One of CBS’ freshman summer shows is on the move. According to Variety, CBS is moving BrainDead, which hails from the combined brain power of Robert and Michelle King, from its current Monday night timeslot to its new home Sunday nights at 10 p.m. because of the network’s coverage for the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention.
Instead, reruns of Scorpion will air Monday nights at 9 p.m. and coverage of both the RNC and the DNC will start at 10 p.m. on July 18 and July 25. Once coverage of the conventions are done, Scorpion will continue showing reruns starting on Aug. 1 at 10 p.m., which is the new timeslot for the show’s upcoming third season, which premieres on Oct. 3.
With BrainDead on the move to Sunday nights, it will join the 18th season of Big Brother, which airs at 8 p.m., and reruns of Madam Secretary, which airs at 9 p.m. Having Madam Secretary as a lead-in will give CBS two back-to-back hours of political shows, as Madam Secretary stars Tea Leoni as the secretary of state and BrainDead focuses on alien ants that have invaded Earth and are feeding on the brains of the politicians in Washington D.C. The show stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Laurel, a staffer on Capitol Hill who realizes what’s happening.
BrainDead isn’t pulling the type of ratings that CBS may have hoped for, as the most recent episode only garnered a 0.4 in the ratings and was watched by a mere 3.2 million viewers, proving that scripted shows across some of the networks aren’t doing as well as unscripted shows.
The Hollywood Reporter has said that the Kings planned on having the show be a total length of four seasons, with each season taking place in a different major city. However, the show has yet to be renewed by CBS and seems a renewal may be a longshot as the show’s ratings have declined from week to week.
This is the second time that a show that the Kings have created is paired on Sunday nights with Madam Secretary. The Good Wife, which just wrapped up its final season, aired directly after Madam Secretary for the past two seasons.
BrainDead moves to Sunday nights starting on Sunday, July 24.