CBS Renews 'Under the Dome' and 'Extant', Cancels 'Reckless'

CBS is locking in its lineup for Summer 2015.

In addition to the renewal of Big Brother, CBS has officially renewed Under the Dome and Extant for next year. It will be the third season for Under the Dome and the second for Extant.

"We're committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling," said Nina Tassler, Chairman, CBS Entertainment. "We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models and passionate television audiences.

The second season of Under the Dome was the top scripted series this summer, drawing 11 million viewers and a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. Meanwhile, Extant regularly won its 10:00 PM time slot with 8.64 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49. Of course, this was only after ratings competition from such high-rated summer series as America's Got Talent necessitated the move from its original 9:00 PM time slot. But hey, a win is a win.

The renewal of these two shows will allow CBS to remain in business with both Halle Berry and Stephen King, which could be good for the network's profile, even if Under the Dome and Extant were hit-or-miss TV for much of their respective runs this year.

Of course, with these renewals comes the cancellation of another show on the CBS summer slate from 2014: Reckless, the Southern legal drama from Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, has been canned after just one season. Ah well, unfortunately, they can't all survive the cut. That said, I am a bit surprised about Extant's renewal, if only because it felt so much like a one-season show. Granted, they did lay the groundwork for a potentially interesting second season, but this feels more like a renewal handed down for the sake of keeping Halle Berry on the network. It wasn't abysmally-rated or anything, but it didn't immediately jump out as a show that demanded a renewal. But if it makes sense for CBS' bottom line, then I can't really fault the decision. Better the devil you know, especially if said devil delivers a consistent rating.

What do you think of these decisions? Do these shows deserve another season, or have you given up on them? Sound off in the comments!

Credit: CBS