TV on the Bubble 2026: Which Shows Will Be Back Next Season?

For most broadcast television shows, the biggest cliffhanger at the end of the season isn't whether that cop is going to survive the shooting or whether the two mismatched yet flirtatious leads will finally get together; it's whether or not the show is coming back for another season.

Most of these shows "on the bubble" — series that have not been renewed or canceled and are awaiting their fate — will learn their futures by May, but we're taking a look at them now and predicting whether or not their stories will continue. There's no exact science to it; factors taken into consideration include ratings, streaming success, executive hunches, some educated guesswork, and more, but we should be able to get a decent idea about whether or not a show has a decent shot to be renewed. Just understand that some networks make unpredictable decisions that go beyond common sense.

Reality television shows, which operate on different budgets and production cycles than scripted television and therefore are under different scrutiny when it comes to renewals and cancellations, were not included in our list.

Note: All ratings information was sourced from TVSeriesFinale.com. 

Before we get into ABC's bubble shows, here are the shows the network has already renewed or canceled:

Renewed: 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville, Abbott Elementary, High Potential
Canceled: Nothing yet

Grey's Anatomy will outlive us all. The medical drama, now in its 22nd shift, isn't expected to go anywhere next season and will continue its streak as ABC's longest-running scripted series. However, the drawbacks of long-running shows are their ballooning budgets for cast members, so expect some sort of cuts either to the number of episodes or the amount of time we'll see some of our favorite docs. 

Scott Speedman's new detective show premiered in early March, so don't expect any renewal news on it for a while. In fact, ABC could wait until well after May's Upfronts to make a decision when it has a better picture of what its schedule looks like. That said, RJ Decker was ABC's most-watched 10 p.m. drama premiere in more than five years and gathered impressive streaming numbers in its first week. Case closed?

The Rookie is a perfect example of the public's shift in preference from linear TV — i.e. shows you watch live on traditional television — to streaming, and how networks are reassessing the value of both methods of consumption. As of mid-March, The Rookie ranks in the bottom third in linear ratings and viewership, but is drawing a big audience in the coveted 18-49 demo when streaming on Hulu is taken into consideration, making it a valuable asset for ABC. It will be back for Season 9.

Because Scrubs was a midseason show with a late February premiere date, ABC will be giving the revival a little more time before it makes a decision. However, critics' reviews were very positive and the numbers for its premiere were very promising. If we had to guess, Scrubs will be back.

As of March, the Tim Allen and Kat Dennings comedy had a surprising distinction among ABC's scripted shows: It had the highest rating in the 18-49 demographic (not including early numbers for the Scrubs revival). Yes, even higher than the critically acclaimed Abbott Elementary, which follows Shifting Gears on Wednesday nights. ABC should keep the engine running on this one and bring it back for a third season. 

Trivia question: Which of ABC's scripted shows is the most watched linearly? If I'm asking it here in this blurb, then you know the answer is Will Trent, which is the only ABC scripted series to average more than 5 million viewers. Yes, more than High Potential, more than Grey's Anatomy. Will will be back; Season 5 is all but guaranteed.

CBS got a head start on things and handed out early renewals for most of its shows back in January:

Renewed: Boston Blue, Elsbeth, FBI, Fire Country, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Ghosts, Marshals, Matlock, NCIS, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney, Sheriff Country, and Tracker
Canceled: The Neighborhood

The wait for news about CBS's lone new comedy for the season has been more insufferable than the wait at the DMV. Yes, it's bad news that DMV didn't make the cut of CBS's 13 early renewals for scripted series, but it has numbers that should be good enough — it's in CBS's top 10 series by rating, even if its overall average viewership sits near the bottom — to bring it back for Season 2. CBS is likely waiting to see if any of its potential new comedies for next season are a better fit for its schedule. This is a toss-up. 

Dr. Watson might not be able to solve the case of how to get renewed. The procedural is just one of two scripted CBS series to not get an early renewal, and the numbers justify that decision: As of mid-March, Watson is second to last on CBS's roster in terms of ratings, and it's at the bottom of total average viewership. This one is a goner.

