Clarice's future appears "bleak" after hitting a roadblock in move from CBS to Paramount+

Deadline

A month ago, The Silence of the Lambs sequel series looked ready to join fellow CBS drama SEAL Team in the jump from CBS to Paramount+ for its second season. But negotiations between Paramount+ and MGM, which co-produces Clarice with CBS Studios, have reached a stalemate, reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "Additionally, I hear there is no viable path for Clarice to continue on CBS as the broadcast network already committed to a full slate of series for next season," reports Andreeva. "It would mean the end of the road for the high-profile drama barring a major breakthrough in the Paramount+ negotiations, which currently appears unlikely. Reps for Paramount+ and MGM declined comment. Industry veterans describe this as one of the craziest situations they have seen, where a show with a Season 2 pickup is facing a demise and the prospect of putting 300 people out of work. It involves a marquee IP, Silence of the Lambs; a top producer, Alex Kurtzman; a recently merged company, ViacomCBS; and an about-to-be merged studio, MGM, which is in the process of being acquired by Amazon. Depending who you talk to, MGM either abruptly stopped good-faith negotiations that were closing in on an agreement, or the studio opted to walk away after being offered a 'mediocre' deal it could not accept." As Andreeva notes, Clarice was the lowest-rated and least-watched scripted series in linear ratings last season, but it was a strong performer on Paramount+. MGM, reports Andreeva, fears that Clarice moving to a streaming service would hurt its value among international buyers, which pay a premium for network shows. "Still, MGM would’ve made money on Clarice with a Season 2 run on Paramount+," adds Andreeva. "Instead, it would now be walking away with a loss from deficit-financing a show canceled after one season, one of the worst scenarios in the broadcast network business."