With the influx of production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some networks are scrambling to figure out new programming schedules without their reliable original series’. CBS is no different as they reach into a film vault to come up with a programming block for Sunday nights.
What’s Happening:
- CBS will be changing its Sunday night lineup to allow the presentations of five blockbuster movie classics, two of which come from the Indiana Jones film series.
- CBS’ usual Sunday night consisting of God Friended, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans, will end their seasons by May 3rd, when the movie programming lineup begins.
- Most major networks have seen many of the series halt production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the networks to look outside the box and come up with new programming strategies such as this one.
- Sunday, May 3rd CBS will air Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the third in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade airing on Sunday, May 31st.
- Other films in the series include Titanic, Forrest Gump, and Mission: Impossible.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first time the big screen saw famed archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), as he was hired by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant and keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis. Adjusted for inflation, Raiders of the Lost Ark is still one of the highest grossing films of all time, and spawned numerous sequels including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (also included in the CBS Sunday Night programming), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and an as yet untitled 5th film in the series, which was announced in 2016.
What They’re Saying:
- Noriko Kelley, Executive Vice President of Program Planning and Scheduling for CBS Entertainment: “It’s a five-week programming event with epic films, iconic stars and brilliant stories that viewers love… and love to watch together.”