In what is not a shocking move, The CW announced today that it is renewing 10 of its current series, including all 5 DC shows (The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Black Lightning), plus Riverdale, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dynasty, and the long-running Supernatural (Season 14!). Black Lightning and Dynasty are the only two freshman series in the mix to see pickups, as the fall series Valor was not named (and is likely to be officially cancelled soon).
As for the mid-season series iZombie, Life Sentence, and The 100 (premiering later this month), their fates are likely to be decided in May around the Upfronts. iZombie‘s ratings are just ok, but the show has a robust fanbase (like so many of the CW’s shows, and more than half of those that were renewed), while Life Sentence has had a very slow start, especially since it was moved to the dead-zone of Fridays. But, never say never! Dynasty‘s renewal was a little bit of a surprise, although the series also has a lucrative distribution deal between Netflix and CW parent company CBS that might make it worth keeping around.
CW president Mark Pedowitz said in a statement that,
“As The CW expands to a six-night, Sunday through Friday schedule next season, we are proud to have such a deep bench of great returning series for 2018-19. By picking these ten series up for next season, we have a terrific selection of programming to choose from when we set our fall schedule in May, with more still to come. And I’m especially happy that we’ll continue to work with the incredibly talented casts, producers, and writers who create the series our fans are so passionate about.”
As mentioned, the network recently announced that it will be moving to 6 nights a week of original programming starting this fall, which really just means that it’s adding Sundays back to its roster. To help fill that extra space, in addition to these 10 pickups, it also has commissioned one of its most ambitious pilot seasons yet.
But perhaps most importantly, a Legends pickup means that John Constantine is definitely joining the Waverider.
via Collider