Key Takeaways
- CBS cancelled at least 4 shows in 2025–2026: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Neighborhood, Watson, and DMV
- The Late Show franchise retired entirely after 33 years — Colbert’s final episode aired May 21, 2026
- The Neighborhood ran 8 seasons before its finale on May 11, 2026 — cancelled due to rising production costs
- Watson (Sherlock Holmes–inspired CBS drama) ended after 2 seasons; final episode aired May 3, 2026
- DMV (comedy) cancelled after just 1 season; series finale aired May 11, 2026
- Across all networks in 2026: NBC cancelled 6+ shows, Fox cancelled 2, Peacock cancelled 2, Prime Video cancelled Gen V, Netflix is ending Emily in Paris after Season 6
Introduction
2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest TV cancellation years in recent memory. A perfect storm of streaming competition, audience fragmentation, rising production budgets, and the lingering aftermath of the 2023 writers’ strike has pushed networks to make hard choices. CBS alone axed four shows — including one of late night’s most iconic franchises. Add in NBC, Fox, Peacock, Netflix, and streaming platforms and you’re looking at over two dozen notable cancellations before the fall season even begins.
This article is a complete, regularly updated tracker of every CBS show cancelled in 2026, plus a full rundown of major cancellations across other networks and platforms.
CBS Cancellations in 2026
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Genre: Late-night talk | Seasons: 11 (Colbert era; franchise: 33 years) | Series finale: May 21, 2026
CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July 2025, calling it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” The network stressed the move was unrelated to the show’s content — a claim met with widespread skepticism, given the announcement came just days after Colbert publicly criticized Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Trump over a 60 Minutes interview. CBS said it would retire “The Late Show” franchise entirely, with no replacement host planned.
Colbert broke the news himself during a July taping as his audience erupted in boos. “It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” he told them. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.” He later confirmed the finale date — May 21, 2026 — during a January appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, admitting “I’m not thrilled with it.”
Financially, the decision tracks: the show was reportedly losing CBS an estimated $40–$50 million per year as younger viewers migrated from 11:35 p.m. broadcast slots to streaming clips. The Late Show franchise itself launched in 1993 when David Letterman moved from NBC to CBS. Under Colbert — who took over from Letterman in 2015 — the show held the number-one late-night spot for nine consecutive seasons.
The Neighborhood
Genre: Multi-camera sitcom | Seasons: 8 | Series finale: May 11, 2026
The Neighborhood ended not because of poor ratings — it was one of CBS’s most reliable comedies, averaging over 6 million viewers per episode with multiplatform viewing — but because of money. CBS announced in March 2025 that Season 8 would be the show’s last, giving the cast and crew a full farewell season.
Cedric the Entertainer, who starred as Calvin Butler and served as executive producer, explained the situation plainly during an April 24, 2026 interview on The Breakfast Club: “After eight seasons, everybody needed raises, and that’s when you knew, ‘Alright, this show is getting ready to be done.'” He added that CBS offered him personally a deal to continue, but he pushed for the whole cast to be taken care of — and when the network declined, that was that.
The series finale, titled “Welcome to Goodbye,” aired May 11, 2026, ending with the Johnson family leaving Pasadena and moving back to Michigan. The show ran 155 episodes over 8 seasons since its 2018 premiere, earning a dedicated fan base for blending humor with timely stories about race, class, and community. A spinoff centered on characters played by Marcel Spears and Sheaun McKinney had reportedly been in discussion but was not greenlit.
Watson
Genre: Drama (medical/procedural) | Seasons: 2 | Series finale: May 3, 2026
Watson reimagined the Sherlock Holmes universe with Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson — a brilliant physician navigating cases and personal crisis after Holmes’s death. The show premiered in January 2025 and earned a loyal audience, but CBS cancelled it after two seasons to “make room for new shows,” as CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach put it. “Morris Chestnut is maybe one of the greatest No. 1’s I’ve ever dealt with,” Reisenbach said. “But it’s a high bar on CBS.”
Creator Craig Sweeny crafted the Season 2 finale as a potential series-ender, knowing renewal wasn’t guaranteed. Watson undergoes surgery for his tumor in the final episode — his fate left deliberately open. The show aired its last episode on May 3, 2026.
DMV
Genre: Comedy | Seasons: 1 | Series finale: May 11, 2026
DMV was cancelled after a single season, with CBS choosing not to renew it as part of a broader reshuffling to make space in its 2026–27 lineup. The show aired its series finale on May 11, 2026, the same night The Neighborhood wrapped up.
