CBS Unveils Surprise Prime-Time Lineup Shake-Up—See Which Hit Shows Return and What’s New for 2025

CBS heats up digital chatter this Memorial Day as viewers flock to fresh daytime drama episodes, live holiday coverage and hyper-local streams across the network’s sprawling affiliate map. Holiday soap-opera doubleheader CBS’s flagship soaps dropped brand-new installments on Monday, May 26, giving stay-at-home audiences plenty to binge between parades and picnics. “The Bold and the Beautiful” (Season 38, Episode 173) pushed fan-favorite Finn into a tense standoff with Liam as summer storylines ignite. Over in Genoa City, “The Young and the Restless” (Season 52, Episode 160) saw Phyllis corner attorney Amanda while Billy issued a high-stakes promise to Sally—soap-gold that reliably moves the social-media needle. 24/7 Memorial Day news hub For cord-cutters, the free CBS News Streaming Network provided wall-to-wall Memorial Day reporting led by a special 1 p.m. ET newscast covering President Trump’s wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington and breaking updates from overseas conflict zones. The live feed is available on Paramount+, Pluto TV, YouTube and smart-TV apps, positioning CBS as one of the few legacy broadcasters offering continuous news without a paywall. Local affiliates ride the wave Trending traffic isn’t limited to national programming. In Pittsburgh, KDKA’s lifestyle block “Talk The Talk” streamed its holiday episode with hosts Heather Abraham, Boaz Frankel and Mikey Hood seconds after it aired, letting viewers rewatch snack-table recipes and veterans’ spotlights on demand—an increasingly important driver of regional SEO clicks. Similar pop-up streams in Boston, Minneapolis and San Francisco are amplifying the CBS brand by combining network cachet with street-level storytelling. Why CBS is trending right now • Timely content drops: Releasing fresh soap episodes on a federal holiday ensures built-in audience spikes and organic social sharing. • Free live news: CBS News Streaming removes pay-wall friction just as viewers search for Memorial Day ceremonies. • Multi-platform strategy: Paramount+, local affiliate sites, FAST channels and YouTube each capture separate search intents (“CBS live,” “CBS Pittsburgh talk show,” “CBS News parade stream”). • Cross-promotions: On-air lower thirds and push notifications point viewers from linear TV to digital, reinforcing keyword visibility for “watch CBS online” and “CBS Memorial Day schedule.” What to watch next Tonight’s primetime block features an encore of “NCIS” followed by a special “48 Hours” investigation into military fraud cases, perfectly extending the day’s patriotic theme. Paramount+ subscribers can already queue Tuesday’s early-morning editions of “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Saturday Morning,” leveraging the platform’s 72-hour fast-forward window. Bottom line By pairing exclusive holiday episodes with always-on streaming news and regional personality programming, CBS has engineered a perfect storm of searchable content. Expect the network to dominate “CBS live,” “CBS Memorial Day,” and “watch CBS free” queries through the week as viewers chase replays, highlights and weather updates across every device.