The CW
New CW Regime Defends Its Radical Shift in Focus
“We’re ready for people to stop writing about the Big Four networks and start writing the Big Five,” announced Brad Schwartz, The CW’s president of entertainment, at the top of a Thursday morning meeting with TV press. It’s an obvious aspiration for broadcast’s long-suffering stepchild, but the timing is a bit odd. The cachet of […]
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Network TV 2024: What’s New, Renewed and Canceled (So Far)
The past three years have severely impacted the broadcast television landscape. Following a decade of growth — remember the days of 100 pilots? — the TV landscape on broadcast is experiencing further contraction because of production delays caused by both the pandemic and Hollywood’s historic dual strikes in 2023. The result is fewer pilots, a […]
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Inside ‘The Chosen’ Phenomenon: “We Bristle Every Time Someone Calls This a Faith Show”
If you head out to movie theaters this weekend, you’re likely to see The Chosen on the marquee. The TV show, a historical drama based on the life of Jesus, is rolling out its fourth season theatrically, two episodes at a time, over the next month, before dropping in its entirely on apps and streaming […]
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Network TV 2023: What’s New, Renewed and Canceled (So Far)
The more things change, the more things stay the same. That may as well be the motto for the five broadcast networks heading into the 2023-24 season as their corporate parents are increasingly focused on cutting costs, restructurings and streaming. To that end, three of the five networks have made leadership changes in the past […]
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NewsNation and The CW Snag GOP Primary Debate, Megyn Kelly and Elizabeth Vargas to Moderate
Sorry ABC, CBS and CNN, there’s a new player in the political primary debate fray. NewsNation, the upstart cable news channel owned by local TV giant Nexstar, will host the fourth Republican primary debate next month. The debate, which will also air on the Nexstar-owned CW network, will be moderated by NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas, […]
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The CW Loses $60M in Latest Quarter As Nexstar Ad Sales Fall
Nexstar’s third-quarter earnings reflected the soft TV advertising market, with political ad revenue down 85 percent from last year, and so-called “core” advertising revenue down 2.3 percent. Similarly, The CW keeps losing money for the broadcast TV giant, though its losses continue to narrow quarter by quarter. The CW lost $60 million in Q3, down […]
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‘WWE NXT’ Moving to The CW From USA in 2024
The WWE is keeping a weekly spot on broadcast television in its next round of media rights deals. WWE NXT, the weekly showcase for up-and-coming wrestlers, is set to move from USA Network to The CW in October 2024. The move follows that of WWE Smackdown, which will depart Fox for USA at the same […]
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End of The CW’s DC Era: ‘Superman & Lois’ to Conclude With Season 4
It’s the end of an era: Superman & Lois will take one final flight on The CW. The Nexstar-backed broadcast network on Thursday announced that the upcoming fourth season of the DC Comics drama from exec producer Greg Berlanti will be its final run. The 10-episode final season starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch will […]
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‘Everyone Else Burns’ Review: The CW’s British Comedy Laces Doomsday Cringe With Sweetness as Well as Snark
Simon Bird and Kate O'Flynn lead the cast of a transplanted Channel 4 series about a Manchester family devoted to a fundamentalist Christian sect.
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The CW Adds Two More Scripted Shows for 2024
The CW is bulking up its roster of scripted series — and again looking north of the border for its two latest shows. The Nexstar-owned broadcast network has ordered dramas titled Wild Cards and Sight Unseen, targeting both for premieres in 2024. Wild Cards, starring Riverdale alum Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy, Reign), […]
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Ryan Sharkey Joins The CW as Senior VP Programming (Exclusive)
The CW has found its new programming exec. NBCUniversal alum Ryan Sharkey has joined the Nexstar-controlled broadcast network as senior vp programming and content strategy. Sharkey will report to CW president of entertainment Brad Schwartz and fill the void created by the June departure of Kevin Levy. Levy, who was with The CW since its […]
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When Will Broadcast Hits Like ‘Abbott Elementary’ Return?
Three years after the COVID-19 industry-wide shutdown threw a wrench into the broadcast schedules, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW now find themselves back in familiar territory after the nearly 150-day-long work stoppage that followed strikes by the Writers Guild of America and performers union SAG-AFTRA. With the WGA strike now having wrapped, the […]
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