The decline in broadcast pilots continues. CBS has ordered its fewest drama pilots ever in a pilot season, two. Also part of a trend, both are based on IP from established auspices and big-name talent already attached — Robert and Michelle King’s Elsbeth starring Carrie Preston, a police procedural spinoff from the Kings’ The Good Wife/Good Fight universe, and Matlock, a gender swap reboot of the classic legal drama starring Kathy Bates, from Jennie Snyder Urman and Eric Christian Olsen.

Along with the two pilot orders for 2023-24 season, CBS also has ordered writers rooms for two medical drama projects — The Pact, from writer Marcus Dalzine and the NCAAP/CBS Studios production venture; and Watson, from Craig Sweeny and Kapital — which are being put on track for a potential straight-to-series order targeting the following 2024-2025 season.

Put in development by the previous CBS regime of Kelly Kahl and Thom Sherman, the projects were picked up by the network’s new entertainment president Amy Reisenbach in her first pilot season at the helm.

Comedy pilot orders will be coming next. CBS doesn’t have a lot of needs for next season as its schedule has been pretty stable, stacked with established drama procedural franchises like FBI and NCIS, as well as a solid freshman class of Fire Country, East New York and So Help Me Todd, all of which earned full-season orders and Fire Country has already been renewed for a second season.

CBS Orders Pilots For ‘The Good Wife’ Spinoff ‘Elsbeth’ Starring Carrie Preston & ‘Matlock’ Reboot With Kathy Bates, Writers Rooms For ‘The Pact’ & ‘Watson’

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