Star Trek: Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green

Star Trek is coming back to regular television this fall. CBS announced that it’s adding Star Trek: Discovery and other CBS All-Access series to fill their schedule until NCIS, Young Sheldon et al are ready with new episodes.

“This is hardly a traditional fall season, but we are prepared with a strong slate of original content while our regular scripted series begin production,” CBS Entertainment chief Kelly Kahl said in a statement. “[W]e hope to start rolling out our previously announced fall series as they become available in November.”

The first season of Discovery will come just before the show’s third season debuts on All Access on October 15th. The move is both aimed at raising awareness of the series for CBS’s larger viewing audience, and recycling the show does help the network with a more pressing problem — going into the fall TV season without a lot of shows.

In addition to beaming Discovery‘s freshman voyage onto its Thursday lineup, CBS will use Season 4 of the acclaimed Netflix-turned-Pop TV sitcom One Day at a Time to occupy some Monday air time. Similarly, Manhunt: Deadly Games — Spectrum’s true crime anthology starring Cameron Britton, Jack Huston and Carla Gugino, and chronicling the aftermath of the terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta — will close out Mondays starting Sept. 21.

It is the second CBS All Access show to air a full season on its sister broadcast network after the first season of The Good Fight ran on CBS last summer.

Here’s the Sept-Oct 2020 CBS Schedule:

Star Trek will hold a place for Sheldon

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9
10 pm 48 HOURS: SUSPICION (special Wednesday edition)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12
9 pm Love Island: More to Love (weekly recap with never-before-seen footage)
10 pm 48 Hours Season 34 premiere

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20
7:30 pm 60 Minutes Season 53 premiere
8:30 pm Big Brother
9:30 pm Love Island

MONDAY, SEPT. 21
10 pm MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES (acquired Spectrum series)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
10 pm Star Trek: Discovery Season 1

FRIDAY, SEPT, 25
8 pm The Greatest #AtHome Videos (new episodes)

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29
8 pm Love Island Season 2 finale

FRIDAY, OCT. 2
9 pm Undercover Boss Season 10 premiere

MONDAY, OCT. 12, 19 and 26
9 pm One Day at a Time Season 4 (two episodes/week)

TUESDAY, OCT. 13
10 pm THE FBI DECLASSIFIED (CBS News series premiere)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14
9 pm The Amazing Race Season 32 premiere

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28
8 pm The Amazing Race (regular time slot premiere)
9 pm Big Brother Season 22 finale

Around November
All Rise, Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, B POSITIVE, Bull, THE EQUALIZER, Evil, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Mom, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, The Neighborhood, SEAL Team, S.W.A.T., The Unicorn and Young Sheldon


Editor’s Note: This should be interesting. Discovery never found the domestic audience it might have had if it had been broadcast on CBS in the first place instead of being tucked away behind the artificial construct of the CBS All Access paywall. ViacomCBS may be about to learn an important lesson here about how to connect with its audience and who its real fans are.


David Raiklen
David Raiklen

David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.