On Monday, the television network announced a new six-night schedule ranging from Sunday through Friday. The company announced the renewal of several shows, some of which are not surprising, but one show's renewal raised a few eyebrows. The CW still has not made an official decision on a few of their other shows.
What got renewed?
All of the network's superhero shows will see their return this fall: "The Flash" season 5, "Arrow" season 7, "Legends of Tomorrow" season 4, "Supergirl" season 4 and "Black Lightning" season 2. "Black Lighting" is not included in the Arrowverse like the network's other superhero shows, but since its premiere, it has received high critical praise, not only for plot and acting, but its relativity to the modern world -- along with the introduction of television's first black lesbian superhero.
The show is also nominated for a Saturn Award in the "Best Superhero Television Series" category. This renewal comes as no surprise.
The television network has also chosen to renew "Jane the Virgin" for season 5, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" for its 4th and final season, "Supernatural" season 14, "Riverdale" for season 3, and the new show "Dynasty" for season 2. The renewal of "Riverdale" also comes as no surprise, as the show has received generally positive reviews and trends weekly on social media sites like Twitter. The renewal of "Dynasty," a reboot of the 80s soap opera, is surprising because it has poor ratings. However, television executive Mark Pedowitz recently announced that he wants to expand summer programming, which would explain why the show was moved to air on Fridays during mid-season.
Shows still pending
The CW also has four other shows currently on air that they have not made a formal decision on: "The 100," which is set to premiere its 5th season on April 24th, "iZombie," which is currently airing its 4th season, "Life Sentence," a new show that has only aired 4 episodes so far, and "Valor," which is in its first season but has low ratings.
It makes sense that the network has not made a formal decision on "Life Sentence" since it has only aired 4 episodes, or on "The 100" since it has not yet aired its current season. The network will announce its final decision in May during the Upfronts presentation in New York, where the CW will announce its official fall schedule.
Any new shows?
In addition to renewing its current shows, the CW also has plans to air a few pilots during the fall schedule. Most anticipated are the spin-offs of "Supernatural" and "The Originals," and the "Charmed" and "Roswell" reboots. However, the network is also expected to pick up a few more pilots. The final decision will be announced in May, along with the rest of the fall schedule. The spin-off of "The Originals" will keep the universe of "The Vampire Diaries" alive for a little bit longer, as "The Originals" is set to air its final season -- starting on April 18th.
