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PILOT PICKUPS: Dynasty, Valor, Black Lightning, Life Sentence

The CW handed out four pilot orders to new dramas Dynasty, Valor, Black Lightning, and Life Sentence.

Dynasty is of course a reboot of the hit 1980s opulent drama. A front runner throughout pilot season, Dynasty focuses on the next generation of the feuding Carringtons and Colbys. Reboots of soaps were tried by the CW before with the somewhat successful 90210 and less successful Melrose Place. But if the CW wants this to work, it'll have to find a way to market it to its audience who were babies or not even born during the original's run. Dynasty stars Grant Show, Elizabeth Gillies, Nathalie Kelley, James Mackay, Alan Dale, Sam Adegoke, Robert Christopher Riley, and Rafael de la Fuente.

Valor is one of many military dramas in contention for series pickups on the various networks and will be the first military drama on the CW. It is centered on a US Army Base with an elite group of helicopter pilots. Valor stars Matt Barr, Christina Ochoa, Charlie Barnett, W. Tre Davis, Corbin Reid, Nigel Thatch, and Melissa Roxburgh.

Superhero shows continue to be alive and well at the CW with the pickup of Black Lightning. Another show set in the DC Comics universe, Lightning centers on a superhero named Black Lightning who retired years ago but is pulled back into service as the famous vigilante. Balck Lightning stars Cress Williams, Nefessa Williams, China Anne McClain, and Christine Adams.

Life Sentence is the requisite dramedy that the CW always seems to want one of with each new pilot class. It is centered on a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who finds out she's not dying after all but decides to "live like she was dying." Life Sentence stars Lucy Hale, Elliot Knight, Dylan Walsh, Gillian Vigman, Jayson Blair, Brooke Lyons, and Carlos PenaVega.

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