CBS Pulls the Plug on Watson and DMV as Network Finalizes Its 2026-27 Season Lineup

In the Spotlight

• CBS canceled Morris Chestnut’s Watson after two seasons and DMV after just one on March 27.
• Watson’s series finale will air on May 3, while DMV’s final episode lands on May 11 on CBS.
• Watson struggled with low ratings after moving to Mondays before being shifted back to Sundays.
• DMV held steady broadcast numbers, but its delayed multi-platform viewership declined significantly over time.

Two CBS shows that had spent months on the bubble have officially run out of time. On March 27, the network confirmed it is canceling Watson, the Sherlock Holmes-adjacent medical drama starring Morris Chestnut, after two seasons, and DMV, the workplace comedy set in an East Hollywood Department of Motor Vehicles, after just one.

The announcements came as CBS finalized its 2026‑27 schedule, and for the casts and crews of both shows, the uncertainty is finally over. Fans on social media are sharing shock, disappointment, and speculation about the future of the actors.

Watson Ends Its Run After Two Seasons

As Variety reported, Watson was created by Craig Sweeny and executive produced with Morris Chestnut, Larry Teng, Shäron Moalem, Aaron Kaplan, and Brian Morewitz.

The drama reimagined Arthur Conan Doyle‘s iconic character as a medical detective investigating rare diseases. Premiering in January 2025, it built a loyal audience, but ratings dropped after a fall move to Mondays before returning to Sundays in spring 2026. 

Watson’s cancellation was effectively sealed when CBS gave early renewals to new dramas Marshals and CIA, leaving no path forward for the Chestnut-led procedural.

The already-filmed series finale will air May 3 at 10 p.m. ET, giving fans a final visit to Watson’s clinic. For Morris Chestnut, the cancellation closes one of his most high-profile television roles to date.

DMV Axed After a Single Season

According to The Hollywood Reporter, DMV starred Harriet Dyer, Tim Meadows, and Tony Cavalero as underpaid East Hollywood DMV workers navigating office dramas and difficult customers.

Its March 16 episode drew 2.8 million live viewers in its live airing, but delayed multi-platform viewership declined steadily, a metric CBS increasingly weighs when making renewal decisions.

The network ultimately canceled the comedy as it committed to returning and new titles, including Marshals, CIA, NCIS, and Survivor, for its 2026‑27 slate.

DMV’s series finale will air May 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Creator Dana Klein built a genuinely beloved ensemble, who served as the showrunner throughout the single season, making the one-season run a particularly bitter outcome for a cast that never fully found its footing.

What the Cancellations Mean for CBS

The dual axings carry a weight beyond ratings. As TheGrio noted, the cancellation of both Watson and DMV leaves CBS without any Black-led scripted programming for the foreseeable future, a striking gap for a network that has historically prioritized diverse storytelling.

Two new series, Cupertino from Robert and Michelle King and Einstein starring Matthew Gray Gubler, will join the 2026-27 lineup, but neither fills the representational space Watson and DMV occupied.

Much like the most popular TV shows of all time that defied cancellation odds to become cultural staples, both Watson and DMV deserved a longer runway than they received. Their finales in May will close a brief but meaningful chapter in CBS history and leave their fans wondering what a third season could have looked like.

Source: ‘Watson’ & ‘DMV’ Canceled By CBS, Series Finales Set