Renewals and Cancellations: 'True Lies,' 'Elsbeth,' 'Call Me Kat'

It’s a busier-than-usual week of renewals and cancellations amid both the WGA Writers’ Strike and a time when the networks make decisions for the fall. The week at CBS was particularly busy, as it canceled S.W.A.T., only to change its mind (after working out a licensing agreement with Sony). Two other CBS series were not so lucky, as the network dropped the hammer on True Lies and East New York. Both were bad shows. Fans of the original True Lies film, however, can tune into Netflix’s FUBAR at the end of the month. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and is basically a remake of True Lies without the IP.

It’s worth noting that CBS also picked up three new shows this week, all of which I’m at least curious about and one of which is already a must-see. The latter is Elsbeth, another spin-off of The Good Wife from Robert and Michelle King, this one centered on Carrie Preston’s character, a quirky, idiosyncratic, and excellent attorney. Though the first The Good Wife spin-off, The Good Fight, streamed on Paramount+, Elsbeth will return the franchise to CBS. The Good Wife ran for seven seasons, and The Good Fight for six, and I do wonder if Paramount wants to stay in the same universe but wants to trim costs by resetting? It appears that the Kings have found a way to make a police procedural without turning it into copaganda. I also love that the Kings seem to be fond of the Carrie Preston family — her husband Michael Emerson is a regular over on Evil.

The other two pickups are a sitcom from Damon Wayans Sr. and Jr. called Poppa’s House, as well as a reboot of Matlock with Kathy Bates in the title role. It’s at least worth a look-see.

Elsewhere, Amazon quietly renewed Outlaws for a third season nearly a year after the second season aired. The Stephen Merchant series (with Christopher Walken) is fairly enjoyable, and at six episodes, it doesn’t require a huge time commitment.

Over on Fox, Call Me Kat was axed after three seasons. The Mayim Bialik series had suffered ratings erosion and was also hit by the devastating loss of Leslie Jordan. The network also canned Fantasy Island after two seasons. With 9-1-1 also leaving for ABC, what is propping up that network these days besides The Masked Singer?

The CW — now owned by Nextar — continues to slow-walk its fall decisions. It finally pulled the plug on the Walker spin-off, Walker Independence, after one season, but it also renewed Walker for an abbreviated 13-episode fourth season. The network still has not made decisions on All American: Homecoming, Kung Fu, Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights, and The Winchesters as it continues to look toward cutting costs. It did, however, pick up FBoy Island from Max and set up a spin-off, FGirl Island, if you’re wondering what kind of network The CW will be.

Finally, a quick shout-out to MTV News, which is shutting down. It wasn’t what it used to be in the last decade or more, but many a Gen Xer and elder Millineal got their news from Kurt Loder, John Norris, Tabitha Soren, Alison Stewart, and Gideon Yago back in the day. Everyone from a certain age bracket probably remembers where they were when Kurt Loder told us that Kurt Cobain was dead.

Kurt Loder informs a stunned nation Kurt Cobain is dead. This was my generation’s goddamn Cronkite and Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/hYO4vVRgeG

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) May 10, 2023