The CW Is Completely Changing Its Programming
This article is more than 2 years old
Summer 2022 may be remembered for a lot of shifts in the landscape of media, film, and television. With Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness helping to close out Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four in theaters, audiences are looking to the small screen to see what’s taking place in the comfort of their own home. HBO Max has recently provided a lot of fodder for those keeping up with the latest television trends, namely that the streaming platform has practically erased a slew of titles from their catalog this summer. It seems that network television is getting in on some of that action, as The CW looks to the future of its own programming and what changes need to be made before the fall television season begins.
According to a report by Deadline, The CW is beginning to strengthen its existing programming by adding a new set of series, including those considered procedurals, unscripted television, and old-school half-hour comedies. This is the opposite approach for the types of shows the network usually broadcasted before, which has typically ventured into the teen soap opera and comic book realms. Many of those shows will still be present on The CW for the time being, namely Riverdale, which will be premiering its final season sometime next year. However, it appears that the network is looking towards the future and possibly trying to appeal to an older generation accustomed to legal shows and multi-camera sitcoms.
Many of these changes at The CW correlate to ownership changes that began this summer. Variety reports that Nexstar Media Group acquired 75% ownership in The CW, making it the majority stake owner of the network. Before this acquisition, The CW announced several television shows on the chopping block, with Charmed, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Legacies, Roswell, New Mexico, and In the Dark all getting the boot. The DC and Arrowverse content have been trimmed significantly due to these cancellations, with The Flash being one of the only survivors. The series has been renewed for a ninth and final season.
The CW is now looking at the future of its programming by attempting to select more broad appeal comedies and procedurals that have made other networks like NBC and ABC players in the game for decades. Just Jared Jr. reports that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator and star Rachel Bloom will return to the network as an executive producer on a new series called The Hatpin Society, which will be set in early 1900s New York City. The Hatpin Society is the first of many new shows that Nexstar hopes will help change The CW vibe. They are currently looking outside the network to bring in show proposals and unscripted programming, typically noted as being cheaper than the ensemble soap operas they have broadcasted in the last decade. Nexstar Media Group is projecting for the network to be profitable by 2025, with many of their existing series coming to an end within the next couple of years.