Other Major Network and Streaming Cancellations in 2026
NBC
NBC had one of the bloodier cancellation seasons among the big four broadcasters.
Brilliant Minds (2 seasons) — Zachary Quinto’s medical drama about a neurodivergent neurologist was NBC’s lowest-rated drama on linear TV this season, averaging just above 3 million viewers. After the show’s remaining six episodes were quietly pulled from the schedule during Winter Olympics coverage in February with no return date, the official cancellation came May 1, 2026.
Stumble (1 season) — A single-camera cheerleading mockumentary that earned a remarkable 96% on Rotten Tomatoes but struggled in a Friday night time slot, averaging under 2 million linear viewers. Cancelled on May 1, 2026, alongside Brilliant Minds. NBC’s head of scheduling told Deadline “I love that show” — which didn’t save it. Six remaining episodes were slated to air post-cancellation.
Law & Order: Organized Crime (5 seasons) — Christopher Meloni’s Law & Order spinoff, starring his beloved Det. Elliot Stabler, was cancelled by Peacock in April 2026 after five seasons.
The Copenhagen Test (1 season) — Cancelled by NBC/Peacock in April 2026 after one season.
The Hunting Party (2 seasons) — Cancelled as NBC finalized its 2026–27 slate.
The Kelly Clarkson Show (7 seasons) — Notably, this one was Clarkson’s own decision. She announced the show’s end to spend more time with her children. “Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives,” she wrote on Instagram.
Fox
Fox trimmed its scripted lineup while keeping its Animation Domination block largely intact.
The Great North (5 seasons) — The animated Alaskan family comedy from the Bob’s Burgers team was cancelled after wrapping its fifth season in September 2025. Fox’s animation slate continues with Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Krapopolis, and Grimsburg.
Going Dutch (2 seasons) — Denis Leary’s military sitcom was cancelled in May 2026 after two seasons, finishing near the bottom of Fox’s scripted lineup in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demo.
Peacock
Laid (1 season) — The Peacock comedy was cancelled after one season.
Law & Order: Organized Crime (see NBC above) — Confirmed cancelled via Peacock in April 2026.
Prime Video
Gen V (2 seasons) — The Boys spinoff set at a superhero university was cancelled on April 26, 2026, after two seasons. Given The Boys itself is ending with its fifth season (which premiered April 5, 2026), Amazon appears to be winding down that universe — though spinoffs Vought Rising and The Boys: Mexico remain in development.
Netflix
Emily in Paris — Netflix announced on May 22, 2026 that the beloved, much-memed rom-com will conclude with Season 6. No specific end date announced yet.
Acapulco — The bilingual comedy-drama will end with its fourth season on Apple TV+.
HBO Max
Hacks — The Emmy-winning comedy starring Jean Smart will end with its fifth season. HBO Max announced the conclusion in March 2026. It remains a critical darling to the end.
Paramount+
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy — Cancelled after its second season.
Why Is 2026 Such a Big Cancellation Year?
A few forces are converging at once. Streaming platforms siphoned massive audiences from traditional broadcast TV — younger viewers now watch clips and VOD rather than tuning in live at 11:35 p.m. or 8 p.m. on a Tuesday. That shift gutted the advertising revenue model that once made broadcast TV enormously profitable, which is precisely why The Late Show — number one in late night but losing $40–50 million annually — became unsustainable.
Production costs compound the problem. After the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, below-the-line costs and talent salaries surged. Shows in their sixth, seventh, or eighth season face compounding salary renegotiations — exactly the dynamic that ended The Neighborhood. And with streaming services themselves now under pressure to demonstrate profitability rather than just growth, the era of “spend anything to win subscribers” is over. The result: a structural tightening across the entire industry, not just at one network.
Notable Renewals in 2026
Amid the cancellations, plenty of fan favorites are coming back. Abbott Elementary was renewed for Season 6 on ABC. Law & Order (the original) returns for Season 24 on NBC. The Last of Us is renewed for Season 3 on HBO Max. Alien: Earth was renewed for Season 2 on FX. CBS renewed 10 shows for 2026–27, including NCIS, Tracker, Matlock, Ghosts, and Elsbeth. Grey’s Anatomy continues on ABC with Season 23.
Keep Checking Back
This list is updated regularly as new cancellations and renewals are announced. Networks typically finalize their fall schedules in May, but streaming cancellations can come at any time. Bookmark this page and check back — we’ll keep it current throughout 2026.
Sources: Entertainment Now, DIRECTV Insider, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial, TVLine, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety, Primetimer, CBS News
