We have the first freshmen of the 2018-19 season to score pickups for next season. CBS has given early renewals to dramas FBI and Magnum P.I. and comedy The Neighborhood.

God Friended Me CBS

The moves hardly are unexpected as CBS brass have been happy with the performance of the three newbies; the only surprise in today’s announcement is the fact that the list of renewals does not include another promising freshman series, drama God Friended Me. I hear the omission is due to ongoing talks over business points between CBS and God Friended Me lead studio Warner Bros TV, and the intention is for the spiritual drama to be renewed soon.

The four shows earned full-season orders in short succession last fall, and all are touted for improving their time periods. (Boosted in part by football lead-ins every other week, God Friended Me is the second-most watched new CBS series this season behind FBI.)

In an indication of its strong support for its four first-year standouts, CBS is holding a “CBS Freshman Hit Series” panel at TCA next week, which will feature stars and executive producers from FBI, The Neighborhood and God Friended Me (I hear Magnum P.I. could not be included because it’s in production in Hawaii.)

The Neighborhood, starring Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield, hails from CBS TV Studios and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. (Cedric posted a video of the moment Sherman delivered the renewal news on the set of the sitcom, you can watch it below). FBI, from Dick Wolf, Universal TV and CBS TV Studios, with the latter handling international distribution, fulfills a longtime desire of CBS’ leadership to get in the Wolf crime procedural business. Magnum P.I., from Peter Lenkov, CBS TV Studios and Universal TV, has been driven by CBS and CBS TV Studios, which is the lead studio, with one of the CBS/CBS Studios’ top showrunners at the helm, reboot king Lenkov.

CBS

“Each of these distinctive shows has made their mark in a variety of ways,” said Kelly Kahl, President of CBS Entertainment. “Our goals this season were to introduce new series that audiences are passionate about, add more strength to a winning schedule and create more inclusive programming.”

Added Thom Sherman, Senior EVP Programming, “We’re thrilled by the creative direction and performance of these three shows as they continue to grow in popularity and resonate with the Network’s viewers.”

FBI is a top 10 series and CBS’s #1 new show in total viewers, averaging almost 13 million viewers each week. The fast-paced drama stars Missy Peregrym, Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, Ebońee Noel and Sela Ward. In addition to Wolf, Rick Eid, Terry Miller, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski also serve as executive producers as the series underwent several showrunner changes over the course of its first season.

The Neighborhood is drawing an average of almost eight million viewers on Mondays. Cedric the Entertainer, Tichina Arnold, Max Greenfield and Beth Behrs star, along with Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan. Jim Reynolds, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone are executive producers.

Set in Hawaii, Magnum P.I. stars Jay Hernandez as former Navy SEAL Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang and Amy Hill. Peter M. Lenkov, Eric Guggenheim, Justin Lin, John Davis, John Fox and Danielle Woodrow are executive producers.