CBS has announced its plans for premiere dates, and the decisions are surprising. This is a network that usually brings its shows back in September. This fall will be very different, with shows like NCIS being held until October.
The majority of the big shows are being held until the middle of October, according to TVLine. It’s not clear why this is, but it could be strategic due to the episode counts. We haven’t had confirmation yet, but it looks like a lot of shows are dropping to around 18 to 20 episodes per season. This will affect the number of weeks of content the network will have.
A later start will help to reduce the breaks later on in the TV season. There is still time to fit a good six to eight episodes in before a midseason finale with this October start. It’s just annoying that we, as fans, have to wait a month longer than expected.
NCIS Season 22 will premiere at an earlier time
CBS has set the date for Monday, Oct. 14 for NCIS Season 22 to premiere. It is going to be at a special time of 8 p.m. ET/PT. This will be a good test to see if CBS should move to starting the night off with NCIS instead of the comedy lineup.
This is for one-week only. It allows NCIS: Origins to get a double-episode premiere. The week after, NCIS will move back to the regular 9 p.m. ET/PT timeslot, with The Neighborhood and the new comedy Poppa’s House premiering in the first hour of the night.
There’s still no word on whether all cast members of NCIS will return. Eyes are on Katrina Law considering the ending for Jessica Knight in Season 21. Could she return in some capacity, or will the first episode confirm that she is gone and a new member of the team is joining?