’60 Minutes’ Kicks Off Much-Scrutinized 59th Season With Old Ticks, Tricks
CBS News says it needs to push “60 Minutes” into the future if the show is to survive, but the first telecast of the 59th season following a shocking overhaul of its on-air and behind-the-camera staff in May an...
CBS News says it needs to push “60 Minutes” into the future if the show is to survive, but the first telecast of the 59th season following a shocking overhaul of its on-air and behind-the-camera staff in May and June relied on many elements from the program’s past.
The new season of “60 Minutes” burnished stalwarts, and none of the new faces who have recently come aboard. Viewers on Sunday night got only a brief glimpse of Ross Douthat, and none of Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Trevor Phillips or Ariel Levy, but were rather greeted by three correspondents who already have an association with the program. Lesley Stahl has been with the newsmagazine since 1991, while Jon Wertheim joined the program in 2017. Norah O’Donnell was recently named a full-time correspondent on the show, but has contributed stories multiple times in the past.
One of the stories even featured the old-time TV-news “hidden camera,” which many people thought went out of style after ABC News got sued in 1999 — and lost — for sending reporters to take footage at Food Lion supermarkets after lying on resumes and gaining access to tape unsanitary food practices. ABC News got tripped up on charges of trespassing and fraud, and hidden-camera reporting in the modern day is typically used mostly in public spaces or overseas, where U.S. laws don’t apply.
Will viewers miss Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi, or Scott Pelley? The last of that trio, all pushed out of the show following the decision to oust top producers, was on nearly every week, often crashing a story tied to events that had taken place in the days leading up to broadcast.
Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News whose work at transforming the unit for modern audiences has stirred up a lot of controversy, wants “60 Minutes” to show up in more media venues and kick up livelier discussions. Other members of CBS News have felt this way as well, wondering if the program has gotten too soft or overly reliant on stories tied to the release of new books.
There were no on-screen QR codes on Sunday’s telecast, or on-air prompts for viewers to join Stahl, Wertheim or O’Donnell for an interactive chat at CBSNews.com at some later day or time. There were no nods to listening to the stories via podcast. On Sunday morning, however, executive producer Nick Bilton sent out a note via email telling CBS News followers he would be publishing a newsletter every Monday that offered a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
Some of the window dressing has indeed changed. The opening logo is rendered more in black and white and has less red. The opening montage, which once looked as if spread out across the cover of a magazine, now looks as it takes place on a mobile tablet. One piece of the show did not change, at least in the first season broadcast. “The Last Minute,” a brief segment at program’s end that offers a few words about the program or its stories and was originally put into place by former executive producer Bill Owens., remains — perhaps because it has a regular sponsor.
The stories that were presented were segments that any longtime viewer might expect. O’Donnell nabbed an interview with one of the rescued Air Force officers whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran 34 days into the war (the segment was riveting due to its access to top military personnel, as well as the pilot, but did not offer any voice or analysis outside of the armed forces). Lesley Stahl probed the world of the so-called “pardon economy,” in which attorneys and lobbyists vow to win a presidential absolution for a convicted criminal — but don’t always deliver after they get cash (a nod should be given to The Washington Sun, the news outlet previously known as NOTUS, which interviewed one of the subjects of Stahl’s story several weeks ago). And Wertheim interviewed top personnel from the Los Angeles Rams. The show routinely tries to provide a mix of stories, one based on current events or an investigation, one focused on something overseas and one feature lighter in tone.
Bilton, who seized the reins of the show as executive producer earlier this year, may not want to shake things up overmuch in a season debut. Executives at CBS News, and parent Paramount Skydance, know only too well that “60 Minutes” generated $67 million in advertising in 2025, and saw its overall audience in the 2025-2026 season rise by 9%. Those figures will be critical for CBS News to maintain, especially as audiences continue to erode for “CBS Mornings” and remain below desired levels at “CBS Evening News.”
There are some differences, however, that the usual audience probably could not discern. Stahl’s investigation into pardons was a joint collaboration with “60 Minutes” and the CBS News investigative team, something producers at the program would likely have turned down in seasons past. Sachar Bar-On, a veteran “60 Minutes” producer, supervised the segment along with Michael Kaplan, a CBS News investigative producer and reporter. A person familiar with the show says “60 Minutes” will be “integrating more” with CBS News and its investigative unit, a move that provides more opportunity for CBS News rank-and-file doing this sort of work but also raises the specter of cost-cutting at a program with economics that already seem to work.
On Sunday night, “60 Minutes” put its most obvious foot forward: correspondents the audience recognizes, and a story mix that doesn’t deviate wildly from the norm.
Keep an eye on subsequent weeks of the program. Weiss’ overhaul of the show interrupted a critical off-season period when correspondents typically try to file and finish a segment for the fall. Bilton and crew will enjoy a cushion thanks to having the new NFL season as a lead-in every Sunday for the next several weeks. Still, they won’t have the luxury of stories that may have been in the works for weeks, which may shortchange the amount of attention they can devote to segments from new on-air personnel who are still learning the ropes.