CBS is clearing house for the 2026-27 season, and the axe is swinging in some places you probably didn't expect. While the network’s procedural engines—the NCIS and FBI franchises—are essentially immortal at this point, two major pillars of the nightly routine are heading to the great TV graveyard in the sky.
The big news: CBS is officially ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the reliable family sitcom The Neighborhood in early 2027.
CBS is shaking up the 2026-27 season by ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the long-running sitcom The Neighborhood. While the procedural powerhouses like NCIS aren't going anywhere, parents will need to find new anchors for family comedy and late-night satire. Check our best shows for kids list for what's actually worth the replacement slot.
After twelve years of holding down the Ed Sullivan Theater, Stephen Colbert is set to hang it up. For parents who use the late-night monologue as their "brain-off" signal after the kids are finally asleep, this is a legitimate disruption to the ritual.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been the smart, satirical anchor of the CBS lineup since 2015. By the time it wraps in 2027, it will have navigated three election cycles and a decade of total cultural upheaval. From what the network is signaling, the final run of episodes will likely be a victory lap of high-profile guests and retrospectives.
If your older teens have been catching Colbert clips on YouTube to keep up with the news, this is a good moment to pivot their media diet. Satire is a great entry point for media literacy—it teaches kids to look for the "spin" in every story. When Colbert leaves, the question isn't just "what's on at 11:35?" but "who else is doing the work of pulling apart the day's headlines with a sense of humor?"
This one hits the "co-watching" crowd harder. The Neighborhood has been one of those rare, reliable multi-cam sitcoms that families could actually sit through together without it feeling like a chore or a lecture.
It wasn't high art—it was a standard sitcom—but it tackled race, gentrification, and community in a way that was accessible for middle-schoolers and wasn't "cringe" for parents. It’s ending its run because, frankly, nine seasons is a lifetime in modern TV. The contracts get expensive, and networks start looking for the next shiny thing.
When a show like this ends, the default move is to just let the algorithm pick the next thing. Don't do that. Use the gap to find something with a bit more creative teeth. If your family liked the ensemble comedy of The Neighborhood, you might want to look toward Ghosts, which is staying on the 2027 schedule and offers a much weirder, smarter take on the "different people forced to live together" trope.
While Colbert and Cedric the Entertainer are packing their bags, the NCIS factory is still humming. CBS has already greenlit more seasons of the flagship and its various offshoots for 2027.
These procedurals are the "comfort food" of television. They’re predictable, the good guys usually win, and the science is mostly magic. For intentional parents, these shows are actually a secret weapon for discussing ethics. Every episode of NCIS or FBI is essentially a 42-minute trolley problem. If your kid is into the "solve the mystery" aspect, ask them: "Did the team follow the rules to get the guy, or did they break them? Was it worth it?"
CBS isn't just leaving empty airtime. The 2027 schedule is expected to lean even harder into the "universe" model. Expect more spinoffs from the Big Bang Theory world, like Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which is set to become the new anchor of the Thursday night comedy block.
We’re also seeing a trend toward "blue-sky" procedurals—shows that are a little less gritty than Criminal Minds and a little more fun. Think Elsbeth or the upcoming 2027 reboots of classic IP. These are the shows that will likely define the next five years of "background TV" in most households.
When a show your family watches together gets the axe, it’s a minor bummer, but it’s also a chance to be intentional about what fills that space.
- Don't default to the "Next Episode" button. When The Neighborhood ends its final season in 2027, the streaming app will try to shove you into the next most similar thing. Take a beat.
- Audit the "why." Ask your kids what they actually liked about the show. Was it the jokes? The characters? The fact that it was the one time everyone sat on the couch at the same time?
- Find the "Spiritual Successor." If they loved the humor, try Abbott Elementary. If they loved the family dynamic, look at The Wonder Years (2021).
For the full breakdown of what's actually worth your family's limited evening hours, see our best shows for kids list.
Q: Why is CBS cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2027? It’s largely a matter of contract cycles and the changing late-night landscape. By 2027, Colbert will have been in the chair for over a decade, and the network is looking to modernize the slot as traditional linear TV viewership continues to shift toward streaming clips.
Q: Is The Neighborhood actually ending, or just moving to a different night? According to the 2026-27 schedule release, the show is entering its final season. It has been a massive hit for CBS, but after nine seasons, the production costs and aging demographics usually lead to a planned series finale rather than a move.
Q: What is replacing Colbert on CBS in 2027? The network hasn't named a permanent successor yet, but rumors suggest they may move away from the traditional "desk and guest" format in favor of something more social-media friendly or a panel-style show that’s cheaper to produce and easier to distribute in short bites.
Q: Are any NCIS shows being cancelled in 2027? As of June 2026, the core NCIS franchise remains the safest bet on television. While individual spinoffs occasionally rotate out, the franchise itself is the backbone of the CBS schedule and isn't going anywhere.
The 2027 CBS cancellations are a reminder that even the most "permanent" parts of our media routine have an expiration date. Losing The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Neighborhood marks the end of a specific era of "safe" network TV.
The move here isn't to mourn the loss of a sitcom—it's to use the transition to find something that actually challenges your family’s taste instead of just filling the silence.
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