During a call with Mark Pedowitz (The CW President) this morning after the network announced its fall schedule, journalists had an opportunity to discuss the upcoming season and the network’s decision to renew some shows or pass on others. Here’s what we learned:
The Sunday Gamble Paid Off. According to Pedowitz, The CW’s launch of original programming on Sunday nights last season was a big success. This coming season, they see more upside in pairing BATWOMAN with SUPERGIRL on that night, believing it to be a powerful combination. In addition, because Pedowitz says that NANCY DREW and RIVERDALE both have similar styles, the network believed pairing the two shows together would make sense.
Will Emily Bett Rickards Return for the ARROW Finale? According to Pedowitz, they believed that Rickards was terrific on the show and they think executive producer Beth Schwartz did a great job in wrapping up Felicity’s storyline in the season finale. “If Beth can find a way to bring her back that makes sense, and Emily is available, we’d love to have her. Otherwise, I’m pleased by how they said goodbye to the character.”
No JANE THE VIRGIN Spin-Off. With JANE THE VIRGIN ending this season, a potential spin-off (JANE THE NOVELLA) was in contention for a spot on the fall schedule. Unfortunately, while Pedowitz says the network is a big fan of Jenny Snyder Urman (the show’s creator) and Gina Rodriguez (the show’s star), this spin-off didn’t “quite get where we wanted it to get to”. However, the network has told Urman that they are interested in pursuing another potential spin-off and the ball is in her court.
The Decision to Renew All New Shows. The CW did something this year that no other network did: renewed all of its new shows. When asked about the decision to do that (despite low ratings for some new series). Pedowitz says they look at how shows perform on a multi-platform viewing basis and the network very much takes delayed viewing and streaming numbers into account. There are other factors they take into account as well – such as the show’s creative direction or the amount of buzz it’s generating on social media. There is no one simply standard for them that says “it does a poor rating, [so] it’s going to go away’. Pedowitz also believes that given that there is north of 500 scripted shows on TV these days, sometimes it takes longer for a show to be found and seen and heard and they believe in taking their time. “Patience in this case is a true virtue”.
Related: Keep up with all of our Upfronts coverage
The End of the Comedic Drama Series. With CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND having aired its series finale and JANE THE VIRGIN currently airing its final season, the network is set to lose the “comedic drama” niche that came with both of these shows. Pedowitz expressed that he believes IN THE DARK is a dark comedy in its own way. But he also says that GLAMOROUS could fill this hole as it’s a very funny show. The show wasn’t picked up for the fall season, but he said that they’re going to take a harder look at it once they return from their Upfronts presentation. It needs some retooling and they’re going to do that with the creative team so they can try to move forward with it.
The Final Season of ARROW. As previously announced, the final season of ARROW will consist of 10 episodes. Pedowitz also indicated that they will be airing a retrospective special looking back at the show’s history throughout the last 8 years.