CBS Likely to Greenlight 'Survivor's' 19th, 20th Cycles

By Josef Adalian

CBS is close to ordering two more cycles of "Survivor," ensuring Mark Burnett's landmark reality series will be around to celebrate its 10-year anniversary next summer.

With the show continuing to bring in big numbers on Thursday nights, CBS is expected to give the go-ahead to the 19th and 20th cycles of Mr. Burnett's series, according to an industry source with knowledge of the situation. The two cycles would air during the 2009-10 season.

"Survivor" premiered on May 31, 2000, as a summer event. Following its phenomenal initial success, CBS has aired the series twice each year, with new cycles in the fall and the winter.

Defying the gravitational forces that usually pull down ratings for shows as they age, "Survivor" continues to show spunk in its ninth year in existence. Indeed, last week's second episode of the current "Survivor" season posted an increase over the previous week's 18th season premiere. It's the first time in at least five years that the show has experienced that sort of post-premiere jump.

Overall, last week's episode of "Survivor" averaged 13.59 million viewers, ranking as the No. 11 show overall and beating out younger series such as "Lost," "24" and "CSI: NY."

"Survivor" host Jeff Probst won an Emmy for reality show host in September.