• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, May 9, 2025

A one-camera workplace comedy set in a DMV office, and a made-for-network TV spin-off of “Yellowstone’’ are two of the new shows on tap for CBS next fall.

The network unveiled its prime-time schedule for the fall start of the 2025-26 season on Thursday, days before the start of Upfront Week on Monday.

The announcement was strategic. CBS parent Paramount Global is conspicuously absent from next week’s Upfront presentations being mounted by all of its big TV competitors.

That means that if CBS waited until next week to announce its fall lineup of new and returning shows, coverage of the CBS fall season in both the consumer and trade press would have been lost among all the other news the other Upfronts will generate all week.

The network announced five new shows for the fall season -- three dramas, one comedy and one singing competition show -- plus 18 returning shows.

It also announced three midseason shows, including a made-for-network TV “Yellowstone” spin-off featuring the character of Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) -- cowboy and U.S. Navy SEAL -- as he joins the U.S. Marshals Service. 

The show’s working title is “Y: Marshals,” which the TV Blog surmises is supposed to stand for “Yellowstone.” 

However, it sounds more like a show about cops at a YMCA. Look for the title to change before the show debuts next year.

The show comes from “Yellowstone” producer Taylor Sheridan, the wunderkind producer/creator of “Yellowstone,” “1883,” “Mayor of Kingstown,” “1923” and “Tulsa King” -- all with Paramount.

He is also an executive producer of CBS’s new singing competition titled “The Road” in which Keith Urban will be seen traveling the country picking up unknown singers and performers.

The newbies will join him as opening acts on his own tour in an attempt to win over local fanbases in order to stay on the tour and advance in the competition.

“The Road” is slated for Sunday nights at 9 p.m. next fall, following the return of “Tracker” at 8 p.m. (following NFL football). “Y: Marshals” will take up the 9 p.m. Sunday slot in midseason.

The 10 p.m. hour on Sunday nights will start the season with “CBS Encores” (reruns of recently aired dramas). The second season of “Watson” will replace “CBS Encores” in midseason.

Monday nights will start with two comedies starting with “The Neighborhood” at 8 p.m. for its final season.

At 8:30, CBS introduces a new workplace comedy, “DMV,” starring Tim Meadows (above photo, right), followed by “FBI” and then the new “CIA,” both from producer Dick Wolf. 

Wolf’s other “FBI” shows for CBS -- “FBI: Most Wanted” and “FBI: International” have been canceled.

Tuesday nights on CBS next fall will be “NCIS” night with “NCIS” at 8, “NCIS: Origins” at 9 and “NCIS: Sydney” at 10.

Wednesdays will consist of just two shows, each 90 minutes -- “Survivor” 8-9:30, marking its 50th season, and “The Amazing Race” from 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Thursdays will see the return of four CBS hits -- the comedies “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” and “Ghosts,” followed by “Matlock” and “Elsbeth.”

Friday nights will start with two dramas with the word “country” in their titles -- the new “Sheriff Country” at 8 and the return of “Fire Country” at 9.

The old “Blue Bloods” time period at 10 p.m. will now have a new cop drama about a police family in Boston.

The new show, “Boston Blue” will be linked to “Blue Bloods” through the star of the new show, Donnie Wahlberg, who returns to CBS as the character he played in “Blue Bloods,” NYPD Det. Danny Reagan. “Boston Blue” will have Det. Reagan taking up a new job on the Boston PD.