If you’re a fan of a CW show, it’s best if you read this news sitting down. Since the mass cancellation sweep in 2022, viewers have been on edge over the network’s future. For months, report after report has hit the Internet concerning CW’s new majority owner, Nexstar, and the company’s vision for its direction.
Profitability has been the chief priority, hence the original series cuts that will effectively end the Arrowverse once The Flash bids farewell after its ninth season run. Shake-ups at Warner Bros Discovery have also put into question whether Superman & Lois will still have a home at The CW and if Justice U will move forward at all despite the series being in development.
Ratings, which weren’t previously a major factor in whether an original series on the network got a renewal, are of the utmost importance. But if you pay attention to The CW’s viewership, it’s the worst performing of the Big 5 cable networks by a large margin.
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Its shows can’t crack a million on the night views and only two series in the 2022-2023 television season have managed to maintain a million viewer average with the Live+7 ratings factored in. Those series happen to be a part of the newly established Walker franchise.
Walker, which stars Jared Padalecki, is a modern western action family cop drama. Its prequel series, Walker Independence, stars Katherine McNamara as Abigail Walker, the matriarch of the entire line. The freshman show has held its own as the highest rated new addition to The CW’s roster which is a feat considering it’s a period piece set in the Old West.
Given the transition the network is in with its business model, viewers were aware more cancellations would be coming. But, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that could mean less than five original series will be kept on.
Reportedly fewer than 5 CW originals are to move forward in 2023
As the outlet reports, in an article about Greg Berlanti’s overall deal renewal with Warner Bros TV, The CW’s shift in business model to profitability will include “what sources say will be fewer than five U.S. scripted originals.”
This, of course, means the Walker franchise, the All American franchise, Kung Fu, The Winchesters, and Superman & Lois are in danger of cancellation. There are eight shows waiting for renewal news and less than five scripted slots to fill. Not to mention, the network has shows in development as well.
If we’re to go off ratings, as the strongest performers Walker and Walker Independence, aren’t likely to get the boot. All American could survive, but it’s a veteran show. As for The Winchesters, the series keeps shedding viewers, but it’s number 3 on the network in views. If it can maintain its audience in the back half of the season and regain its momentum, it could survive this television season.
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