On July 24, 2013, CBS announced that it had entered into a programming agreement with Litton Entertainment to launch a new weekend morning block featuring live-action lifestyle, wildlife, and documentary series aimed at preteens and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 18.[3] Litton recently programmed a Saturday morning block for ABC, Litton's Weekend Adventure, which debuted on September 3, 2011, in an agreement in which the block was syndicated to that network's owned-and-operated stations and affiliates (it subsequently began producing a similarly formatted block for CBS sister network The CW on October 4, 2014). CBS' decision to restructure the block away from the traditional fare of animated and live-action scripted series – which it had been airing at the time of the deal as part of Cookie Jar TV (which had aired on the network in various forms since 2006), a block produced by Canada-based Cookie Jar (now WildBrain) was done in part to comply to secure educational content and advertising regulations in the Children's Television Act.
The CBS Dream Team, launched on September 28, 2013, being the successor to Cookie Jar TV, this marked the second time that CBS carried an exclusively live-action block for younger audiences on weekends mornings, having previously produced an E/I-compliant block called Think CBS Kids from September 13, 1997, to September 26, 1998. The Dream Team block's initial lineup consisted mainly of newer series; however, the cooking series Recipe Rehab also migrated to the Dream Team from Litton's Weekend Adventure for its third season.[4] Shortly before the block debuted, Litton reached a distribution agreement with the American Forces Network to televise the block to provide educational content to military children overseas.[1] All of the block's programming features Descriptive Video Service for the visually impaired on the second audio program channel.
On March 20, 2018, CBS and Litton announced that the block was renewed for five more seasons ending in 2023.[5]
On September 21, 2023, CBS announced that the block would be renamed "CBS WKND" ("WKND" being a disemvoweled abbreviation of "weekend") as of its 11th season premiere on October 7, with an updated logo adhering to the current CBS corporate branding. While no information about a new long-term contract was announced, Hearst will continue to program the block for at least the 2023–24 season.[2]
Programming
Although programs featured on CBS Dream Team are designed to meet federally mandated educational programming guidelines,[6] some CBS stations may carry syndicated educational programs to provide supplementary E/I content. Some programs aired within the block may be deferred to Sunday morning slots, or (in the case of affiliates in the Western United States) Saturday afternoons due to breaking news, severe weather coverage, or regional or select national sports broadcasts (especially in the case of college football and basketball tournaments) scheduled in earlier Saturday timeslots as makegoods to comply with the E/I regulations. Some stations may air the entirety of the Dream Team block on tape delay to accommodate local weekend morning newscasts, CBS Saturday Morning or other programs of local interest (such as real estate or lifestyle programs). This is Litton Entertainment's only block to currently air its first programs. Lucky Dog is the longest-running series on the block as of September 2021. Another series on the block, All In was in production from 2013 to 2015, but did not air for the next five seasons; it returned for reruns starting in the 2020–21 season.
cooking competition series focusing on healthy alternatives to family recipes, hosted by Evette Rios and previously aired on Litton's Weekend Adventure
drama series centering on Preston Wainwright (played by Bret Green), a paralyzed teenager who helps his postal inspector mother (played by Jessica Lundy) solve crimes
