The CW's 2010-2011 in review:
It's hard to argue that The CW doesn't believe in continuity for its viewers. They only brought in three new shows this past year, Hellcats, Shedding for the Wedding (with served as a temporarily winter replacement), and Nikita. The other seven spots (The CW doesn't have Sunday scheduling anymore and doesn't have a 10 p.m. slot) of the week went to network veterans. The network may be fairly stagnant compared to the others, but it doesn't tend to do irrational things like cancel half of its shows and hope the audience stays with it. The only in-season casualty this year was Life Unexpected, which didn't get its back half order picked up and ended after two seasons of thirteen episodes each.
Unfortunately, a bit of that continuity will be tested this fall when Smallville is no longer on the schedule. Easily the eldest statesman on the network, but also among those across the others, Smallville had reigned for ten years as a highly successful comic book TV show. But it's going out on its terms this week and when it does, it'll leave an opening for something to be paired with Supernatural. From the latter part of its first season in 2006 through 2009, and then again this year, the two had been strong partners.
In regards their new dramas, Hellcats and Nikita, only one of those is expected to be brought back for 2011-2012. Nikita, the latest in the franchise of the same name, seemed to hold its own in what is an impossible spot to garner much support (Thursdays at 9 p.m.). It can also be considered a decent partner for The Vampire Diaries, and in the mold of continuity, that something that could be appealing to the network.
Meanwhile, Hellcats started off with some promise but moved from Wednesday to Tuesday to replace Life Unexpected. It fell in ratings after that, and is considered a long shot to be renewed. If the show had come on air a few years ago, it would probably have become a cult hit. But cheerleading isn't as popular as it was during Bring It On's theatrical release.
Established shows that will be back:
One of the best things that The CW has going for it is its ability to create tiny yet very vocal fanbases on the shows it chooses. Aside from CBS, I don't think any network knows its audience better than The CW. With Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, they know what to expect and are committed to that. While at some point, the dam will burst on the vampire genre, as its been a few years going now, I don't think The Vampire Diaries is worried about that. They've built their own response to True Blood's success and given that their target demo is teenage girls, they should be fine for another year or so.
One Tree Hill becomes the long running drama on the network in the wake of Smallville's end. A show that has been "on the bubble" since at least its third season (2005-2006) way back when it was on The WB, One Tree Hill continues to defy odds and has moved from teen drama to just drama. The cast has said it wants to return for a final ninth season.
90210 continues to chug along, being renewed for a fourth season this fall. Its numbers are far from where they were at the start of the series in 2008, but its held itself well enough as a partner for Gossip Girls. Those two shows seem to fit The CW's motif of "pretty young people with pretty big problems". 90210 will continue to have to overcome cast defections, but so did its predecessor. Gossip Girl is going through the same thing as Taylor Momsen and Jessica Szohr, original cast members, aren't returning for the fifth season.
They also were pleasantly surprised by the success that their other cult hit, Supernatural, generated after moving from Thursday to Friday. It's a show that felt like it should come to an end after five seasons (due to storyline purposes) but has continued to push the envelopes of what it's trying to do.
Finally, The CW's biggest reality hit continues to be America's Next Top Model, which was renewed for an "all-star" season of previous contestants this fall. ANTM, like others, has long been a strong product since it joined the network after UPN was merged into The WB in 2006. With the promise of strong personalities that populated previous seasons/cycles, ANTM will probably continue to hold its weight.
New series that might make their way onto your TV:
As a result of my feelings and thoughts, I have roughly three hours of broadcasting that The CW has to fill. I will assume that they will renew One Tree Hill and Nikita, and cancel Hellcats. So what will be the shows to watch out for in the fall? The CW picked up four pilots for potential series purchases, and given its format of ten timeslots but trimesters (fall, winter and spring), it's not impossible to think all four will be given a shot at some point. Here is the list of shows that you should watch out for:
Awakening- another mythical creature premise, this time two sisters will have to face off as a zombie uprising begins around them; presumably one of those girls will be a zombie; sounds a bit like Supernatural's overarching thread of sibling against sibling; also sounds like a good lead-in to Supernatural on Friday's but I think it'll move to Wednesday given Heavenly's status
Cooper and Stone- a somewhat surprisingly departure from The CW's usual format, with its police procedural premise; based around two female BFF detectives in Chicago that rotate their time from fashion and music to solving homicides; that sounds...original
Hart of Dixie- Josh Schwartz, who created Gossip Girl and is still doing his thing at NBC with Chuck, brings a show that sounds like Everwood; centers around Schwartz's former O.C. star Rachel Bilson as a young doctor from New York City who moves to a small southern town to work at the medical practice left to her in an inheritance; Friday Night Lights' star quarterback Scott Porter will co-star
Heavenly- brought to you by one of the producers of Supernatural, this sounds like what would happen if one of the Winchesters decided to permanently team with Castiel to solve cases of their clients' legal woes as well as souls; I have to say it sounds like something that could be a failure or a surprise hit, and will be given a chance to benefit from working with Supernatural; stars Lauren Cohan, who had a recurring role as Bela Talbot on Supernatural
My guess at The CW's fall schedule (pure speculation):
Mondays
8:00-9:00 - 90210
9:00-10:00 - Gossip Girl
Tuesdays
8:00-9:00 - One Tree Hill
9:00-10:00 - Hart of Dixie (N)
Wednesdays
8:00-9:00 - America's Next Top Model
9:00-10:00 - Awakening (N)
Thursdays
8:00-9:00 - The Vampire Diaries
9:00-10:00 - Nikita
Fridays
8:00-9:00 - Heavenly (N)
9:00-10:00 - Supernatural
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