(Jeff Neira / CBS)

Despite predictions to the contrary, the Instinct TV show has been renewed for a second season on CBS. In season one, the ratings for the procedural TV series rose from the first week to the second, before dropping off pretty sharply, then rallying some. Based on the demo numbers alone, a cancellation seemed more likely, but like many CBS TV series, its average total audience size seems to have gotten Instinct past the finish line.

A CBS crime thriller, based on the James Patterson novel, Murder Games, Instinct stars Alan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Daniel Ings, Naveen Andrews, and Sharon Leal. The drama centers on Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Cumming), a former CIA operative who is lured out of his peaceful retirement as a university professor and author, to help NYPD Detective Lizzie Needham (Novakovic) catch a serial killer.

Instinct: A Look at the Ratings

The first season of Instinct averaged a 0.81 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 7.859 million viewers. Find out how Instinct stacks up against the other CBS TV shows.

CBS Cancellations and Renewals

All told, today CBS cancelled two TV shows: Superior Donuts and Scorpion. The network also renewed five series: Criminal Minds (season 14); Man With a Plan (season three); Life in Pieces (season four); Instinct (season two); and Big Brother: Celebrity Edition (season two).

UPDATE: CBS has cancelled Kevin Can Wait and has renewed Elementary for season seven.

Deadline has confirmed the Instinct renewal.

What do you think? Did you expect CBS to cancel or renew its Instinct TV series for a second season? Did they make the right call? Let us know, below.