4 CBS shows ending in 2026 — and how they said goodbye

The CBS primetime lineup is evolving as we head into the summer months.

So far in 2026, the network has said goodbye to a handful of its scripted series while also wrapping up The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, whose cancellation shocked fans when it was announced last year.

If some of these cancellations have you scratching your head, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a breakdown of each of the CBS shows ending in 2026 — and how they said goodbye.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been looming for nearly a year. CBS has maintained that the decision to end it was a financial one and unrelated to the show’s performance, with some reports claiming the network was losing upwards of $40 million annually on the program.

The end of Colbert’s run coincides with the end of The Late Show as a brand. Prior to Colbert’s arrival in 2015, it was hosted by comedy titan David Letterman, who led the program from 1993 to 2015.

“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,” reads an official statement from CBS released in July 2025. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.”

Nearly a year later, Colbert reflected on the decision, saying that he “did not expect [the show] to end this way.” He isn’t angry, however. If he’d gotten to leave the show on his terms, the difference would actually have been minimal: “I’d just be a little older,” he said.

The final episode aired on Thursday, May 21, and it was a doozy. The broadcast featured cameos from Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and Tim Meadows. Paul McCartney delivered one of the evening’s final musical performances with a rendition of “Hello, Goodbye,” and Elvis Costello and Jon Batiste also performed. Neil deGrasse Tyson even stopped by for a surreal bit involving a wormhole consuming the show’s set.

Plus, Colbert’s fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver showed up, as did Colbert’s longtime friend and former Daily Show colleague, Jon Stewart.

The Neighborhood

May 11 marked the final episode of The Neighborhood, which delivered eight seasons over the span of eight years. In March 2025, it was announced by CBS that The Neighborhood had been renewed for its eighth and final season.

Amy Reisenbach, the president of CBS Entertainment, explained in a statement to Variety that “the show’s loyal fans deserve a proper farewell season full of the trademark humor and heartfelt moments that are synonymous with the series.”

The Neighborhood star Cedric the Entertainment clarified more about the decision to pull the plug during an episode of The Breakfast Club in April 2026, chalking it up to hefty production costs and salary demands from the cast.

“After eight seasons, everybody needed raises and that’s when you knew, ‘Alright this show is getting ready to be done,’” he said.

Cedric also said he was eager for new opportunities, telling The Knockturnal in October 2025, “I wanted to be able to kind of really place myself in a space where people would want to cast me in serious roles and see me outside of myself.”

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Tichina Arnold, who played Tina Butler, shared a sweet video on Instagram of Cedric giving a goodbye speech to the cast. Her caption reads, “A special moment before our last and final scene of @theneighborhood. This day is bittersweet… yet I am so Grateful. Thank you all for rocking with us. We could not have done this 8 year beautiful journey without YOU.”

The show ends with a double wedding between Calvin and Tina’s sons — and an emotional goodbye from Dave (Max Greenfield) and Gemma (Beth Behrs) as they pack up to move back to Michigan.

Watson

After two seasons, fans of the Morris Chestnut-fronted Watson were forced to say goodbye to the clever drama, which saw the actor portraying a reimagined John Watson, sidekick of Sherlock Holmes, as he solved a variety of medical mysteries. The series premiered in January 2025 and ended on May 3, 2026.

At a press event in April, Amy Reisenbach shared some details on the cancellation. “Morris Chestnut is maybe one of the greatest No. 1’s I’ve ever dealt with. But, you know, it’s a high bar on CBS. We aggregate all the numbers, and we have to make those tough decisions in order to make room for new shows,” Reisenbach explained.

Chestnut released a statement addressing the cancellation on Instagram. “As many of you know, @watsoncbs will not be returning for a third season,” reads the caption. “After two incredible seasons, I’m so grateful for the experience. It wouldn’t have been the same without the amazing cast and crew tagged below. Thank you for making it so special. To all the fans who showed love and supported Watson, thank you so much.”

Series creator Craig Sweeny wrote an ending for the season 2 finale that functioned as a definitive send-off. This was due to not knowing whether or not his show was going to get renewed when he wrote it, as he told Deadline.

“The season finale was tricky to write in that, even while we were filming it, we didn’t know if the show was coming back or not,” he explained.

Thus, the series finale ends with Watson being confronted by the very-much-alive Sherlock Holmes (Robert Carlyle), whom he had long believed to be dead. Throughout the second season, Watson had also been experiencing hallucinations of Sherlock brought on by a brain tumor.

In the end, as Watson undergoes surgery to treat his tumor, his fate remains unknown. We do, however, see a vision of Watson and his ex-wife Mary living at 221B Baker Street — but is it all in his head? Frustratingly, it will forever remain a mystery.

DMV

DMV was canceled along with Watson in March. The freshman comedy had only been on the air since October 2025.

The series was based on a short story by Katherine Heiny and followed the employees at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in East Hollywood. DMV featured a terrific ensemble cast that included veteran comedy actor Tim Meadows, The Righteous Gemstones breakout Tony Cavalero, and former SNL player Molly Kearney.

DMV ends on a bittersweet note. The East Hollywood branch was under threat of closure, but in the end it’s their rivals at the North Hollywood office that get the axe. In the episode’s final moments, Noa (Alex Tarrant) and Colette (Harriet Dyer) share a passionate and highly anticipated kiss that turns out to be hilariously anti-climactic when the two realize that they actually have no chemistry.

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