The CW guts its lineup, replaces the canceled shows with Supernatural and Walker spin-offs
It's the end of the run for Dynasty, 4400, Charmed, Naomi, and more
Aux News Walker
There was once a time when The CW was famous for renewing pretty much all of its original shows every season, with only the real problems getting the proverbial boot, but—hoo boy—those days are long gone now. A few weeks after killing off Batwoman and Legends Of Tomorrow, the network has killed off In The Dark, Legacies (ending the Vampire Diaries franchise), Dynasty, 4400, Charmed, Naomi, and Roswell New Mexico, nearly all of which were reboots or revivals of other TV shows .
The Hollywood Reporter suggests that a lot of these cancellations have to do with behind-the-scenes changes at The CW, specifically the streaming ventures from co-owners CBS Studios (part of Paramount, as in Paramount+) and Warner Bros. TV (now part of Warner Bros. Discovery, of HBO Max fame). Previously, The CW made most of its money from a highly lucrative licensing deal with Netflix that saw all of its original scripted shows dumped on there once they finished airing, but that deal wasn’t renewed, and now Paramount and Warner are looking to offload the network. Killing off these shows is a step in making everything cheaper for prospective buyers.
But hey, not even The CW can air just Riverdale and The Flash, so Variety says it has also granted series orders to Supernatural prequel The Winchesters, Walker prequel Walker: Independence, and DC superhero show Gotham Knights that is not related to the established Arrowverse OR the upcoming video game of the same name. The Winchesters is about the father of Sam and Dean from the original Supernatural, with Jensen Ackles from Supernatural working on it. The Walker prequel is about Walker’s ancestor (Katherine McNamara) moving to Texas for some cowboy vengeance after her husband is murdered. Gotham Knights is about Batman’s “rebellious adopted son” (sounds like a Jason Todd, but could be any of them) teaming up with the children of Batman’s villains after Batman gets killed.
In the old days, we would’ve assumed that all three of those would run for eight seasons, easy, but now there’s no telling how quickly they’ll join their brethren on the cancellation pile.
74 Comments
I am excited forrrr … none of these. Literally down to just one show I watch now (S&L). Far cry from just a few years ago when it was at least a half dozen. Not sure how bleeding viewers is supposed to make your network a more enticing purchase to potential buyers. Unless they think buyers are just wanting the CW name which, aheh… good luck with that.
They’re not scripted, but Whose Line, Penn & Teller, Masters of Illusion, and World’s Funniest Animals are all greatly entertaining.
I wonder if we are ever getting new Whose Line. I don’t think they have filmed anything new since 2020 have they? This “season” has just been recycled parts of other episodes that never aired.
Given the small set and how cramped the crowd is, there are likely COVID concerns. The thing about Whose Line is that whenever they DO decide to film new episodes, they’ll get multiple seasons out of it and the show is essentially pure profit. It’s still the CW’s default filler show, so we’ll probably see new episodes at some point
The CW doesn’t have the viewers to bleed viewers, it’s more like turning the little dial on the IV so the drip is faster.
Just want to say Nancy Drew is very good.
The purchase would most likely be for gaining pre-established stations across the nation, rather than programming or name recognition. Nexstar is the most likely buyer. Variety thinks the kind of programming shift that could happen under the company’s leadership with Nexstar “[f]ocusing on an older demo or taking the CW’s content in a more homey-heartland direction as the way to boost ratings and viewership, and thus ad sales.”
You know what, I thought Stargirl had already jumped to HBOMax. Stargirl is by far the best show remaining on CW if it has not jumped.
Ooooh shit yeah so did I. Let’s see herrre… per wiki:
The second season of the series airs exclusively on The CW, and premiered on August 10, 2021. The season will eventually also debut on HBO Max.Soooo maybe it’s safe? Hopefully?
4400Fuuuuuuuu…Naomi
…UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
In the Dark and Legacies were better than you’d expect from the CW, which is, admittedly, not a high bar to clear.
The bar is higher then you give it credit for.
Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend take umbrage with that statement.
iZombie was good too, but I was speaking of the current roster. That said, they were certainly exceptions to the rule.
