The recent merger between CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios has reshaped the landscape of streaming series production. This article delves into how these two studios are navigating their new roles and focusing on future projects.
Exclusive Insights into CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios
EXCLUSIVE: Following the recent merger with Skydance, Paramount now operates two major TV studio units: CBS Studios, led by David Stapf and overseen by Paramount Chair of TV Media George Cheeks, and the newly formed Paramount TV Studios, headed by former Skydance TV President Matt Thunell and overseen by Dana Goldberg, Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures and Chair of Paramount Television.
Initial Collaboration and Series Division
On the first day of their coexistence after the Skydance acquisition on August 7, both studios reached an agreement on how to divide the majority of overlapping existing series and projects in development, signaling a promising future for collaboration.
CBS Studios’ Focus
As reported by Deadline, CBS Studios will primarily focus on supplying the CBS broadcast network while also producing streaming series for Paramount+ and other platforms when opportunities arise. This includes extensions of existing franchises like the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff set to debut on Paramount+. Notable CBS shows include the NCIS and Fire Country franchises, along with popular titles such as Matlock, Ghosts, Watson, and the daytime soap Beyond the Gates.
Paramount TV Studios’ Direction
In contrast, Paramount TV Studios, which merges assets from Skydance Television and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, will primarily focus on creating streaming series for Paramount+ and other external platforms.
Streaming Series Management
This division has raised questions regarding the fate of streaming series—both aired and in development—that CBS Studios inherited from the previous incarnation of PTVS, which was shut down a year ago. This includes three shows that were co-productions between Skydance TV and PTVS, and later between Skydance TV and CBS Studios over the past year: Prime Video’s flagship drama Reacher, renewed for Season 4, its upcoming spinoff Neagley, and Cross, renewed for Season 2.
Future Projects and Agreements
These series will remain with the new PTVS, which will also include Skydance TV’s Foundation for Apple TV+, alongside Showtime/MTVE’s Dexter: Resurrection, Emily in Paris, and the Taylor Sheridan universe on Paramount+.
Meanwhile, two streaming series originally developed by the former PTVS, which CBS Studios took over, including Apple TV+’s Murderbot, renewed for Season 2, and the upcoming Little House On the Prairie for Netflix, will stay with CBS Studios, as will CBS’s homegrown streaming projects, including the Star Trek universe on Paramount+.
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Development of Former PTVS Projects
There is also a general agreement regarding the development of projects from the now-defunct PTVS, which has transitioned to CBS Studios. The majority of the slate, primarily featuring Paramount Pictures IP, will revert back to PTVS, which will develop series based on Paramount film titles going forward, alongside shows based on IP from Miramax’s library, which is 49% owned by Paramount.
Exceptions and International Co-Productions
Notably, there are exceptions—projects in active development, such as Galaxy Quest and Flashdance, will remain with CBS Studios. Additionally, CBS Studios is retaining the Clueless sequel series featuring Alicia Silverstone, currently in development at Peacock. Although Clueless is a Paramount movie title, CBS Studios has been attempting to adapt the IP for television over the past seven years.
Furthermore, CBS Studios will continue pursuing international co-productions, including titles like the upcoming King & Conqueror for the BBC and Colin From Accounts for Binge/Paramount+.
Future of CBS Studios and PTVS
While PTVS is primarily designed as a streaming player, it will also produce occasional broadcast shows, such as the upcoming CBS drama series Y: Marshals and the reality series The Road, which will remain under the new label. The Yellowstone spinoff and the music competition series are produced by Sheridan and David Glasser’s 101 Studios. Their streaming-focused projects, transitioning from MTVE Studios, include the Yellowstone universe and shows like Tulsa King, Landman, and MobLand.
With the foundational parameters of CBS Studios and PTVS’s current slates and programming focus established, discussions among Goldberg, Thunell, Cheeks, and Stapf are ongoing as the teams from CBS Studios and PTVS hold meetings to finalize the details.
