The CW: ‘A Couple of Shows’ May Survive Into Fall 2023, Says New Owner
A “minimal” amount of current CW shows will carry over into the 2023-24 TV season, multiple execs from the network’s new owner made clear on Tuesday.[pmc_inline_gallery]
Last spring, well ahead of the anticipated shake-up resulting from Nexstar assuming ownership come November, The CW cancelled a slew of series, including Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman and Legacies.
Then in August, it was announced that The Flash would be speeding into its final season (in early 2023), as is Riverdale. And in recent weeks, DC’s Stargirl and Nancy Drew received similar “final season” news.
That leaves, on the scripted front at least, All American, All American: Homecoming, Kung Fu, Walker, Walker Independence, The Winchesters and Superman & Lois (Season 3 arrives at midseason), plus the freshman DC series Gotham Knights (premiering at midseason).
But most of those shows should probably start booking venues for series wrap parties, from the looks of it.
“Programming for The CW is in place for the 2022-2023 broadcast season” and “that programming is consistent with what the programmers have historically had on the air for that timeframe,” Nexstar CFO and EVP Lee Ann Gliha said on Tuesday during the company’s quarterly earnings call (via Variety). “Over the course of the next year, we’re really working to develop our slate, which will come online in the 2023-2024 broadcast season.
“We will have some carryover commitment for the CBS (Paramount) and the WBD (Warner Bros. Discovery) programming in that year,” Gliha said, “but it’s minimal at that point.”
Speaking to the waning presence of WBTV and CBS/Paramount programming, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said during the same earnings call, “Warner and Paramount are not precluded from selling us programming. It’s just going to have to be a financial deal that we like.” (It was reported earlier this month that Nexstar will put a “$1 million-per-episode” ceiling on future licensing fees, a marked drop from what many series currently bill the network.)
“And there may be a couple of shows that distinguish themselves this year,” Sook added, “that we want to hold over to next year.”
Which current CW shows (including midseason premieres/returns) do YOU think will still be alive a year from now?
I feel like whatever shows get renewed should expect that to be the final season. All I have is kung fu left
I just don’t see how they expect to keep their audiences if they are just canceling all shows. No network has value unless they have loyal audiences already invested in the long run.
Sounds like they want to turn it into a trashy reality TV network, like WE or TLC or VH1
Yup trash, or TV show reruns like Decades or MeTV
Correct! Canceling Gotham Knights has done it for me. I will never watch that station ever again.
Doesn’t sound promising… I kinda expect only Walker to continue past this year.
Why Walker? It does well in audience number but that’s not what advertisers look at and the show skews old. All American, AH, and The Winchesters are doing better in the target demo.
All American and the Walkers stay, Homecoming and Superman & Lois can pack their bags, Gotham Knights won’t even air. No clue about the others
WBD might be willing to let Superman & Lois go since they’re got Henry Cavill back for the movies, but that would be a shame. It’s such a good show
Season 1 was good. Season 2 sucked.
Such a good show and Tyler is fantastic as Clark and Superman, as is Bitsie as Lois. I don’t think it’s likely that Cavill will appear in a movie until 2025 at the earliest as they don’t even have writers, director, story etc I don’t think Henry being back will impact this decision as there’s 3 batmen appearing in movies over the next couple of years, so clearly have no issue with multiple versions of characters but looks like Nexstar are willing to throw out everything unfortunately.
Henry Cavill will not be in a new Superman movie for 3 or 4 years. These films take time. Superman and Lois could have aired for 3 more seasons before a new movie was ready. Superman and Lois is expensive to make and there was no way Warner Bros could sustain the losses if the CW was only willing to pay $1 million license fee per epsode unless the show aired on streaming first.
They said in the article the programming is set till August so they will still air “Gotham Knights”, but I agree that it likely won’t get a 2nd season not only due to this but since it seems the DCU under James Gunn now only wants to have shows tied to the movies like how “Peacemaker” is. The only shows I think could be safe are both Walkers” and “The Winchesters” since they all do well in the ratings. “All American” and it’s spinoff could but that could also be just to give them final seasons.
Gotham Knights will air I think, they’re well into production already, i’ll be shocked if it’s gets a second season though.
Gotham Knights being moved to HBO Max is the only way the series would not air on The CW, and the odds of that happening is less than 1%.
If that happens HBO will immediately cancel call it a write off
That’s ominous.
The only 2 we watch is Walker and Penn & Teller.. Walker is really getting hard to watch.. The acting is terrible. I did watch Batwoman till the had to ruin that show as well. So guess we will be not watching CW until they get some better shows.
I get what you’re saying about Walker. It’s definitely lost some of it’s mojo from season one. And Walker Independence is just awful.
It never had any in my opinion.
I tried to watch “Walker” because of Jared Padalecki, but I had to stop as it was a waste of my time. Terrible writing and bad acting. I even gave “Walker Independence” a chance and gave up after the second episode. The lead actress is awful and the storylines are just not plausable. I’d much rather they save “The Winchesters,” which has way more potential.
The Winchesters made me cringe. I’d rather watch Walker, funny how that works. But yeah, Walker Independence is seriously bad.
Winchesters way better than Walker imo.
