CBS gives ‘The McCarthys’ two more episodes, but not a full season

While CBS has now officially canceled “The McCarthys,” the network’s latest move when it comes to the show is a pretty clear sign that it is not going to be around forever.

The multi-camera sitcom has been handed two more episodes, which brings its overall total to 15 for the first season. We’ll at least give the network a little bit of credit here. In an era where most other networks are dropping the guillotine quickly on struggling comedies, at least CBS is giving it some time to find its voice rather than just handing down a quick cancellation. They have not formally axed any rookie show at all this year, and are the only one of the Big Four networks with that distinction. (They did cancel “The Millers,” but it was in its second season and clearly losing steam.)

We imagine that after the show finishes its run this season, that spot will be filled by the upcoming version of “The Odd Couple” starring Thomas Lennon and Matthew Perry. That actually has a minor chance of being a hit, though it has undergone many creative tweaks over the past year. (Then again, so did “The Big Bang Theory” during its development process.

Now that we’ve said this, don’t expect “The McCarthys” to receive a second season if the ratings continue their current trajectory. Their last episode only drew slightly more than a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, but we give that one somewhat of a pass since it aired on Thanksgiving Day. We expect the numbers to rise at least slightly for Thursday’s episode, especially since there is lesser competition now with “Scandal” off of the air.