Magnum PI, B Positive, United States of Al: CBS President Addresses Tough Cancellations

CBS viewers recently saw the cancellations of three established scripted shows – Magnum PI, B Positive, and United States of Al. Now, CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl has addressed the reasoning behind those ‘tough’ cancellations.

Rumors that surrounded Magnum PI made it seem like licensing fee issues were behind the cancellation of the drama series. Deadline reports that the series’ cancellation may have been influenced by “the bruising negotiations” CBS had to go through with Universal Television over the renewals of higher-rated dramas FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, and The Equalizer. Kahl said the following:

“You have some tough decisions to make and you have lots of factors — and I’m not going to rule [the licensing fee] out as one of them. It was a great team to work with, and one of the tougher decisions we had to make.”

Magnum PI, starring Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang, and Amy Hill, aired for four seasons on CBS.

As for the two Chuck Lorre comedies cancelled by the network, the decision was difficult. Kahl said the following about cancelling B Positive and the United States of Al:

“I’m not going to pretend and tell you [Lorre] was happy. He was disappointed with the news but he’s the single most talented comedy producer I’ve certainly ever worked with.”

CBS is already working with Lorre on new comedy shows.

The three series are produced or licensed by outside studios and networks see less profit from those due to the decline of revenue from traditional television viewing and the shift to streaming.

What do you think? Were you surprised by the cancellations of Magnum PI, B Positive, and United States of Al by CBS? Did you want more seasons of these three shows?