CBS Gives The Axe To Freshmen Dramas 'True Lies' & 'East New York'

While it appears CBS opted to reverse its previous cancelation decision for "SWAT," it seems "True Lies" and "East New York" were not as lucky. Per The Hollywood Reporter, CBS opted to cancel both freshmen dramas, and their final episodes will air later this month.

THR notes that the series finale for "True Lies" will air on May 17. The final episode of the police procedural "East New York" will air on May 14. Both shows were "on the bubble" for getting new seasons.

"True Lies" is a television reboot of the 1994 James Cameron film of the same name that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Eliza Dushku.

CBS is reportedly looking to announce its new series orders for its upcoming 2023-2024 broadcast season on Tuesday, May 9, with the latest broadcast schedule set to be told the following Wednesday. Additionally, CBS and parent company Paramount Global recently opted to back out of the network's traditional upfront presentation for Madison Avenue ad buyers, as Netflix currently occupies that slot.

"True Lies" starred Steve Howey and Ginger Gonzaga ("She-Hulk: Attorney at Law"). It was created by Matt Nix ("Burn Notice," "The Good Guys," "Gifted"). "East New York" starred Amanda Warren and was created by William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn. Warner Bros. Television produced the procedural.

With television ratings declining, networks are now looking to focus on owning most of their original scripted content. That likely caused the cancellation of "East New York" due to Warner Bros. TV's involvement.

Shows that are slated to return to CBS next season include its hit, long-running cop drama "Blue Bloods," Chuck Lorre's "Bob Hearts Abishola," "CSI: Vegas," "The Equalizer," "FBI," "FBI: International," "FBI: Most Wanted," "Ghosts," "NCIS," "NCIS: Hawaii," "The Neighborhood," "Young Sheldon," "Fire Country," and "So Help Me, Todd." Of that group, the only shows CBS does not wholly own or co-produce are "Young Sheldon" and "Bob Hearts Abishola," which are both produced by "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Lorre.

To add to television networks such as CBS trying to tighten their belts, CBS reduced the salaries of the cast and creators of "Blue Bloods" by 25 percent to keep the show going. Its renewal will take the show to its 14th season and over 275 episodes. But the decline in ratings indicates that people watch traditional television less, with more viewers cutting cords and subscribing to streaming media platforms.

 "Fire Country" and "So Help Me Todd" were two of CBS' freshmen shows that did manage to be cut for new seasons. Shows slated to debut for CBS next season include "Tracker," starring Justin Hartley. New pickups for CBS are also expected to be announced later this week, including the comedy series "Jumpstart," "The Good Fight" spinoff titled "Elsbeth," and a sequel series to "Matlock."'

Meanwhile, "True Lies" debuted in March and will make it to 13 episodes. "East New York" started last October and will end its run at 21 episodes.