60 Minutes has long been a staple of Sunday evening programming on CBS. For select shows this fall, its getting an even bigger slice of the pie, moving to 90 total minutes.
On six Sundays when CBS broadcasts NFL doubleheaders, the venerable news program will air for 90 minutes following the football action.
Anchor Lesley Stahl hinted at the move at the end of last week’s episode, saying “If you have Sunday dinner with 60 Minutes next week, there will be time for an extra helping. Following our usual three stories, we’ll have an all-new, two-part edition.”
The show which usually features three stories, will begin including a fourth, a two-parter, as Stahl mentioned.
Moving to 90 minutes in length matches a strategy CBS employed with other marquee shows during the recent writers’ and actors’ strike. Reality game shows like The Amazing Race and Survivor also received 90-minute episodes during the fall season.
The program’s Executive Prodcuer, Bill Owens, told Broadcasting+Cable the longer episodes add flexibility, but producing high-quality programming remains the goal.
“Our first worry was making sure we could do it. Making sure 60 Minutes, even at 90 minutes, gets over the bar for the audience,” Owens said.