The last time I watched. Come to think if it I don’t watch network TV accept at work in the background in the breakroom or a occasional sporting event.
Unless it’s Wayward Sisters, they shouldn’t bother with any Supernatural spinoffs.
A-fucking-men!
I’m pretty sure I could make a good one.Focus it on government law enforcement being new at the Supernatural side of life but finally having cottoned on (after all the near-apocalypses), basically X-Files it up a bit, this also has the bonus of creating a story environment where you can have characters discovering the rules again (both the ones we older fans are familliar with and whatever new ones episode writers come up with).I think you could do something kickass with that. CW take it for free if you’re around.
Think of the impossible Jeopardy answers you could come up with on stuff like this.“During this year, Dynasty and Charmed were cancelled and replaced with Supernatural and Walker: Texas Ranger.”“What is. . .what the fuck?”
Gotham Knights is about Damien Wayne. It was already stated in a previous PR page, IIRC.Anyway, for those who haven’t been keeping track, here’s how the Big 5 broadcast networks look now:(Note, this is only for shows which have an official Renew/Cancel/Ending listing. Shows not on here have not been stated one way or the other.)
ABC:
Cancelled/Ending: Match Game, Pooch Perfect, Promised Land, Black-ish, Queens, Card Sharks
Renewed: Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Connors, The Goldbergs, Judge Steve Harvey, Bachelor in Paradise, The Rookie, The Good Doctor, To Tell the Truth, Christmas Light FightCBS:
Cancelled/Ending: Good Sam, B Positive, United States of Al, Magnum P.I., Bull, How We Roll
Renewed: The Amazing Race, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS Hawai’i, The Equalizer, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, CSI: Vegas, Blue Bloods, Tough as Nails, Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, Bob Hearts Abishola, Ghosts, The Neighborhood, Secret Celebrity Renovation, Survivor, S.W.A.T.NBC:
Cancelled/Ending: This is Us, The Thing About Pam, Kenan, Mr. Mayor, Ordinary Joe, The Endgame, Ellen’s Game of Games, New Amsterdam, Small Fortune
Renewed: American Auto, The Blacklist, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, La Brea, Grand Crew, That’s My Jam, Young RockFox:
Cancelled/Ending: The Big Leap
Renewed: The Simpsons, The Cleaning Lady, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, Next Level ChefCW:
Cancelled/Ending: Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Naomi, Legacies, Charmed, Dynasty, In the Dark, The Outpost, The Republic of Sarah, Roswell, New Mexico, Killer Camp
Renewed: Superman & Lois, All American, All American: Homecoming, The Flash, Kung Fu, Masters of Illusion, Nancy Drew, Riverdale, Penn & Teller: Fool Us!, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Walker, World’s Funniest Animals
Also, as a note, All Rise and Dancing With the Stars are moving to OWN and Disney+, respectively.
So the so called stars are going to be even worst how is that possible.
Gotham Knights is about Damien Wayne. It was already stated in a previous PR page, IIRC.From what I’ve heard it’s none of the existing Robins and a new, original character Turner Hayes (unless that’s a code name for Damian).
Damian is Bruce’s biological son in the comics. It’s weird they would take away the big feature that separates him from the other then Robins in his first live action appearance.
It’d be even weirder to have a show about the children of Batman supervillains, and exclude Ra’s Al Ghul’s grandson Damian. I mean, it’s possible they conceived it that way and that DC refused to give rights for any comic book Robin. The entire thing where this is supposed to be unrelated to a video game with the same name and a similar premise is pretty weird, too.
I haven’t seen any confirmation on who it is, just speculation. But considering it’s specifically listed as his adopted son, Damian is the least likely Robin to be the star.
Fact that La Brea is getting renewed makes me want to yell into a plastic bag…
La Brea and Equalizer both jumped out at me. Is there an audience for these things? If so, what can we do about it?
Renewed: Superman & Lois
Nice! This is a show that started better than I thought it would be and has only got, um, betterer.
Gotham Knights is about Damien Wayne. It was already stated in a previous PR page, IIRC.The synopsis says that the show is about Bruce Wayne’s adopted son. Damian is Bruce Wayne’s biological son.
