CBS Resurrecting Sunday Night Movies to Fill in For Shortened TV Seasons

Back in the old days, long before streaming, and even before home video as we know it today, networks aired movies. NBC had NBC’s Saturday Night at the Movies, and both ABC and CBS had the Sunday Night Movie. Well, as the saying goes, everything old is new again, and as CBS finds itself facing a drop-off in programming due to coronavirus delays, they’re bringing back the Sunday Night Movie. Starting in May, CBS will be airing titles like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Titanic on Sunday nights.

Welcome back, Sunday night movies. CBS finds itself facing a problem with its original programming – production shutdowns. The coronavirus has caused pretty much everything to be put on hold, which means CBS has a few shows that will be concluding early. The solution: movies! For five weeks in May, the network is going to dip into some classics to fill the void.

“It’s a five-week programming event with epic films, iconic stars and brilliant stories that viewers love… and love to watch together,” said Noriko Kelley, Executive Vice President of Program Planning and Scheduling for CBS Entertainment, said (via TV Line). Here’s the lineup:

SUNDAY, MAY 3
8:00 P.M. Raiders of the Lost Ark

SUNDAY, MAY 10
8:00 P.M. Forrest Gump

SUNDAY, MAY 17
8:00 P.M. Mission: Impossible

SUNDAY, MAY 24
8:00 P.M. Titanic

SUNDAY, MAY 31
8:00 P.M. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

That’s a fine list of films (except, of course, Forrest Gump, which is bad and should go away). CBS originally ran Sunday night movies from 1986 until 2006. One has to wonder if other networks will follow their lead and try something similar. Of course, will anyone want to watch movies edited for TV, with commercials breaking up the action, when they can just watch a Blu-ray or digital rental? My guess is yes. If people are bored, at home, and need something to do on a Sunday night, I could easily see them flipping on CBS, saying, “Oh, shit, Titanic!”, and spending the rest of the evening with Jack, Rose, and their big, cool friend the iceberg.

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