Criminal Minds fans got some sad news earlier this year with the reveal that it would end after its shortened fifteenth season, whereas MacGyver fans recently got good news thanks to a renewal for Season 4 when its future was certainly not guaranteed. Neither show is on the CBS' new fall schedule, which is filled with a bunch of new shows on top of some returning favorites. Criminal Minds and MacGyver are entirely absent from the fall lineup, but not for any troublesome reason. They're simply being held for midseason.
Both Criminal Minds and MacGyver are among the shows that will premiere at midseason in the 2019-2020 TV season on CBS. Also debuting in midseason are Big Brother, Man With a Plan, The Amazing Race, and Undercover Boss. The BAU will still fight crime, as will MacGyver and Co. It just won't happen until a few months later than usual.
MacGyver will lose its fall slot on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET to Hawaii Five-0, which leaves it's previous 9 p.m. ET Friday night time slot to Magnum P.I. Blue Bloods will keep its Friday slot at 10 p..m ET. As for Criminal Minds, it is losing its fall slot to a show starring a Criminal Minds alum. S.W.A.T., which stars Shemar Moore, moves into the 10 p.m. ET slot on Wednesdays in the fall.
CBS didn't specify when Criminal Minds and MacGyver will air when they premiere in midseason. If they debut while S.W.A.T. and Hawaii Five-0 are on winter hiatus, it's possible that they could reclaim their old time slots. If not, fans may need to clear out another night of the week if they intend to watch live.
The ratings don't actually matter all that much for Criminal Minds, as it's ending anyway. MacGyver, on the other hand, could probably use a prime slot. Hey, maybe it could boost its viewership if it airs some time other than Friday night!
Criminal Minds isn't the only long-running CBS show wrapping up. The Big Bang Theory ends its 12-season run this week, and there's no sign that any characters other than Sheldon will continue in any capacity, and that's only Sheldon as a kid on Young Sheldon. No other spinoff has gotten the green light at this point, although the Big Bang characters will appear in the Young Sheldon Season 2 finale.
(Young Sheldon will inherit the Big Bang Theory's Thursday 8 p.m. ET time slot.) Criminal Minds is without any ongoing spinoffs, so it will likely be done for good following its Season 15 finale. MacGyver doesn't have any spinoffs either, but it does share a universe with Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and NCIS: New Orleans.
MacGyver hasn't crossed over with any of the NCIS series at this point, but it has featured some Five-0 characters. With MacGyver being held until midseason while Five-0 keeps its fall premiere, perhaps that means no more crossovers.
We'll have to wait and see. Fall is still a ways off, let alone midseason! Our summer TV premiere schedule can point you toward some viewing options on CBS and other networks for now and the not-too-distant future.