The difference is that over the years CW would renew most of it’s shows – especially the DC based (and general sff) stuff was usually safe. And now we see how it was all propped up by Netflix deal and foreign sales. And I suppose HBO Max trying to make their better shows the main TV face of DC.
Of course big part of it is sale. If they sale it taking away your properties makes even more sense (especially when all the profit was in selling them to others and wouldn’t go to the network anyway). It certainly feels like WB is withdrawing more. I mean the shows that are left/get spinoffs make it more like CBS lite.
How the Hell is THE BLACKLIST still running?
Hasn’t Spader’s Red Reddington died yet? Or are they using clipart of Ultron to keep him on the show…?
I have to say I am genuinely surprised The Blacklist is still on, in that I always considered a joke of a show, and since I never see anyone talking about it in any capacity I figured it was over.Edit: Oh my God, I just looked it up, and it’s coming up on ten seasons?
I’m a James Spader fan, and even I think this show is a one-trick pony with an already-rickety premise which blew past that about five years ago, and was ready for the dog food factory ever since. Elizabeth Keen was killed off at the end of Season Eight(?), after spending most of that year trying to destroy Reddington herself after she found out he’s not her father after all, and believing he killed her mother.
Good riddance, says I, as Megan Boone was always an anchor weighing the show down — but wasn’t the entire point of the series that Reddington was helping the FBI in the first place because he wanted to protect his daughter? I think we all pretty much knew from episode 2 or 3 of the first season when, after a typically Spader-esque come-on to her he casually dropped it and said, “Okay, then — you’re my daughter,” and he never even tried flirting with her again.
And Another Thing —! Hasn’t Reddington been dying of cancer since Season Seven? James Spader’s been an Executive Producer since Season 2, so he’d want to keep the show running as long as possible because he’d get money off streaming deals, but then WTF the whole “I’m dying and leaving all my secrets for you, Elizabeth” arc if she’s gone and he’s still around? Who wants this show to keep going so badly?
Pretty sure Damian was his biological son, not adopted.
I am surprised to hear that some of these shows are still on.I also can’t believe ‘The Blacklist’ is renewed. Hard to believe there are any more plots to mine from that premise.
Huh, I’m surprised American Auto squeaked through while Kenan and Mr. Mayor got the axe.
The Flash is such a miserable shambling zombie of a show now.
Is Pooch Perfect the long-awaited Poochie spinoff?
I mean it either was Damian or Jason.
That reported reasoning for the cancellation of the CW shows makes sense on a lot of fronts expect one. Why was Riverdale not cancelled in that case? It’s ratings are abysmal at the moment and I was assuming that the Netflix deal was keeping it afloat, but apparently not.
Riverdale has even lost me, who will watch the dumbest of trash. They’ve got the actors on contract for one more season though, so I could see them wanting to wrap it up then.
Is it doing well internationally? I don’t get it.
Production costs. It’s cheaper to produce than many of the canceled shows, which are primarily super hero shows that require effects. Same reason Nancy Drew, which also has terrible ratings, was renewed.
Lucky thing they just gave all the characters superpowers, then.
Is it worse that Naomi got cancelled days after its first season finale or that In The Dark got cancelled before its latest season even premiered?
“The news follows the cancellations of Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow
last month. Sources say the leases on the soundstages for both DC Comics
dramas was up and producers Warner Bros. TV did not want to extend
them.”
I was very surprised when The CW suddenly became my go-to place for fun, smart, inventive, and entertaining network TV in the heady days of Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and the peak years of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and even the first season of Riverdale. I’m not at all surprised to see that card castle finally definitively crumble to pieces. RIP the beautiful heyday of the network that was most likely to pump up a show by just throwing a bunch of lesbians in.
I can’t think of a show that wouldn’t be improved by adding a few lesbians.
Yeah, even Adequately Sapphic (with Julia Sawalha and Helena Bonham Carter) failed to pass the frickin’ Bechdel Test!