Fox has handed out several multi-year renewals to many of its animated sitcoms, but a few of its live-action scripted shows are still awaiting word about their fate:

Renewed: American Dad!, Animal Control, Best Medicine, Bob's Burgers, Doc, Family Guy, Krapopolis, The Simpsons, Universal Basic Guys
Canceled: The Faithful: Women of the Bible (miniseries)

Denis Leary's Going Dutch sits at or near the bottom of Fox's shows in terms of ratings and viewership, making it the only scripted live-action series that's not looking good for renewal. There's an outside chance the comedy stays, but given Fox's limited space on its schedule — the network still doesn't program the 10 p.m. hour — something has to go to make room for new shows.

Patrick Dempsey's new drama Memory of a Killer got off to a hot start when Fox premiered it after playoff football, but it seems like people have had amnesia about it in its regular Monday night time slot since, with viewership for recent episodes hovering near the bottom of Fox's barrel. Fox's decision will likely come down to how it's performing on Hulu, so until we know those numbers, it's too hard to say if it will be renewed or not. 

On paper, Fox's Murder in a Small Town should be in the morgue as it's the network's second-lowest rated show on its roster. But Fox is interested in another kind of paper: money. The Canadian drama is produced on a business-friendly budget, meaning the return on Fox's investment is greater than something made solely by Fox. And while its 18-49 demo ratings aren't great, its overall audience is up almost 13 percent from Season 1, making it Fox's fourth-most watched series in total viewers. It should return for Season 3. 

Though many of NBC's shows are locks for renewal, there are only a few shows that have been officially renewed:

Renewed: Happy's Place, St. Denis Medical
Canceled: Nothing yet

Zachary Quinto's medical drama Brilliant Minds was squarely on the bubble last season but had the benefit of a sparse inventory and quiet development season at NBC en route to its Season 2 renewal. This season, the prognosis is much more dire. Ratings and viewership are down massively, it currently ranks as NBC's lowest-rated show, and NBC pulled it from its schedule in February. This show doesn't need a doctor; it needs a coroner.

I don't know this for a fact, but I'm willing to bet that Dick Wolf, the man behind the One Chicago and Law & Order franchises, has a pretty cushy parking spot at the NBCUniversal lot. Chicago Fire is still one of NBC's top shows in both viewership and ratings, so expect an order for Season 15 soon.

The youngest Chicago [TV profession] series is also the most watched. Chicago Med is averaging more viewers and a higher rating than its Fire and P.D. siblings for the second year in a row, all but guaranteeing that it will return for a 12th season.

Chicago P.D. may be the lowest-rated show in the One Chicago franchise, but its intrinsic link to Fire and Med, and the fact that it's outperforming both Law & Order shows, makes it virtually untouchable. Expect it to be renewed along with its Chicago pals for a 14th season soon.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is aptly named, but "Rise" and "Fall" should probably switch places when talking about its ratings. After an excellent sneak preview boosted by football, the sitcom starring Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe has fallen off quite a bit, and now has numbers similar to NBC's other new comedy, Stumble, which is very much in danger. But given that Reggie Dinkins only started in earnest in late February, NBC will certainly take its time with a decision once it has more data. 

The second-year thriller starring Melissa Roxburgh snuck its way into NBC's renewals last season and is still outside of NBC's top 10 (out of 13) this season, but it's got a good shot at renewal thanks to the first season performing well on Netflix. NBC hopes that will bring viewers to watch the series linearly or on Peacock. That said, if NBC does renew it for Season 3, it's likely just delaying the inevitable as its review aggregator scores are abysmal.

Dun-dun! Law & Order may be canceled one of these years, but it will be when the mole people have burrowed up through the Earth's crust to do battle with mutant cockroaches for surface superiority long after humankind has destroyed itself. Expect Law & Order to return for its 26th season, with some possible cast juggling to keep its budget down.  

Law & Order: SVU holds the record for longest-running live-action scripted primetime American TV series in history, and it will continue to hold that record when it is renewed for a 28th season this spring. Barring something entirely unexpected, it's not going anywhere. Star Mariska Hargitay has played Olivia Benson for almost half of her life.

The good news for Stumble: NBC executives apparently love this new cheerleading mockumentary. The bad news for Stumble: Its ratings have fallen on its face. It's hard to find Peacock data for the sitcom, and with the critical acclaim and good start to The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins and the already-renewed comedies St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place as comedy comparisons, things look even more bleak for Stumble.

More on renewals and cancellations:

• All the canceled and renewed shows in March
• All the canceled and renewed shows in February
• All the canceled and renewed shows in January

Everything you need for spring TV:

• The complete guide to spring TV
• The TV shows of the spring we can't wait to see
• All the new shows coming this spring
• The ultimate guide to what to watch in March