CBS pads its fall lineup with 'Star Trek: Discovery' and 'One Day at a Time'

With most productions on hold thanks to quarantine, networks are starving for original content to fill out their fall lineups. In the case of CBS this means dipping into the well of anything that may have finished shooting before lockdown began — even if it was originally intended for streaming. This fall will see the network debut of the One Day at a Time reboot, as well as the return of Star Trek: Discovery to broadcast television.

The new version of One Day at a Time, following the adventures of a Cuban-American family in Los Angeles, has had a turbulent history. It started life as a Netflix series, before being cancelled by the streaming service when the third season didn’t pick up viewership quickly enough. A social media campaign involving producer-showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett (and Lin-Manuel Miranda) managed to get the series a slot on Pop TV, a cable network owned by CBS. Only seven episodes made it to air before filming had to be halted due to COVID. CBS was meant to pick it up once it had completed its cable run. Now the first six episodes will be on CBS sooner than expected, airing two episodes a week over the course of October starting on the 12th. Kellett suggested on Twitter that CBS viewership will be vital to the series getting a fifth season.

Fans hoping to see the new season of Star Trek: Discovery without paying for a CBS All Access subscription will be disappointed, as CBS is only picking up the first season for now. It will air Thursdays in the 10pm slot, starting September 24th. The first two episodes previously aired on the network back in 2017. There’s no word on whether CBS will follow through with season two, but season three will be rolling out on All Access starting October 15th.