Not just lesbians—they threw in male gay/bi couples, too! Lesbians you expect because “Hur-Hur, two chicks makin’ out hawt! Hur-Hur!”, but I was pleasantly surprised when they started having guys making out, too.Also, any network that can take Supergirl to six seasons and make Superman a supporting character? Is okay by me….
Very true! I amend to queer people. They are the network that brought us WhiJo, Darryl, Constantine, Gary, alt-Captain Cold, and I’m sure a lot of others i don’t know about cause I stopped watching everything but Legends years ago.
I will miss Legends greatly, but As long as Nancy Drew survives, I am content.
I will hold out hope that HBO Max decides to pickup LOT, but I won’t hold my breath. I think the odds are higher of Batwoman making the move if anything is going to get another shot at life considering it’s already up there instead of Netflix.I picked up a copy of the LOT issues of the Earth Prime series but I have yet to open it, mainly because I don’t want that to be the last adventure, I don’t want things to end there.
You would hope that The Flash gives over an episode to wrap up the LOT character’s fates, but who knows
Considering the only reason LOT and Batwoman were cancelled was because CW didn’t want to pay the rent on the soundstages.
I’m darkly thrilled about Charmed. Absolute shitshow that couldn’t treat their only good actress well enough to keep her (the other two are fine, but she was miles better and it made them look worse). They could shown had the good sense to wrap it up in a decent way and have it remembered well, and instead unceremoniously killed her off and replaced her immediately. A truly earned cancellation.
Shame about Dynasty because I really need a weekly dose of Liz Gillies, but she doesn’t seem too upset, so hopefully it just means they’re ready to wind it down.
Legacies is probably ready to be put down too – once you have “the gods” as villains there’s nowhere else to go. Hopefully they can get Josie back for a solid finale.The rest I’d forgotten existed tbh.
What exactly happened with the Macy actress? She definitely was the better of the three.
So Caroline just never showed up? (Legacies) I find that highly disappointing.
Me too – but to their credit we got cameos from ALL the surviving Mikaelsons, and they were really well-written. A lot of times this kind of thing happens, they come back super out of character and change annoying details you didn’t want messed with. These ones were perfect.
Damn, 4400 was *really* good so that hurts. I was also enjoying Naomi though I was pretty sure it was going to get cut so that doesn’t hit hard.
Yeah, I really liked what 4400 was doing and I’m bummed they didn’t het more time to explore. Naomi was OK and I would keep watching but I’m a lot less bummed about it.
wild. well, best of luck to all the actors on the canceled shows. I hope that they still show up on streaming services for reruns.
Interesting how they canceled the majority of the more diverse shows(say for Kung-Fu, which really is a fun show!) for shows about white, straight people.
I don’t think anybody else had 4 queer women-led shows to kill, and they just offed Legends/Batwoman/Naomi/Charmed in a few weeks.
Misread on that right there. All-American and All-American Homecoming are black-led shows and Flash has a mostly black cast. Half of the shows canceled were led by straight white people, but CW has more diversity than other basic TV networks.
Perhaps that’s because the majority of viewers are straight white people. Make shows about minorities and you only get minority viewing figures.
What about Stargirl?Are they going to re-import Wellington Paranormal?
Stargirl is already filming Season 3. A renewal there won’t come until late in the year or early next year.
Imports typically aren’t mentioned at these things, so whether it comes back or not is up in the air. Though it’s significantly cheaper to license a show than make your own, so it’s likely decent odds on coming back.
I believe Stargirl is already moving to HBOMax
There is SO MUCH CONTENT being created today, how does ANY show gather enough audience to avoid cancelation? Production costs are way up and the audience is diluted over dozens of shows at any given time. And most people don’t watch scheduled broadcasts, so Nielson numbers are useless.
I don’t see how any of these new shows will do well on the CW. I have a passing interest in a couple of them but I have no faith in the network. The CW used to give shows proper send offs. Now they are all ending with cliffhangers and I absolutely hate that. I’m done with any new shows on the network.
Still waiting for a Walker sequel with Haley Joel Osment.
And yet, Blue Bloods still exists.
I don’t give a damn about that Walker show but I’m glad Kat McNamara’s getting work after her backdoor pilot Arrow spinoff failed to take off.