“CBS Faces Backlash Over NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas Cancellations”
CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach addressed the recent uproar among fans following the cancellation of popular crime dramas NCIS: Hawai’i and CSI: Vegas, both after three seasons each, at the Banff World Media Festival, as reported by Variety. Reisenbach admitted that these decisions were exceptionally challenging and often led to sleepless nights.
“I’m a big fan of TV first and I sympathize and relate to all of the fans out there who are disappointed in the fact that these shows are ending,” Reisenbach said. “But at the end of the day, our job at CBS is to make those really tough calls. We toss and turn and have sleepless nights and have endless discussions, but we look at all of the numbers. We look at what our projections are for the future, we look at where we see opportunities to potentially have even bigger success on the schedule. And we make those tough decisions.”
The decision to cancel NCIS: Hawai’i may have stemmed from the need to balance the expansive NCIS franchise’s lineup. With the flagship series continuing alongside NCIS: Sydney and the upcoming NCIS: Origins prequel slated for CBS in the fall, as well as the development of NCIS: Tony & Ziva for Paramount+, CBS is strategically navigating its programming slate.
Meanwhile, in response to the CSI franchise’s cancellation, CBS has announced a shift towards true crime with The Real CSI: Miami, a new docuseries. These moves reflect CBS’s ongoing efforts to optimize its programming lineup and respond to evolving audience preferences.
