CBS has renewed Under the Dome and Extant and canceled fellow summer drama Reckless.
Though Under the Dome and Extant suffered from disappointing ratings this summer, both shows, from CBS Television Studios and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, are subjects of creatively structured deals with Amazon that make them available to view via the digital company’s streaming service within unusually short windows and also make them profitable before they even air.
"We're committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling," said CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler. "We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models and passionate television audiences."
In its second season, Under the Dome premiered June 30 to a 2.2 live-plus-same day Nielsen rating among adults 18-49 — down 33% from its series premiere the previous summer. The Sept. 22 season finale drew a 1.8.
Extant boasts Academy Award winner Halle Berry as its star, but the series premiered to a mediocre 1.7 rating in its July 9 debut and ended its first season with a 1.1 Sept. 17.
Under the Dome and Extant will air on CBS next summer alongside new drama Zoo, the subject of its own streaming-video deal with Netflix, and reality stalwart Big Brother, which was renewed for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Speaking in July at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech Summit in Aspen, CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves talked about the value of the streaming deals to shows such as Under the Dome and Extant. “It’s almost like the rating on CBS is secondary," Moonves said. "The shows are successful before they even get to the air.”
Reckless, produced by CBS television studios, drew a 0.6 rating in the Sept. 13 finale of its first and only season.
