CBS Fall Premiere Week Soars 14% In Viewership

CBS' fall 2026 television season, which began the week of October 4, experienced a robust launch, with viewership climbing 14% from the prior year. The network's premiere week averaged 8.63 million viewers, fueled by the strong performance of both new and established series.

Leading the pack was the returning drama "Marshals," which secured the top entertainment program spot with 15.14 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms. Following closely was "Tracker," drawing an impressive 13.86 million viewers. Both of these series also emerged as the most-watched shows in streaming alone for the week.

Further bolstering the network's success, "Sheriff Country" achieved a new series high with 10.518 million viewers, marking a 27% increase from its previous season premiere. The long-running procedural "NCIS" also saw a significant boost, with its Season 24 premiere attracting 10.59 million viewers, up 23% year-over-year.

Excluding sports, CBS reported capturing seven of the week's top 10 series in multiplatform viewing. This strong performance extended to new series as well, with "Cupertino" showing a substantial increase in delayed viewing, averaging 7.17 million viewers in live+7 multiplatform. This overall growth indicates a highly successful start to CBS' fall programming schedule.