CBS is making lots of decisions these days. Some of them make perfect sense, like renewing FBI, or ordering a spinoff for Blue Bloods. Others, like canceling SWAT or multiple FBI spinoffs, have fans a bit more torn. The network is clearly looking to change things up, and its doing so with so by taking pre-existing franchises and pushing them in new directions.
Fire Country is a smash hit for CBS, and the network has responded by ordering a spinoff, Sheriff Country. It's still going to be a while before we see it, but CBS has already gotten the ball rolling on promo with a brief, ten second teaser. We catch a glimpse of Mickey (Morena Baccarin), the sheriff who debuted in Fire Country and is poised to lead the spinoff.
Sheriff Country premieres this fall
It's an exciting, albeit unexpected decision. The network's confidence in the Country franchise is evident, even as other shows continue to operate under the stressful limbo of non-renewal. The Equalizer and Poppa's House are two prominent CBS shows that have yet to be canceled or had confirmation for more seasons. Then there's the shift in program scheduling.
The network has decided to axe its 12:30 am time slot, which has been occupied by various late night shows for decades. The Late Late Show, which was hosted by David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and most recently, James Corden, was a cornerstone of this time slot, then the baton was passed to the show After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson. After Midnight was recently scrapped, however, and CBS has decided to forego a replacement.
CBS also teased Boston Bloods
Not only does the cancelation mark a huge change for CBS, but Deadline described it as a "huge blow" for late night television as a whole. How does this tie in to Sheriff Country? Well, it speaks to how CBS is evolving, and how the network is placing increasingly more emphasis on shows that are proven hits within the scripted drama world. Or at least, connected to proven hits, like the spinoffs for both Blue Bloods and Fire Country.
The Blue Bloods spinoff, Boston Bloods, also received a brief teaser in which we see clips of star Donnie Wahlberg. Nothing much in the way of new information, but like the Sheriff Country promo, it proves the network is going all in on these upcoming shows.