CBS has reduced episode orders for four returning dramas ahead of next season. Fire Country will drop to 13 episodes from 20, while NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney will each air 10 episodes. Matlock faces a similar cut to 13 episodes amid a creative reboot.
CBS is trimming episode counts for several popular dramas in the upcoming season, as first reported by Deadline. Fire Country, starring Max Thieriot, will produce just 13 episodes for Season 5 after 20 this year. Its Season 4 finale is scheduled to air on Friday, May 22 at 9 p.m., which remains in the future relative to recent announcements. TVLine has reached out to CBS for confirmation on these changes. All four shows—Fire Country, NCIS: Origins (Season 3), NCIS: Sydney (Season 4), and Matlock (Season 3)—were renewed by the network in January. NCIS: Origins is set to air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. this fall following the original NCIS and newcomer NCIS: New York, with NCIS: Sydney taking the slot at midseason. Matlock, led by Kathy Bates, aired 16 episodes this season after wrapping Season 2 earlier this month. Its reduced order to 13 episodes ties to a creative reboot. The Season 2 finale concluded the Wellbrexa storyline with Senior's arrest and plans for Matty and Olympia to start their own firm. Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman explained to TVLine that Season 3 will feature a time jump of at least six months: “That's why I'm grateful for midseason, because we have to create a whole new spine... We need time to make sure that it comes in organically and that it gives us everything Wellbrexa does, but it's totally different.”
