2024 was a rough year to be a CBS fan. While CBS is typically one of the networks with the best renewal rates, the network was forced to make a lot of difficult decisions this year which led to the cancellations of many amazing series including some of the network’s biggest shows.
In total, seven CBS shows were given the boot in 2024 which was up a bit from the total number of shows canceled by CBS the year before in 2023. Of course, of the seven shows canceled only six actually came to an end with CBS deciding to reverse its decision on SWAT which was set to end with its seventh season but ended up getting a surprise renewal at the final hour ensuring the show continued into the 2024-25 season with season 8.
While SWAT was lucky enough to evade cancellation and was given another season, six other shows were not as fortunate and officially saw their runs end in 2024: Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, CSI: Vegas, NCIS: Hawai’i, So Help Me Todd, and Young Sheldon.
Looking at the list of shows CBS canceled in 2024, there honestly isn’t a single show on the list that we can point out as being truly deserving of coming to an end as every show on that list was performing well in the ratings with many shows on that list actually being up year-over-year. In fact, that’s why many fans were so surprised and disappointed by the network’s decision as the shows had literally done everything they could to prove their worth to the network in the ratings department and even that wasn’t enough to keep them going.
The good news is that of the six shows that ended on CBS in 2024, half of the shows did get planned endings with Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, and Young Sheldon all getting proper final seasons in which they were able to plan ahead and bring their stories to a proper close – or at least wrap up as much as they possibly could with the limited time.
Sadly, CSI: Vegas, NCIS: Hawai’i, and So Help Me Todd weren’t as lucky as the others, and all three series were canceled without a proper sendoff. Even worse, all three shows ended with cliffhangers of sorts that were designed to set up the next seasons, but instead ended without any resolution.
Of this group, NCIS: Hawai’i was by far the most shocking cancellation as all signs seemed to point toward the show getting a fourth season. The show remained a hit for CBS and was one of the 10 most watched shows on broadcast, yet CBS ultimately chose to cancel the series claiming it was due to budgeting. That excuse did not sit well with the fans who were shocked and hurt by CBS’s decision to cancel the most diverse series in the NCIS franchise – one which featured the first openly LGBTQ+ couples and was the first to feature a female lead.
The show had truly just begun to hit its stride and was a perfect pairing with the flagship series and it’s a shame that CBS chose to cancel the show without a proper sendoff as NCIS: Hawai’i was the type of show that could have very well continued for many more years and enjoyed continued success as a rating performer for the network. Though, we could honestly say that about all of the shows on this list as CBS didn’t really have any truly underperformers in the bunch this year which is why 2024 was such a tough cancellation year for the network.