Here’s what you need to know about the return of summer’s guiltiest pleasure.

Big Brother announces premiere date and a big change for season 28

Here's what you need to know about the return of summer's guiltiest pleasure.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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May 13, 2026 1:00 p.m. ET

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Julie Chen Moonves on 'Big Brother' season 27. Credit:

Sonja Flemming/CBS

- CBS has announced the *true* beginning of summer, meaning when *Big Brother *season 28 premieres.

- *Big Brother: Unlocked* is also back, but with one notable change.

- Season theme guesses are still being accepted at this time.

Last year’s theme for *Big Brother* was Hotel Mystere, but there is no mystery in terms of when the show ill return. That’s because CBS has just announced when season 28 of the reality competition series will once again begin delighting audiences with wisecracking robots, demented animatronics, and, if we are all lucky, an evil Mastermind dressed up in a Party City devil costume.

Season 28 of *Big Brother* (get your #BB28 hashtag ready!) will premiere Thursday, July 9 with a 90-minute installment beginning at 8 p.m. ET…unless, of course, a Time Laser comes into play. Then who knows when it will air! Premiere week will also feature a 90-minute installment on Sunday, July 12.

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It will be a big season for the Julie Chen Moonves-hosted franchise, as the show that began with a contestant named Chicken George in the summer of 2000 will become what CBS is saying is “the first primetime series to hit 1,000 original episodes.” (Take that, *The Simpsons!*) Yes, 1,000 episodes. That’s how many hours of our lives we have wasted watching Chen Moonves say “But, first…” over and over again. Not only that, but a release by the network promises/threatens that season 28 will feature the “most programming hours ever.” And we would have it no other way.

But that’s not all. Not only is *Big Brother* returning to give us a summer’s worth of cheesy sound effects, terrible alliance names, and unnecessary Diary Room yelling, but it is bringing back Friday night companion series *Big Brother: Unlocked* as well. Essentially a *Big Brother* talk show featuring interviews, special guest stars (James Gunn!), and exclusive footage from inside the house, *Unlocked* will premiere on Friday, July 10.

James Gunn, Derrick Levasseur and Taylor Hale on 'Big Brother: Unlocked'.

No word yet on whether previous *Unlocked* hosts Taylor Hale and Derrick Levasseur will be returning for more hijinks, but there will definitely be at least one big change to the talk show, as it will feature a live studio audience for the first time. And if they don’t slip the Zingbot into one of those audience chairs at some point, they are doing it wrong.

“It will evolve and get better the more we do it,” said executive producer Rich Meehan, when ** asked about the future of *Unlocked* last fall. “Taylor and Derrick were great, and we had some really fun guests, so that's something we'd like to continue doing and evolving, so hopefully it will come back.”

Added executive producer Allison Grodner: “Overall, we were really happy with it. It seemed to be well received, and people came to watch.” And it seems they will be coming to watch again in 2026.

All that is now left to do is endure the wait by staring at the *Big Brother *key art with a truly vivacious looking Julie Chen Moonves below.

'Big Brother' season 28 key art with host Julie Chen Moonves.

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Source: “EW Reality”