CBS has delayed the debut of Einstein, a new drama starring Matthew Gray Gubler, until the 2026–27 television season. The show, which received a series order last week, had initially been expected to premiere during the 2025–26 season.
According to CBS, the shift was made due to scheduling limitations on next year’s slate. A representative said the network had “limited shelf space” and chose to move the show to a later season to allow for a longer pre-production timeline.
Einstein is being produced by CBS Studios and features Gubler as Lewis Einstein, a tenured professor at Princeton and the fictional great-grandson of Albert Einstein. The character is known for his academic brilliance but has a reputation for being difficult to manage. After legal trouble, he agrees to work with New Jersey State Police Detective Veronica “Ronni” Paris to help solve complex homicide cases. Rosa Salazar plays the detective, who is reluctant to team up with Einstein but comes to rely on his unique approach.
The series was created by Andy Breckman, known for Monk, who serves as executive producer alongside director Randy Zisk, also from Monk. Gubler joins the producing team along with Tariq Jalil, Rose Hughes, Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, and Laura Beetz of Seven.One Studios International.
CBS had ordered two new series for the 2025–26 season. While Einstein is now delayed, the other project, DMV, a workplace comedy, is still planned to air next season. The network’s 2025–26 lineup will also feature three drama spinoffs: Boston Blue, following Donnie Wahlberg’s Blue Bloods character Danny Reagan to a new city; CIA, linked to the FBI franchise; and Sheriff Country, set in the world of Fire Country. CBS will reveal its full primetime schedule on May 7.
The network has also renewed a number of returning scripted series and confirmed the continuation of unscripted programming. Survivor and The Amazing Race remain part of the lineup, joined by a new competition series, The Road, which focuses on music.
Einstein is based on a German television format of the same name. The original series follows a descendant of Albert Einstein using his intellect to help solve crimes. The American adaptation is expected to follow a similar format but is set in Princeton and features an entirely new cast and creative team.
Gubler, best known for his role as Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, will lead the new series in his first starring network role since the original run of that show ended in 2020. He played Reid for 15 seasons and became closely associated with the procedural genre. Since then, he has worked on smaller projects and stayed out of television until now.
Salazar brings a background in both live-action and animated work, with past roles in Bird Box and Undone. Her character, Detective Paris, is positioned as a grounded figure navigating the unpredictable dynamic created by working with Einstein, who is described as “brilliant but directionless” and weighed down by the expectations tied to his name.
Though CBS has yet to announce an exact premiere date for Einstein, the show will be part of the 2026–27 season lineup. The additional time before its release is expected to allow for expanded development and production planning.
