CBS releases fall schedule, including "Matlock" reboot and "Good Wife" spinoff

CBS unveiled its fall schedule Wednesday, which includes a "Matlock" reboot, a crime drama starring Carrie Preston as the character she originally played on "The Good Wife" and longer versions of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race."

Of the four series that premiered on CBS last fall, the police drama "East New York" and the alternative series "The Real Love Boat" were canceled, while the firefighting drama "Fire Country" and the humorous legal drama "So Help Me Todd" will return for second seasons.

The action-comedy "True Lies," which premiered March 1, was also canceled, as was "NCIS: Los Angeles," which ran for 14 seasons.

"Matlock" stars Oscar winner Kathy Bates as a septuagenarian who achieved success in her younger years and decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within, according to CBS.

CBS bills "Matlock" as "inspired" by the series of the same name which starred Andy Griffith and ran on NBC from 1986-92 and on ABC from 1992- 95.

"Matlock" will air 8 p.m. Sundays, following "60 Minutes." "The Equalizer," which airs at 8 p.m. Sundays, will move to 9 p.m. Sundays, replacing "East New York."

The other new drama on CBS' fall schedule is "Elsbeth," in which the Chicago lawyer Preston portrayed on "The Good Wife" and "The Good Fight" assists the New York Police Department in cornering brilliant criminals. The cast also includes "The Wire" alum Wendell Pierce as an NYPD captain.

CBS will use the 10 p.m. Sunday time slot, which had been occupied by "NCIS: Los Angeles," for drama reruns the first half of the season when the network's prime-time lineup often starts late in the Eastern and Central time zones, where the bulk of the nation's population lives, because of its NFL coverage.

"CSI: Vegas" will air Sundays at 10 p.m. later in the season.

"Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" will both expand to 90 minutes and again air back-to-back on Wednesdays.

The CBS fall schedule consists of 12 hours of first-run dramas, including three hours of "FBI" and two of "NCIS" series, three hours of alternative programming and reruns and two hours each of comedy and series from CBS News. CBS will be airing one more hour of reruns than last fall and one fewer hour of drama.

CBS also announced that the drama "Tracker," will premiere following the network's coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11. "Tracker" stars "This Is Us" alum Justin Hartley as "a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country as a `reward seeker,' using his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family," according to CBS.

The other new midseason series CBS announced Wednesday was the comedy "Poppa's House," which stars Damon Wayans as a legendary talk radio host and happily divorced father who has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host (Essence Atkins) is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son (Damon Wayans Jr.), a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.

Here is the CBS fall schedule:

• Monday: "The Neighborhood"; "Bob Hearts Abishola"; "NCIS"; "NCIS: Hawai'i";
• Tuesday: "FBI"; "FBI: International"; "FBI: Most Wanted";
• Wednesday: "Survivor"; "The Amazing Race";
• Thursday: "Young Sheldon"; "Ghosts"; "So Help Me Todd"; "Elsbeth";
• Friday: "S.W.A.T"; "Fire Country"; "Blue Bloods";
• Saturday: Drama reruns; "48 Hours";
• Sunday: "60 Minutes"; "Matlock"; "The  Equalizer"; drama reruns.