60 Minutes is on the cusp of returning for its 59th season, and there’s a considerable amount of chatter surrounding the long-running show’s premiere amid the 2026 TV schedule. A lot of that talk has to do with CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, who’s overseen a significant number of changes to the series over the past few months. Media analysts are curious as to how the show will fare, and insiders claim there’s internal anxiety about that. Now, a new report suggests CBS is pondering one big thing ahead of the premiere.
Believe it or not, football plays a major role in this situation, as 60’s season premiere this weekend is going to be preceded by an NFL doubleheader on CBS. That sports offering has, historically, served as a major lead-in for the news magazine show and, last season, it premiered to 10 million viewers as a result of the NFL. From there, the show averaged about 7.7 million throughout the pro football season. That programming link isn’t the “real question” execs are pondering right now, though as it’s apparently something else:
The real question isn’t whether the NFL can deliver 10 million people. It’s whether the traditional 60 Minutes audience trusts what CBS has become. You can change the correspondents. Changing the perceived politics of the program is much more dangerous.
Lately, various reports have included claims about the change in the show’s “perceived politics,” as sources and former 60 correspondents have accused Weiss of political partiality. Claims of editorial bias came to the forefront last fall when Weiss “spiked” a segment about a migrant prison in El Salvador only hours before it was set to air. The E-I-C herself, however, has denied bias. While ratings for the new season seem to be a given, another insider who spoke to Rob Shuter for his Naughty But Nice substack also said this:
A huge rating Monday morning won’t answer the question. CBS needs to know whether viewers believe this is still fiercely independent journalism — or something politically different.
60 Minutes has long been praised for its in-depth news coverage and for the journalists it has hired to report on various topics. Some pundits have expressed doubts about the quality of the show moving forward due to Weiss and new executive producer Nick Bilton cutting ties with the likes of correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and Scott Pelley, who accused Weiss of “murdering” the show. Series veterans Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim remain and are joined by series newcomers Ross Douthat, Gianna Toboni, Sebastian Junger, Ariel Levy, Trevor Phillips and Matt Gutman.
It appears evident, at this point, that even general viewers take issue with Weiss, as many chastised her on social media when Norah O’Donnell’s return to CBS Mornings was announced. O’Donnell even defended Weiss against the critiques. Still, allegations of “journalistic interference” continue, and even Whitaker approached Weiss about that. Although she apparently thought she was being helpful, she asked Whitaker to call her out on it moving forward. Speaking of the future, an insider also said this about the show:
That trust is the entire franchise. If viewers decide the new owners have changed the politics, no NFL lead-in can fix that.
It goes without saying that there are a lot of expectations for this latest season of 60 Minutes, which will serve as a testing ground not just for the new talent roster but for Bari Weiss’ vision for the show. Check out the premiere when it airs on Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
