CBS Pres Amy Reisenbach: How We Pick What to Buy (+ Prequels, Sequels & IP)
Amy Reisenbach takes me inside her winning strategy, setbacks (like Max snagging the next 'Big Bang' show) and the mood as the Paramount-Skydance deal looms
Lesley Goldberg is the newest member of the Series Business team, reporting from L.A. She previously wrote about the new “blinking yellow light” hell of TV development and scooped that Hulu’s expected Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is set to film in L.A.
The business of broadcast (or broadcast-style) television shows — think traditional procedurals like CBS’ NCIS and fresh entrants like ABC’s High Potential, as well as recent streaming hits including Netflix’s The Night Agent and Max’s The Pitt — is booming. Even amid cord-cutting, climbing costs and plummeting ratings, these shows are undeniable bright spots in the landscape. And there’s no place that is more closely associated with the traditional procedural than CBS, where entertainment president Amy Reisenbach is leaning hard into the benefits of successful franchises including FBI and the recently concluded Blue Bloods.
The network on Feb. 20 handed out renewals for eight more scripted shows, bringing its slate to 12 for the 2025-26 season — with the majority of them spinoffs or new takes on preexisting IP. The strategy, Reisenbach tells me, isn’t driven by any mandate that came when she was tapped to replace network veteran Kelly Kahl at the start of 2023. But with 12 spinoffs either already renewed or in various stages of development for next season, her approach has proven to be an effective one.
As the television industry continues its cost-cutting measures, spinoffs come with a built-in audience, making them less expensive than a brand-new original series when it comes to promotion and marketing. And in today’s penny-pinching TV economy (welcome to “blinking yellow light” development hell), spinoffs have another thing going for them: a predictable infrastructure when it comes to budgets, staffing and production timelines.
Now, as Skydance prepares to install CEO David Ellison and former NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell atop CBS parent company Paramount Global once the deal closes in the coming months, Reisenbach is operating with a business-as-usual approach to running the most-watched broadcast network. (Current Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, to whom she reports, is expected to stay on in the new org.) Reisenbach, who has been with CBS since 2005 when she joined as a manager of current programming, can’t speak to specific impacts of the pending merger, but she has plenty to brag about in the moment, including audience wins for stalwart NCIS (up 3 percent year-over-year with multiplatform views) and newer breakouts Tracker (up 4 percent) and Fire Country (up 43 percent, with a spinoff already a go).
Speaking to me earlier this week, Reisenbach concedes, yes, there really are a lot of spinoffs on the schedule next season, but she says it’s partly just how the development pipelines flowed — a lot of things came together at once. Plus, she asks, why wouldn't you keep giving viewers characters and worlds they love? And she has a point: At a time when streamers are transforming into broadcast networks, every buyer’s goal is to see programming attract and retain wide audiences.
From our exclusive interview, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, you’ll learn:
What Reisenbach’s team looks for in a script to develop
Her good news for writers: “We are in that business, and there are shows to get staffed on”
Her current thoughts on comedy strategy
Reisenbach’s “mini-binge” strategy and how CBS keeps a night’s flow and cohesiveness in focus
The three “buckets” that are crucial for a show to succeed at CBS
Why the network keeps leaning into IP — and the “IP-adjacent” takes it’s testing out
The streaming show she’s jealous of
Why CBS won’t be the new home of the next Big Bang Theory spinoff
CBS’ scripted scorecard with the status of new shows, renewals, spinoffs
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