CBS Quietly Canceled One of Its Most-Watched Shows

When a show or series is canceled, it's usually a result of poor viewership, or at least that viewership not meeting expectations. However, CBS recently quietly canceled a show that was among the most-watched series in America for 2025-26.

Back in January, CBS' Watson was not renewed for a third season, indicating that the show had been quietly canceled. However, recent data suggests that it was actually one of the network's most-watched shows and performed better than some shows that were renewed.

'Watson' Was Quietly Canceled

When it debuted back in January 2025, Watson was an immediate hit as the show brought in a record-breaking 18.7 million viewers in its series premiere. While interest in the show waned significantly after that, Deadline reported that CBS would likely "wait to see how Watson performs after its March 1 return" before deciding the show's fate.

Apparently, CBS did not like what it saw from the numbers.

Back in January, the network announced that 10 shows had been renewed for the next season, and Watson was not among them, quietly ending the show's run after just two seasons.

The show starred Morris Chestnut as a medical-mystery-solving iteration of Dr. John Watson, the iconic partner of Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately for fans, it ended on a massive and now permanent cliffhanger.

Watson 'Overperformed'

While CBS has been pretty clear that the show's cancellation was due to disappointing ratings, the fact is that it actually performed better than other shows that were granted additional seasons.

In fact, Watson was included on Variety's list of the 100 most-watched series of the 2025-25 season, checking in at No. 74.

"It's sometimes a mystery when high-performing shows get the ax, and that was the case again this season with Netflix's Boots (6.5 million), CBS' Watson (6.4 million), Netflix's The Abandons (5.8 million) and CBS' DMV (5.7 million)," Variety reported earlier this month.

"Those shows all made it to the end-of-year top 100 list, yet were canceled for a variety of stated reasons. Some were blamed for pricey budgets or declining viewership. And in the case of Boots, there was some concern there was a politics angle as well. No matter the reason, they all performed better than many shows that are getting another season," Variety continued.

While Watson's viewership may not have lived up to CBS' expectations, that does not change the fact that it was among the network's most-watched shows during its final season.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 12:34 AM.