UPDATE: Evil & SEAL Team moving to Paramount+, Clarice still in negotiations

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

UPDATE: According to "Deadline", Evil and SEAL Team are officially moving from CBS to the Paramount+ streaming service. Clarice is still likely to move but negotiations are still ongoing. We'll keep you updated as more news comes in.

What happens when your linear ratings aren't that strong but you have a loyal enough fanbase? The network may decide that you can thrive much better via streaming. CBS has made that decision with three of its shows as Evil, Clarice, & SEAL Team are expected to make the move to Paramount+ for the 2021-22 TV season.

Evil had been in a bit of limbo after being renewed early for a second season. Much of the 2020-21 season was a big question mark for the series but the ViacomCBS streaming platform provided the best solution for its future. The show launched to solid ratings in the fall of 2019 and was renewed a month after its premiere. By design, the show ran for 13 episodes during its initial run & CBS intended to bring it back in the spring. My guess is that CBS saw how viable it would be via streaming & ultimately decided to hold off to launch its second season on Paramount+. Created by Robert & Michelle King, Evil follows a forensic psychologist (Katja Herbers), a priest in training (Mike Colter), & a carpenter (Aasif Mandvi) who investigates unexplained mysteries for the Catholic church and explores the line between science and religion. The series also stars Michael Emerson & Christine Lahti.

Clarice, a sequel of sorts to The Silence of the Lambs, will become a Paramount+ exclusive. The series, which is dark in nature, hasn't been a huge ratings hit on CBS, averaging about 6.1 million viewers, but the show is performing well on Paramount+ when new episodes hit the streamer the day after their network premiere. The show has also faced issues with standards & practices because CBS has encouraged the showrunners to go as dark as possible. They won't face these issues on the streaming platform. The series stars Rebecca Breeds as FBI agent Clarice Starling and follows her on new cases as they explore her untold personal story. The show is set a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs as she returns to the field.

SEAL Team will be entering its fifth season and its move will play out a bit differently. The show will likely begin its season with a batch of episodes on broadcast before moving to Paramount+ for the remainder of its run. SEAL Team has been a steady performer, averaging 6.5 million viewers with a week of delayed viewing, but it's not the highest-rated of the veteran dramas on the network. The David Boreanaz-led show is a big hit with real-life SEAL Team members & CBS, being fully aware of this fact, did what they needed to do to ensure the show continues. SEAL Team follows an elite unit of United States Navy SEALS and also stars Max Thieriot, Neil Brown Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks, Jessica Pare, Justin Melnick, & Tyler Grey.

The move of these three shows frees up real estate on the schedule so it will be interesting to see what the network does with it. Do YOU think this was the right move for this trio of shows?