CBS Midseason 2026 Premiere Dates: ‘Watson’ Moves Nights With ‘CIA’ Joining ‘FBI’ on Mondays
What To Know
- CBS has announced its midseason 2026 schedule, featuring the premieres of new series such as CIA, Y: Marshals, and Harlan Coben’s Final Twist, alongside returning favorites.
- Watson will move to Sundays starting March 1, following the debut of Y: Marshals and a new time slot for Tracker, while CIA joins FBI on Mondays.
- Major events include Survivor‘s 50th season with a three-hour premiere and special encore episodes, as well as broadcasts of the Golden Globes and Grammy Awards.
CBS has set its midseason schedule, including new shows CIA and Y: Marshals.
The network has announced that the second half of its 2025-2026 season kicks off on Wednesday, January 7, with the series premiere of true-crime series Harlan Coben‘s Final Twist joining game shows Hollywood Squares and The Price Is Right at Night. The rest of the lineup won’t be back until late February.
Kicking off on Monday, February 23, are CBS’ new and returning scripted shows. CIA, originally part of fall’s lineup, will now premiere that day at 10/9c, claiming the slot after FBI. That means Watson is moving, to Sundays at 10/9c, starting March 1, joining Y: Marshals at 8/7c and Tracker moving to 9/8c as a result. (That was the original plan for both Y: Marshals and Watson in the spring when the 2025-2026 season schedule was first announced in the spring.)
CBS is also surviving the 50th season of Survivor in 2026. Its three-hour premiere will air on Wednesday, February 25. Leading up to it will be a special two-week programming event with 10 encore episodes from the show’s history featuring players from the Season 50 cast. Those will air on: Monday February 9 and Tuesday February 10 (8:00-9:00 PM); Wednesday February 11 and Thursday February 12 (8:00-10:00 PM); Friday, February 13, Monday, February 16 and Tuesday, February 17 (8:00-9:00 PM); and Wednesday, February 18 through Friday February 20 (8:00-9:30 PM).
The network’s events in early 2026 include the 83rd Annual Golden Globes on Sunday, January 11, and the 68th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 1.
Below, check out all of CBS’ midseason premiere and return dates.
Wednesday, January 7
8:00 p.m.: Hollywood Squares
9:00 p.m.: The Price Is Right at Night
10:00 p.m.: Harlan Coben’s Final Twist (Series Premiere)
Monday, February 23
8:00 p.m.: The Neighborhood (Season 8 Midseason Return)
8:30 p.m.: DMV (Season 1 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m.: FBI (Season 8 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m.: CIA (Series Premiere)
Wednesday, February 25
8:00 p.m.: Survivor 50 (Three-Hour Season 50 Premiere)
Thursday, February 26
8:00 p.m.: Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (Season 2 Midseason Return)
8:30 p.m.: Ghosts (Season 5 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m.: Matlock (Season 2 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m.: Elsbeth (Season 3 Midseason Return)
Friday, February 27
8:00 p.m.: Sheriff Country (Season 1 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m.: Fire Country (Season 4 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m.: Boston Blue (Season 1 Midseason Return)
Sunday, March 1
7:00 p.m.: 60 Minutes
8:00 p.m.: Y: Marshals (Series Premiere)
9:00 p.m.: Tracker (Season 3 Midseason Return, New Time Period)
10:00 p.m.: Watson (Season 2 Midseason Return, New Night and Time Period)
Tuesday, March 3
8:00 p.m.: NCIS (Season 23 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m.: NCIS: Origins (Season 2 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m.: NCIS: Sydney (Season 3 Midseason Return)
Wednesday, March 4
8:00 p.m.: Survivor (Regular Time Period)
9:30 p.m.: America’s Culinary Cup (Series Premiere)
10:30 p.m.: Hollywood Squares
Conversation13 Comments
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J
I cut CBS out of my life....to many good shows cancelled! I don't understand why a show is cancelled and they give us a s a sin off! Cancel Blue Bloods, high rated show, and now we have Boston Blue. Networks need to listen to fans. Reality shows, No. I want entertainment, not reallity!!!!!
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R
These breaks are dumb , they used to show repeats in between to make the 22 episodes last until May. They use to care about Nielsen months and have February full of good episodes. Now February became a break month as well
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R
Why cancel Watson? Best show on CBS. Less violent than all the others! Informative and great cast! Mistake to push all the violence.
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B
Really dislike game shows at night. Don’t understand why they take hiatus for so long middle of season! Dumb. Can’t get into your shows this way!! Very frustrating!
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C
I hope they do not start messing with the CIA show. Loving it right now 💯 percent extraorfinary
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L
Please, please keep Watson on. I hate that television shows are bashed and discontinued without true reasons for it
CBS and the other networks should really think about their viewers. What they want.
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B
I agree with most comments of networks cheating viewers out of episodes. TIn 2000, there were more episodes per season than2025/2026. The long mid-season delay - send viewers to other networks/shows.
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V
The season break is too long! Programs go off in mid Nov not to return until Feb is total stupidity. The old regular networks are suffering to the point of taking up sporting events that screw up regular programming times to "make some money". What with all the commercials, I don't understand how they could be hurting so bad for money. Then let me say IMO there are too many reality 'shows' on the schedule. They can do away with Survivor, AGT, The Voice, Penn & Teller:Fool Us, Dancing With the Stars, The Amazing Race,Hell's Kitchen,Special Forces: World's Toughest Test and Masters of Illusion. IMO enough is enough and we have more than enough reality "shows". Let's go back to regular type programs, shows, movies or whatever you prefer to call them and ditch the reality shows. Hopefully they will keep them at a decent rating; G or PG. Enough of all the sex, drugs and violence.
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P
The seasons are so short now with a lot less episodes. You just get into the rhythm of the show and they take a two/three month break.
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G
Sad. Seems like streaming is causing these challenges to regular tv/cable shows.
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R
I think it just has more to with greed of executives, shareholders of these large companies and networks. Networks have stopped listening to the public and ratings They're only concerned about their bottom line and making more money. Streaming services offered an alternate choice to the public for their entertainment.
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B
All the regular shows will have 22 episodes (NCIS, FBI, Matlock, Elsbeth, Boston Blue, Tracker, Fire Country, Ghosts, Georgie and Mandy’s, etc…). Not sure what you’re talking about.
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R
I think they're dreaming about 22 episodes that may have been back in the 80s but not now.
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