This morning at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, the President of The CW, Mark Pedowitz, talked about the network’s 2015 successes and gave a preview of things to come in 2016.
In 2015, the network introduced several new series including iZombie and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. As the networks looks to its future, it looks very comicbook-y. Maybe “The CW” is short for “The Comic World.”
Vixen will be returning on The CW seed, in the animated series, the actress who plays Vixen, Megalyn Echikunwoke, will be airing this season on Arrow (episode 15 or 16).
Kevin Smith will be directing an Episode of Arrow in May.
Lea Salanga will be performing in the season finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The Broadway star has voiced Disney Princesses (Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan) and would be the logical choice as one of Josh’s family members.
Pedowitz confirmed that there is a script for Riverdale; a darker look at the Archie comic franchise, but it’s not currently in production.
Photo: Mathieu Young/The CW
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has head-scratchinly low ratings, but he stands by the show and believes in it. He thinks there is a place for the series on the network and calls Rachel Bloom “an unbelievable hyphenate” (Actor/performer/writer/producer), and points to her Golden Globe nomination as proof of the show’s quality That being said, he wishes the numbers were better.
The series’ fate is up in the air. He hopes it will come back next season, and can’t give any insight into the show’s episode order, if it does return for Season 2.
One critic hinted that Crazy is circling the drain, but Pedowitz almost implored critics to champion the series. Asked if the show’s floundering ratings might warrant a series reworking, Pedowitz was adamant; “When we bought the show last spring, we wanted what Eileen and Rachel brought … We’re not asking them to change the show.” See- he’s daring to defy!
Pedowitz looks at the The CW’s online portal, CW Seed, as an incubator for new content that may someday make it to air. He pointed out several in-development projects as particularly excellent:
Saving the Human Race (Zom-com from Scandinavia)
Attention Deficit Theater with Jamie King
My Last Days
The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have found a home together on Friday Nights. He was asked if the show’s fates are intertwined. The move to Friday nights isn’t a move to exile them, but rather it’s a contentious effort to build a strong Friday night. Pedowitz revealed that there will be an organic crossover this season between the two series.
There are rumors of a Friday the 13th project and Pedowitz reveals that he hasn’t seen a script yet, and since he hasn’t seen the material, he can’t share any info.
In Season 2, iZombie’s ratings have slipped, but Pedowitz has fate in the showrunners Rob Zombie and Diane Ruggiero-Wright. It may just be me, but I have a hard time getting past every one of the show’s loglines including the ick-inducing phrase, “Liv consumes the brains of …”
Credit: Jordan Nuttall/The CWReserved.
Legends of Tomorrow premieres Jan 21 at 8pm ET/7pm CT
“It’s fun, it’s big, it’s lighter than arrow and Flash, It has great actors and great auspices. I want popcorn with me whenever I watch it. It’s a fun big show.” Pedowitz calls it, “Guardians of the Galaxy meets Dr. Who. It’s fun!”
Asked if there are any plans for a female-led standalone superhero series, Pedowitz said, “At this time, no. But at this time last year, there was no Legends of Tomorrow,” hinting that things can change, and can change quickly. He noted that with the strong female characters on the network’s pre-existing series, a female character may soon warrant her own show. Asked a similar question about introducing racially diverse heroes, he pointed to actors including Wentworth Miller, Franz Drameh and Ciara Renee as stars who are diverse.
Cr: Massimo Campana/Pottle Productions Inc.
The end of America’s Next Top Model. When Cycle 22 began, he didn’t think it would be the last. But he and creator/executive Producer and star Tyra Banks came to the understanding that it was time to end the series. Pedowitz credited the iconic status of the series. “It kept the lights on for many years on UPN and The CW,” he reminisced. Pedowitz was asked if there are plans to produce a retrospective special for the series, and he shared that there had been discussions, but nothing recently.
One thing that I’ve been wondering is if The CW will ever expand its programming to 7 days or more than 2 hours per night. (The CW also has an original educational/family-programming block on Saturday mornings.) What do you think? Would you watch more CW programming? Is the network getting too- Comic-heavy? Do you want more female-centric comedies (a-la Jane the Virgin?)
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