9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 (CBS)
CBS kicked off its time at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour with a big announcement: Scorpion, Madam Secretary and NCIS: New Orleans have all been renewed for second seasons.
CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler made the announcement Monday, noting that the trio of dramas rank as the Nos. 1, 2 and 3-ranked new series among total viewers.
“These freshman dramas have each made a big impact on key nights of the week,” Tassler said in a statement announcing the news. “Creatively distinctive, the series are backed by strong showrunners with amazingly talented casts and have resonated with a big, broad audience.”
As for the future of fellow rookie drama Stalker, the critically maligned entry is still in contention for next season, Tassler said. Of the rest of the network’s eight rookie series, dramas Battle Creek and CSI: Cyber have yet to debut, and comedy The McCarthys is also a contender for next season, Tassler said, while freshman half-hour The Odd Couple has also yet to bow.
For its part, NCIS: NOLA is the season’s most watched new series and broadcast TV’s No. 2 drama, averaging 18.1 million viewers.
Madam Secretary, meanwhile, is the No. 2 new series of the season with an average of 14.9 million total viewers and Sunday’s most watched scripted broadcast. It has improved the time period 49 percent in total viewers year-over-year.
Finally, Scorpion is the No. 3-ranked new series of the season with 14.5 million total viewers. The series based on the life of genius Walter O’Brien has helped improve the network’s Monday fortunes (after the network abandoned its four-comedy block this year) by 61 percent in total viewers and 21 percent in adults 18-49.
The three renewals, from studio counterpart CBS Television Studios, join a 2015-16 slate that already includes the previously picked up The Big Bang Theory as well as summer scripted entries Under the Dome, Extant and Zoo.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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