Skip to main content

UPFRONTS 2018: What CW Should Do

Here is my CW suggestion!

The CW had a pretty rough year aside from a few bright spots: Black Lightning was a solid addition to the lineup while Riverdale exploded at the beginning of the season though it has waned quite a bit over the course of the season. But they also dealt with huge bombs in 0.1s of Dynasty and Life Sentence and another bomb in Valor. Dynasty was renewed because of its Netflix deal most likely, but that also speaks to the fact that more than any network, the linear ratings don't matter much for the CW. Even with numbers down across the board, the CW is expanding to Sunday nights this fall for the first time in over a decade.

Past CW suggestion: 2017

For a list of CW pilots, click here

MONDAYS
8:00 Supergirl
9:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow
I would work towards reducing the footprint of the DC shows on the CW to two nights: Monday and Tuesday. They have had too many eggs in the DC basket for too long and I think keeping those shows more contained is a long term better play then, say, moving one of them to help launch Sundays. I also think it could help the DC shows too to stay together. So I would do Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow on Mondays.

TUESDAYS
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Black Lightning
See above for the reasoning and I would keep The Flash/Black Lightning on Tuesdays. I would put Arrow on the bench and let it take over for one of these four shows with a shorter order, probably DC on Monday.

WEDNESDAYS
8:00 UNTITLED APRIL BLAIR/SPENCER PAYSINGER
9:00 Riverdale
Riverdale was a surprise hit at the beginning of the year but it is back to its season one ratings so it's still potentially a strong show for the CW, but not like it was. I would move it to 9pm and let the local lead-in (which is usually stronger) launch the new football drama which does not have a title.

THURSDAYS
8:00 Supernatural
9:00 WAYWARD SISTERS
Supernatural is a warrior for the CW but it's not going to last forever. I would keep it at 8pm Thursday and let it lead into its spinoff, Wayward Sisters. If it works, maybe Wayward can eventually be a replacement.

FRIDAYS
8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

9:00 Jane the Virgin
I would leave Fridays low priority with their acclaimed dramedies, both potentially entering their final season. This is also definitely a spot for Dynasty at midseason.

SUNDAYS
8:00 CHARMED
9:00 ROSWELL
I think the CW needs to be bold on Sunday nights and try two new shows. The anticipated reboot of Charmed and the revival of cult classic Roswell seems like an interesting and promising pairing if the CW is really trying to carve out a presence on a new night.

MIDSEASON: THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, SKINNY DIP, The 100, Arrow, Dynasty, iZombie
I already mentioned Arrow and Dynasty. The other shows will likely be paired in timeslots with shorter order seasons or shows that don't work. The 100 or iZombie could be a Dynasty pair on Sundays.

CANCELLED/ENDED: Life Sentence, The Originals, Valor

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall! BEST RETURNING COMEDY Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run. ...

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...