Mark your calendars, reality television fans. This fall is going to get hectic. CBS has announced a revised schedule for its Fall 2023 programming, which features major changes to Big Brother's typical schedule to make room for Survivor, The Amazing Race, and other hit programs.
As previously promised, Survivor and The Amazing Race will run 90-minute episodes on Wednesdays in the fall. That means Big Brother will have to make some room, so things will soon change (and more than you might think).
For the next six weeks, Big Brother's schedule will remain unchanged:
Sunday at 8/7c
Wednesday at 8/7c
Thursday at 9/c
But things start getting tricky on Sunday, Sept. 17, when Big Brother airs at 10:30/9:30c, according to a press release published Thursday (Aug. 3). Big Brother will get another late start on Sunday, Sept. 24, when it airs at 10/9c. (Woof.)
CBS did not indicate that Big Brother would remain at the 10/9c Sunday time slot in the weeks following Sept. 24. However, the studio previously released a schedule that appeared to indicate that it would remain in the 10 p.m. time slot. For now, it's unclear what will happen to Sunday night episodes after Sept. 24. (But we'll certainly keep you posted!)
Big Brother's Wednesday and Thursday episodes will also be impacted by the switch. Wednesday's episode will move to Tuesdays at 8/7c p.m. on Sept. 26, the day before Survivor 45 and The Amazing Race 35 are set to premiere on CBS.
Meanwhile, The Challenge: USA will retain its 10/9c time slot on Thursdays.
The gap left between The Challenge: USA and Big Brother will be filled with a new reality show hosted by Josh Duhamel called Buddy Games, which premieres Thursday, Sept. 14 at 9/8c.
The Challenge: USA will still air Sundays at 9/8c for the first three Sundays of the seasons, as previously announced by CBS.
Here is what the channel's new reality television schedule is expected to look like after the changes:
SUNDAY
Big Brother at 10/9c
TUESDAY
Big Brother at 8/7c
WEDNESDAY
Survivor at 8/7c
Amazing Race at 9:30/8:30c
THURSDAY
Big Brother at 8/7c
Buddy Games at 9/8c
The Challenge: USA at 10/9c
The drastic shift in CBS' fall schedule is presumably due to the lack of content being produced during the ongoing writers and actors strikes involving the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA.
Paramount is one of several studios being represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which has reportedly refused to negotiate with the WGA or SAG-AFTRA after both unions announced their stikes in May and July, respectively.
If the studios refuse to return to the negotiating table, fans of both scripted and unscripted television can expect to see more dramatic changes to scheduling in the future. The longer the strike lasts, the longer studios have to find ways to fill the gaps in programming.
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