The CW has officially released a premiere schedule for this fall. The CW emerged in 2006 as a joint venture between CBS and WarnerMedia, who sought to combine their separate networks UPN and The WB (respectively) into one. The CW originally struggled, airing reruns and new seasons of shows that had started on the previous networks, such as season 7 of The WB’s Gilmore Girls and of UPN’s America’s Next Top Model.
It wasn’t until the near turn of the decade that The CW started to solidify its ratings with its roster of popular series aimed towards young adult girls and women such as Gossip Girl, 90210, and the incredibly popular The Vampire Diaries. Since then, The CW has developed a reputation for airing original (mostly young adult) dramas or sci-fi/superhero/fantasy series. Though it’s less common that the network will air comedies, some of its comedic content has garnered critical success, including the beloved Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Still, the network finds the most success with its superhero and fantasy genres, specifically with the ever-growing Arrowverse and the long-running series Supernatural, which recently finished its 15th and final season.
The CW has just released its 2021 Fall premiere schedule, which can be read in full on TVLine. Nancy Drew season 3, a darker adaptation of the famous children’s series, will be one of the first out the gate, premiering on October 8. Legends of the Hidden Temple, the adult reboot of the nostalgic Nickelodeon competition show, has its series premiere on October 10. Entering the DCEU, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 7 and Batwoman season 3 will both premiere on October 13. The current bastion of The Vampire Diaries franchise, Legacies season 4, premieres the following day on October 14. The anticipated reboot of USA Network’s sci-fi cult classic, 4400, and All American season 4, one of The CW’s leading series, premiere on October 25. Walker season 2, the reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger premieres on October 28. And to round out the list, coming later in mid November, fan-favorites The Flash season 8 and Riverdale season 6 premiere on November 16.
This schedule is a breath of fresh air from a network that was greatly impacted by the pandemic. Initially, The CW was forced to wrap many of its series early, resulting in abrupt endings to their current seasons and odd starts to their subsequent seasons. Then, the network announced that it delayed all original programming until this year. Some series were then cancelled, such as Katy Keene and Supergirl, though it’s unclear how much the pandemic shutdown had to do with the decision. On the other hand, The CW does plan on launching new series including the All American spin-off All American: Homecoming and Ava DuVernay’s Naomi.
Fans can rest easy knowing that their favorites are coming back soon, despite the complicated release schedule they’ve had to endure so far this year. Though, that doesn’t mean that the fans will settle for anything less than great, as evidenced by the Powerpuff leak and subsequent re-shoot. With the effects of the pandemic on the television industry seemingly slipping into the rearview, hopefully the shows that The CW fans know and love will stay in the clear.
Source: TVLine