The dust has barely settled in Super Bowl 49, but it’s never too early to look to the future. Next year the NFL will celebrate its 50th Super Bowl, which CBS will air Sunday, February 7, 2016. I’ll let football fans debate which teams will compete, but I prefer to think about what show CBS will air after the big game.
CBS has aired the Super Bowl five times in the last 15 years. Twice it went with scripted procedural dramas (Elementary and Criminal Minds) and the other three times it went with reality shows (Undercover Boss and Survivor twice). Undercover Boss and Survivor’s second season premiere are among the three highest-rated post-Super Bowl episodes of the last 30 years.
Here are my picks for what CBS should air next year. After last year’s Super Bowl I correctly predicted that NBC would go with The Blacklist.
NCIS: New Orleans
In recent years, the post-Super Bowl spot frequently goes to a sophomore scripted series (The Blacklist, Glee, Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, Alias). The New Orleans version of NCIS has already been renewed for a second season and a big push could give it the longevity of the original and Los Angeles spin-off. If CBS wants to go wild, they could even make it the start of an epic four-part crossover between all three NCIS shows that would continue the following week on all three shows.
Scorpion
The other big sophomore show that could get a post-Super Bowl boost is Scorpion, which was given a special airing after the AFC Championship Game. Last time CBS gave the spot to Elementary, so with solid ratings in its first year, the massive exposure could help Scorpion a long-running hit.
Mom
Typically NBC and FOX are the only networks that air comedies after the Super Bowl. But with The Big Bang Theory getting old and the ending of Two and a Half Men, CBS needs to establish its next huge comedy hit. Mom already has an Emmy and the post-Big Bang time slot, but airing after the Super Bowl could set it up as the network’s next dynasty. It wouldn’t hurt if star Anna Faris could convince husband Chris Pratt to make a guest appearance since he’s now a huge movie star.
A New Show
The last two times CBS has aired the Super Bowl, it went with a freshman show (Elementary and Undercover Boss). So it’s entirely possible that next year’s post-Super Bowl spot will go to a show we don’t even know about yet.
If I had to bet, I’d go with NCIS: New Orleans. CBS has put a lot of support into the NCIS franchise, and with the original in season 12 and NCIS: Los Angeles in season 6, this could ensure New Orleans an equally long run.
What do you think CBS should air after Super Bowl 50 in 2016?
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