How anyone thinks Walker sucks or has bad acting (it doesn’t) is beyond me. If anything it’s the most realistic, and true to real life show on all of CW and the acting and conversations between characters feels like something you’d see in real life. You must not be watching the same show lol. Learn what good acting is.
Just announce the cancellations already. The fact they keep toying with viewers and the casts/crew(that is if they don’t already know) is bs. I won’t be watching the network after they gut it regardless but they certainly haven’t done anything to earn goodwill.
They have to get wb and cbs to pony up more cash and figure out how many episodes can be done on reduced budgets, nexstar doesn’t want to take a loss if Wb is making enough money thru overseas and HBO max, then a reduced budget short season Lois and superman will survive.
They truly only need about 4 shows going into next year then the rest can be new to network…maybe 5 if any reality makes it.
Wb&cbs can’t use network as loss leader under current deal then make back end up, they only own 25% of network, so 1 to 2 shows each.
If who’s line isn’t cheap enough to go on I can’t imagine what will be saved.
My guess is walker, Winchester, all American, all American homecoming, Penn and teller
The only ones I care about are Walker and Superman & Lois. But I won’t be surprised if they are all gone.
It sounds like you have impeccable taste :-)
Honestly, based on Nester’s disastrous NewsNation experience, I have no confidence in programming a network. There are only 1 or two shows left worth watching. I suspect non Nexstar stations will be dropping the network come September. This has disaster written all over it.
Correct take.
I so agree.
I feel like the CW will be dead as a network within a few short years.
i think its also safe to say the whole move to hbo max has just been fan speculation, i dont think at any point in these latest cw articles has the PTB said anything about doing that to preserve these remaining shows otherwise they would have done so
Not really, there’s no way they’d mention a platform move until there was a definite decision from the Network. Some of the shows seasons won’t start airing until mid-season, also Nexstar are playing hard ball with licensing fees and negotiations and decisions are still ongoing. Unlikely we’ll know for definite on all shows until May.
ok thanks
The CW is dead as we know it. Nexstar should rename the network to not tarnish its legacy and that of The WB.
From what they are saying, they will not gain the audience that they claim to be looking for and will turn the network in to a linear all news network.
This network needs to stop toying with our emotions & just renew or cancel these shows. Either way, the CW, as we know it is gone.
I agree. Just decide already.
I think maybe, just maybe Walker might survive. But I don’t really think ANY show will survive. They’re just b.s.ing us.
I won’t be watching any of the new owner’s programming….and from what I’ve read I’m their demographic!
If they have something on that I like I’ll watch. It’s not like the other networks are killing it either.
I think Walker & Walker: Independence may survive, but even the latter I’m skeptical about.
Have been watching at least one show/year since it was The WB but looks like I’m through.
I will continue to watch the shows I am interested till the end, but won’t touch the new programming with a 10 ft pole. I’m also their target demographic and I think they are moving in the wrong direction.
Just cancel them all now. CW leadership seems to be of the mind that nobody from their desired demographic watches what they currently air, so just end it all and wipe the slate clean for the upcoming toe-to-toe with ION. Give the studios and showrunners behind these shows time to find new homes or try to wrap up in a way that satisfies their audiences.
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This is what happens when CEOs and bean-counters try to program their audience, rather than program FOR their audience. Between the fall of the CW and the current Disney CEO basing future programming on the idea that adults don’t want to watch animation, the entertainment forecast is bleak indeed.
I think only Walker and The Winchesters survive.
well, I know after this season, I’m opting out of including The CW in my Satellite package. I don’t even know why I continue with Satellite/Cable with the number of streaming apps I subscribe too.
This network will be for people with antennas that just turn on the tv and watch what’s available and will watch about anything
You can also watch all the cw shows the day after they air for free on the CW app
This pisses me off so much! I love All American and hate that it will most likely end this season it shouldn’t but it will
It´s already at 5th season and the storylines are silly. It´s time to go and bring something new.
good bye cw. once a haven for cool shows is now going to be just full of shows like every other channel.
Agree! So pathetic.
LOL with how they treat their audience I doubt anyone is going to watch the new CW. I’m not. I’m just waiting for the announcement that Superman and Lois is cancelled and that’s it. Hopefully it can get a good closure.
Doesn’t sound great for Superman and Lois. It will be such a shame to loose a quality show and a show where the leads are so perfect and so good in their roles. Hate this network takeover.
I hope they at least keep Walker + Superman & Lois!!
I know season 3 hasn’t even aired yet but I’m really sad at the thought that we mightn’t get a season 4 for Superman and Lois
Seems to me the CW is going back to a classic national “superstation” format much like WGN(chicago), WTBS(atlanta) and WPIX & WWOR(new york area)used to be. Lots of movies, syndication and maybe a handful of original shows mixed with local news.
Whelp! The only current show I watch on the network is Kung Fu…so hopefully that makes it through.
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I do watch Superman & Lois too…but with Cavill’s return, I don’t expect this series to last longer than a few more seasons. I assume it’s going to take a few years before a proper MOS sequel to hit theaters.
It would be weirdly fitting if Superman & Lois ends, along side A Million Little Things so David Giuntoli and Elizabeth Tulloch can leave Vancouver together. But also would suck for them to both lose their jobs…