” Paramount Network president, Chris McCarthy, said in a statement at the time.

Will you watch Yellowstone as it continues to air on CBS? Are you looking forward to discovering what’s up with the show’s final season? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Yellowstone Season 2 moseying to CBS after a successful maiden broadcast run appeared first on JoBlo.

Back in the ’90s, staying home from school for the day meant a few things: plenty of fluids, a steaming bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, and reruns of The Price Is Right with Bob Barker. Nothing cured us quicker than watching Barker pluck people from a live studio audience for a chance to win elaborate prizes by guessing the price of everyday items. Barker’s enthusiasm, mixed with an air of “I’m too old for this sh*t,” is the stuff of legend. Sadly, Barker died at 99 this past weekend, and CBS is already releasing a Bob Barker Tribute Special to honor the late TV personality.

The Price Is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker airs Thursday, August 31, (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) and streaming on Paramount+. An encore broadcast will air on Labor Day during the regular weekday timeslot for The Price Is Right, 11 a.m. to Noon ET/10 a.m.-11 a.m. PT.

Current The Price is Right host Drew Carey will host the special, set to celebrate the career, life, and times of Bob Barker.

“This tribute to the legendary Bob Barker will bring back great memories for generations of The Price Is Right fans who loved Bob, his humor, his ability to connect with contestants and his innate talent for making the most out of every moment,” said Margot Wain, SVP of daytime programs in a statement. “Bob was one-of-a-kind; he’ll be remembered as an extraordinary host, a devoted animal activist, and, as he would put it, ‘a loyal friend and true.’ We’re so pleased to be able to salute his many accomplishments and honor his memory in this way.”

CBS’s Bob Barker Tribute Special includes highlights from the Price Is Right host’s 50-year career, with a look at his first appearance as the host of The New Price Is Right (circa 1972) and his final episode of the game show in 2007. Other highlights include Adam Sandler reading his poem “Ode to Bob Barker,” outtakes from The Price Is Right tapings, and hilarious moments with memorable contestants.

It’s impossible to recall my adolescence without considering Barker’s sass and snark. He knew how to work a crowd while simultaneously working in a few playful jabs at people who quickly drove him up a wall. He was one of a kind, and we look forward to watching CBS’s Bob Barker Tribute Special when it honors the icon at the end of the month.

The post Bob Barker Tribute Special honoring the Price Is Right icon to “come on down” to CBS appeared first on JoBlo.