CBS Extends Three Rookie Series for Full Season

CBS is wasting little time in locking down its trio of first-year scripted shows.

The network has extended the orders for East New York, Fire Country and So Help Me Todd after promising starts for all three. CBS is calling the extensions “full season orders,” though it hasn’t set episode counts for the trio. In the era of shorter season orders, a full run can mean anything from 15 or 16 episodes to the once-standard 22.

The pickups for the three shows come as little surprise, as Fire Country, East New York and So Help Me Todd are the three most watched rookie network shows of the 2022-23 season so far. The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Fire Country drew 8.26 million viewers over seven days for its series debut. East New York is averaging 7.37 million over its first two episodes, and So Help Me Todd clocks in at 6.48 million for its first two installments.

“CBS is off to a tremendous start this season. We are thrilled to have the three most watched new series, each with their own unique settings, characters and storylines,” CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said in a statement. “These dramas are elevating our already successful lineup, resonating with diverse audiences both on-air and on streaming, and continuing to grow each week. We thank the talented casts, executive producers and their incredible writing and production teams for bringing these shows to life. Additional kudos to our CBS programming teams for shepherding these series to success. We are delighted to give them well deserved full season orders.”

The three CBS shows join NBC’s Quantum Leap sequel in earning a full season; the latter had its run extended by six episodes.

Fire Country, from CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, is executive produced by Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Tia Napolitano, star Max Thieriot, Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed. David Grae, James Strong and Jonathan Littman were EPs on the pilot episode.

East New York comes from Warner Bros. TV. William Finkelstein, Mike Flynn, Michael M. Robin, Christine Holder and Mark Holder executive produce.

So Help Me Todd is also from CBS Studios. Creator Scott Prendergast exec produces with Elizabeth J.B. Klaviter, Michael Spiller, Dr. Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw and Julia Eisenman. Liz Kruger & Craig Shapiro and Amy York Rubin were executive producers on the pilot.