Big Brother is returning on July 9th with a new season of the CBS reality series aiming to rule the summer. As hyped as I am for the 90-minute premiere, while also surprised that BB: Unlocked will be returning to the 2026 TV schedule as well, I do have concerns about the scheduling and longer episode runtimes.
After the 90-minute premiere on July 9th, CBS will air BB: Unlocked on Friday, July 10th, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, with another 90-minute episode dropping on Sunday, July 12th, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. After that, expect the usual hour-long live eviction episodes on Thursdays starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, and Sundays will kick off an hour-long episode at the same time. Wednesday's 8:00 p.m. ET episodes will be 90 minutes long as they were in Season 27. After having issues last year, I need to talk about why this isn't the best move.
Big Brother 27's 90-Minute Episodes Were Light On Substance
When Big Brother first announced 90-minute episodes in Season 27, I was amped. As an avid live-feeds viewer, why would I ever complain about more of my favorite reality series?
Well, it turned out the idea was much better than the reality, as I often found many of the Wednesday episodes superfluous, and frankly, a bit disappointing. We did indeed get more content, but it wasn't the content that I feel casual BB fans often miss out on during a regular season.
I Hope More Time Means More Relevant Game Talk, Decisions, And Strategy
Big Brother has hundreds of hours each week to work with, and has to condense it down to three and a half hours, not including bonus footage from BB: Unlocked. Inevitably, important game moments are often cut from episodes, and can drastically impact how casual fans see a Houseguest's impact on the game.
It may not be a big deal for a majority of Big Brother viewers, but I think it makes a great difference for Houseguests. Game moves largely influence who wins America's Favorite Player, which is the third-best way to make money playing BB. That extra thirty minutes could be vital in proving someone is more deserving of the money than someone else, and I'd much rather see content that reflects that than filler storylines about someone's weekly punishment.
Its also beneficial to have extra time in Big Brother episodes for when the house is at its most dramatic. A lot can happen in an argument, and while live feed viewers often fill in the blanks by posting clips online, it'd be nice if the episodes put those moments front and center for people to see for themselves. We'll see if any changes are made this year in terms of what content fills those "super-sized" episodes, but I'm hoping we'll see a marked difference in what's highlighted.
As mentioned, Big Brother Season 28 kicks off on CBS on July 9th with a 90-minute episode. As of writing, it doesn't appear it's going to be a live premiere, so we'll just have to wait and see when we'll get a chance to watch the live feeds with a Paramount+ subscription.
