The CW has ordered the Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene and a new Nancy Drew TV show. In the years since The CW launched in 2006, the network has come to specialize in DC superhero TV shows and/or series geared towards young adult viewers. Among their current offerings are, of course, the popular Arrowverse TV shows, the standalone Black Lightning comic book adaptation, and cult series like iZombie, Jane the Virgin, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. As the latter are all wrapping up this year or recently concluded, there's room in The CW's 2019-2020 lineup for some fresh material.
While the network has already renewed all four Arrowverse series for next season (including, a shortened final run for Arrow), it's also going to add another series to the mix, in the form of Batwoman. The titular character was introduced during last year's crossover event, Elseworlds, and is played by Ruby Rose of Orange is the New Black and John Wick: Chapter 2 fame. Written and produced by Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries), Batwoman has now received an official series order from The CW, along with a couple other TV pilots.
TVLine is reporting Katy Keene and Nancy Drew have both been ordered to series by The CW, along with Batwoman. Katy Keene filmed its pilot in March and will pick up in New York City a few years after the events of Riverdale. As for Nancy Drew: the latest screen adaptation of the iconic literary sleuth takes place in the summer-time, right after the titular character (newcomer Kennedy McMann) graduates from high school. However, just as Nancy is preparing to leave for college, she's held back by a family tragedy and finds herself caught up in a murder investigation, as troubling secrets about her hometown come to light.
You can check out the official teaser posters for both series, below:
Whereas Riverdale reinvents the Archie Comics universe as a twisted noir-crime series, Katy Keene has been likened to a Gossip Girl-esque show about 20-somethings (Archie Comics characters, that is) pursuing their artistic passions in NYC. Miss Keene herself is played by Lucy Hale, who has a long history with The CW thanks to her roles on Pretty Little Liars and the short-lived Life Sentence. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Murray will reprise her Riverdale role as an older Josie McCoy on Katy Keene, following Josie's recent exit from Riverdale's ongoing season 3. Other key players include Julia Chan (Saving Hope) as enigmatic socialite Pepper Smith and Jonny Beauchamp (Penny Dreadful) as wannabe Broadway actor Jorge Lopez and his drag queen alter ego, Ginger.
Katy Keene certainly seems on-brand for The CW, between its similarities to the network's past hits, and cast of 20 to early 30 year olds. That goes double for Nancy Drew, which has many of the same qualities (YA target audience, mystery-fueled plot involving small town secrets) as The CW's biggest non-DC shows over the past decade. Surprisingly, of the pair, Nancy Drew sounds like the one that overlaps more with Riverdale, even though Katy Keene (literally) takes place in the same universe. Still, there's enough that's different about all three series to suggest they can coexist in peace, without feeling derivative of one another or drawing away from their respective fanbases.
Nancy Drew and Katy Keene will premiere on The CW sometime in 2019-2020.
Source: TVLine