When Will You Know If Your Favorite Broadcast TV Show Is Canceled Or Renewed?

News of the renewal or cancellation of current broadcast TV shows should be known by Saturday, May 13, 2023.

Most news should appear between Wednesday-Saturday, May 10-13, 2022 (aka, #ReaperWeek).

#ReaperWeek is always the week prior to the broadcast network ad upfront meetings. The ad upfront meetings focus on the networks’ new shows and schedules for next Fall, not their existing shows. Little or nothing is learned about existing shows at the ad upfront meetings except scheduling.

In very rare instances, news for existing shows may come after the upfront meetings. For example:

• One Rules Of Engagement renewal wasn’t announced until after the CBS upfront, because the contract negotiations ran long.

• CBS canceled Unforgettable prior to their upfront meeting and then un-canceled it well after their upfront when Sony made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

• NBC canceled Timeless and then un-canceled it after Sony made them an offer they couldn’t refuse (are you seeing a trend with Sony shows?).

Broadcast Network Ad Upfront Events, 2023

Monday, May 15

• NBC

  If recent history repeats itself, NBC should release their new Fall schedule on the morning of Sunday, May 14.

• Fox

Tuesday, May 16

• ABC/Disney

Wednesday, May 17

• Not CBS

  Traditionally, this would be the day CBS would have its upfront event and release its fall schedule. That CBS event will not happen, but it’s a reasonable guess the CBS schedule will still be released on this date. Netflix announced they’d have an in person upfront event on Wednesday, after Paramount/CBS abandoned it.

Thursday, May 18

• The CW?

  Traditionally, Thursday is the day that the CW would hold its event. No announcement as yet whether they will in 2023.

Of course, if you follow the reaper’s predictions you’ll be pretty sure to know most show’s fates well in advance of these dates.

Cable networks also have advertising upfront events spread throughout March, April and May, and while they often announce new shows at them, they aren’t a deadline for all renewal and cancellation news to be revealed like they are for the broadcast network upfronts.