CBS’ Controversial Schedule Change Can Be The Saving Grace For 1 Underrated Comedy

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CBS is shaking up its primetime schedule, and some of those changes are causing debate, especially regarding Thursday nights. Traditionally, Thursday nights featured popular comedies and dramas, but two shows won’t be returning when the fall 2026 season begins. While fans of Ghosts and Matlock might be disappointed, the shift could be a real benefit for Elsbeth, starring Carrie Preston, as it heads into its fourth season. The new timeslot might be exactly what the show needs to succeed.

When Elsbeth debuted in 2024, it was a bit of a surprise. Carrie Preston returned as the character she’d played on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, shows known for being serious dramas, not comedies. She had even won an Emmy for playing Elsbeth Tascioni on The Good Wife. The show’s attempt to blend humor with dark murder mysteries felt jarring for viewers familiar with those previous shows. And airing it on CBS right after Matlock, a straightforward drama starring Kathy Bates, only emphasized that it wasn’t a typical serious show.

Getting officially recognized as a comedy for awards shows, like the many nominations at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, is a good sign for Elsbeth. CBS might now fully promote the show as a one-hour comedy before season 4 arrives this fall. This change in how the show is categorized could be exactly what Elsbeth needs, as viewership declined during season 3.

Elsbeth Season 3’s Ratings Decline Explained

The third season of Elsbeth began well with some great guest appearances – Stephen Colbert played a murder victim, Amy Sedaris was the killer, and Andy Richter was the husband caught in the middle. However, despite the show’s quality, ratings were disappointing from the start.

The third season kicked off this fall with 8.26 million viewers tuning in across CBS and Paramount+ within its first week. While still popular, this is down from the 10 million viewers who watched the season 2 premiere last year, representing a decrease of over 1.5 million viewers.

As of today, CBS hasn’t released the total viewership numbers for season 3 of Elsbeth. However, the show didn’t make the list of the top 20 most-watched programs (across both broadcast and streaming) released in April. The lowest-ranked show on that list, Ghosts, averaged 10.3 million viewers, meaning Elsbeth‘s season 3 average was lower than that. In comparison, Elsbeth averaged 10.9 million viewers after its second season, which was enough to beat Ghosts at that time.

Despite a slight decline in viewers, Elsbeth performed well enough in its third season to earn a renewal for a fourth. CBS ultimately cancelled Watson and DMV at the end of the 2025-2026 season. However, the network was aware of the audience drop and seems to have a plan to address it.

What CBS’s Fall 2026 Schedule Change Means For Elsbeth

CBS’ Thursday night programming began with season 2 of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage at 8 p.m., then continued with season 5 of Ghosts at 8:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., the network aired season 2 of Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, before concluding the evening with Elsbeth at 10 p.m.

Having Elsbeth follow the popular show Matlock on CBS seemed like a positive move. However, the 10 p.m. timeslot is often difficult for shows to succeed in. Plus, switching between the comedic tone of Ghosts, the drama of Matlock, and then back to comedy with Elsbeth might be confusing for viewers.

Pushing the sixth season of Ghosts and the third season of Matlock to 2027 will make room for two new shows on Thursday nights. Placing Elsbeth between those two shows might be a better fit than having it follow Matlock. Here’s a look at what to expect in the final months of 2026.

CBS’ Fall Thursdays Time Slot
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season 3 8 p.m.
Eternally Yours Season 1 8:30 p.m.
Elsbeth Season 4 9 p.m.
Cupertino Season 1 10 p.m.

The upcoming CBS series Eternally Yours will air before Elsbeth, giving the show a strong comedic lead-in. While it would have been even better if Eternally Yours followed Ghosts, the new vampire sitcom is created by the same showrunners as Ghosts – Joe Port and Joe Wiseman. If they can replicate the success they had with Ghosts, which became one of the Top 20 most-watched shows, Eternally Yours could be a big hit and a great pairing with Elsbeth.

CBS’s new legal drama, Cupertino, will be the only series of its kind airing on Thursday nights. This makes sense considering Cupertino‘s creators, Robert and Michelle King, are also behind popular shows like Elsbeth, The Good Wife, and The Good Fight. The new series also brings back Mike Colter, who previously worked with the creators on Evil.

CBS is taking a gamble by delaying the returns of popular shows Ghosts and Matlock. However, this move could benefit Elsbeth, helping it find a bigger audience once viewers discover it’s a funny, hour-long show, not a serious drama.

Why Elsbeth Season 4 Can Be Its Best One Yet

Season 3 of Elsbeth had a tough time getting back on its feet. After Carra Patterson left the show, they had to change the format, switching from developing a consistent partnership between Elsbeth and her character, Kaya, to featuring a different police officer alongside Elsbeth each week. Another hurdle was following up on the success of Judge Milton Crawford, who had been the show’s strongest villain and was only around for one season. His storyline in season 2 created a high standard for what season 3 needed to achieve.

Elsbeth succeeded in finding its comedic footing. A highlight of season 3 was watching Elsbeth connect with the police officers under Captain Wagner, shifting the show’s tone more towards comedy than drama. By this point, everyone at the precinct was accustomed to Elsbeth’s unique personality, reducing workplace tension. With Carra Patterson likely to make recurring appearances, Elsbeth boasts one of the strongest supporting casts on television.

Alec Bloom’s mayoral campaign wasn’t as compelling as Elsbeth’s case with Judge Crawford, but his victory could create some interesting conflicts next season. He’s appointed Cyrus Tully—a longtime enemy of Captain Wagner—as the new police commissioner. It’s also unclear how Elsbeth, after ending their relationship, will interact with the new mayor.

Another interesting question is whether Elsbeth will have moved on from Alec when the fourth season begins. It would be fun to see her available and open to new romantic possibilities while solving cases. The show’s running gag about firefighters being charmed by Elsbeth is always a highlight, and the new season gives her another chance to find love.

Everything points to this being the best season of Elsbeth yet! With the new schedule, we hope more viewers will tune in to watch Carrie Preston’s hilarious show on Thursday nights. You can also catch Elsbeth streaming on Paramount+.

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2026-05-27 18:30