CBS Cancels Two Freshman Dramas in Schedule Shake-Up

After previously failing to make the renewals list for the upcoming television season, CBS has formally cancelled two new shows.

Back in January, the network didn't include the Sherlock Holmes adaptation Watson, or the workplace comedy DMV, in its 2026/2027 lineup. After months of speculation that this was a red flag for its cancellation, Varietyhas confirmed the two shows have ceased production. CBS has now reportedly completed its scheduling for the 2026-2027 lineup, taking production from pilot season in the fall into next year.

Watson, a medical drama series starring Morris Chestnut that serves as a modern retelling of the Sherlock Holmes supporting character, will end after its second season at CBS. Upon its premiere, Watson brought in a record-breaking 18.7 million viewers in its series premiere back in January 2025, boosted by the AFC Championship Game.

However, a subsequent report by Deadline shows data that points to the show ranking as the lowest-rated scripted series on CBS. The outlet reported in January that the network is likely “wait[ing] to see how Watson performs after its March 1 return." Evidently, viewership never bounced back to the desired level to prove itself as a worthy investment for the network.

DMV, on the contrary, has been more successful with viewers. The sitcom, following the lives of employees at the Department of Motor Vehicles, aimed to be a spiritual successor for long-running workplace comedies like Superstore, The Office, or Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

The show ranked No.9 among all broadcast series for CBS’s Oct. 12-19 premiere week with 10.1M Live+35 Day multi-platform viewers, according to Deadline's January report. However, viewership data from the entertainment outlet reported that delayed multi-platform viewing still declined. Additionally, at a 65% Rotten Tomatoes score with critics, it's rare for a show of such middling reviews to have longevity at its network, and DMV crashed and burned at this obstacle.