Upfronts Week — CW


Today begins a week where hope springs eternal for all the major networks as they unveil the trailers for new shows and set their schedule for the fall. Each day I'll take a look at the network's presentation and offer some thoughts.

CW:
The 2014-2015 season was a boon to the CW, and it was their highest rated season in years. It was also remarkably successful. The CW launched four new shows and three of them — "The Flash," "Jane the Virgin," and "iZombie" — got new seasons. The CW also broke into the legitimate realm when Gina Rodriguez won a Golden Globe for her work on "Jane the Virgin." Now, with so much of their schedule renewed, The CW only ordered three new shows for the 2015-2016 season, and only one is debuting in the Fall. The network is hoping to capture on the strength of this season and build momentum for next season. And a lot of that comes from the wealth of D.C. Comics properties — "The Flash," "Arrow," and "iZombie" — which have been a boon for the network.

Most Interesting Scheduling Move: The CW is, wisely, keeping its Tuesday and Wednesday night lineups in tact. The combination of "The Flash" and "iZombie" during the Spring on Tuesdays and "Arrow" and "Supernatural" on Wednesdays have been reliable performers for the CW. In addition, the network is pairing the popular "Vampires Diaries" with its spin-off, "The Originals," on Thursday nights with the goal of building another reliable ratings night, and offering some counter-programming to ABC's Shonda Rhimes Thursdays and the NFL on CBS.

Riskiest Scheduling Move: It's hard to see what the CW is doing on Monday nights, and why of all the new shows it had to use in the fall it chose only "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" to air. "The Flash" and "Arrow" are the highest rated shows on the network, so one would assume adding the spin-off of those series, "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," to the schedule would continue to grow the ratings. Instead, that was held to mid-season. "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," a comedy starring Rachel Bloom, was originally developed for Showtime and now landed on the CW (presumably with some serious changes). It feels like an odd addition for the network's brand to begin with, and now it leads off Monday nights into "Jane the Virgin." "Jane" brought critical success to the network, but it has struggled in the ratings during the Spring, despite having "The Originals" as a lead-in. Now it has a somewhat iffy lead-in that, while possibly tonally compatible, could seriously backfire on the network. This seems like an odd risk to take.

About the New Show: The CW only has one new show this fall, making it both the most and least intriguing of the lot… I commented on said show above, but I am dubious about this concept. Bloom is best known for voicing some cartoons and working on "Robot Chicken," and now she's carrying a one hour dramedy about a woman who gives up her successful career on the East Coast to move to West Covina. I'm sure there's more to it, but that's the official log line being provided in the schedule announcement. Presumably they're looking for that heart-warming, wild blend of comedy and drama that worked for "Jane the Virgin," it's companion show on the night. But knowing the show was originally thought of for Showtime makes me wonder how it will translate.

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