David Kronke: The CW: Stands for "Could Work?"
Fifth in a series of five
Can The CW succeed where The WB and UPN didn’t? First, there’s that new name – a mash-up of CBS and The WB that sounds more like a CMT clone than a home for youth-oriented programming. (CW stands for, in other vernaculars, “continuous waves� (if you’re a ham-radio person), “contingent worker� or, oddly enough, “Comega language.�)
Then there’s the potential problem of establishing an identity, one that The WB didn’t have until this past season, when it suddenly attempted to appeal to older viewers and not just teens and twentysomethings with abject efforts such as the quickly cancelled “Just Legal� and the not-cancelled-quickly-enough “Twins.�
The CW might manage a slightly larger audience than The WB or UPN did, but it’s unlikely to consolidate both networks’ viewership. So: Let’s try to sort out what exactly The CW might look like come September, beginning with Monday…
… where the network has two choices. It can continue UPN’s tradition of African-American sitcoms or The WB’s family-series offerings. A lot of UPN sitcoms would have to be pruned, though “Everybody Hates Chris� and “Girlfriends� should return, as might “All of Us� and “One on One.� The network is also developing a “Girlfriends� spinoff entitled “The Game.�
Meanwhile, “Everwood� is The WB’s best show that’s in danger of not returning, though it should be pointed out that even when it was in a vexingly competitive Thursday timeslot, it had higher ratings than any UPN sitcom save “Chris.� Though it was already announced that “Seventh Heaven,� the network’s highest-rated show, would not be returning, there was talk of some sort of spinoff, though nothing of the sort seems to be in the network’s development slate I’ve seen. (There is another show from Spelling TV, but its brief description isn’t encouraging.)
Tuesday: “Gilmore Girls� returns, which is good news, though without series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, which may not be good news. Apparently, UPN’s “Veronica Mars� will follow. Even following UPN’s top-rated show, “America’s Next Top Model,� “Veronica� failed to muster decent ratings. Sometimes, good shows simply fail to click with viewers – ask the folks at “Arrested Development.� On the other hand, they weren’t terribly compatible programs. Perhaps following a show with a similarly cheeky sensibility, “Veronica� might find some fans.
Wednesday: “America’s Next Top Model� will return, naturally. The WB soap “One Tree Hill� or the thriller “Supernatural� might follow, or perhaps there’s something else the network is developing that’d make more sense. As it stands, though, “Supernatural� seems a lock for renewal, while the jury’s still out on “One Tree Hill.�
Thursday: “Smallville� did surprisingly well on this evening, and another superhero series – albeit one much maligned on HBO’s “Entourage� – is in the works: “Aquaman.� If “Aquaman’s� pilot doesn’t wow the network suits, “Supernatural� does OK following “Smallville.�
Friday: Wrestling. Certainly not The WB’s sorry contingent of sitcoms.
Saturday: Not only do most networks not care about this evening, neither The WB nor UPN program it.
Sunday: The WB has foundered spectacularly on this evening. If The CW programs this night, the nominally successful WB sitcom “Reba� might turn up here, along with a new sitcom starring either Wayne Brady (“Flirt�) or Nick Lachey (“He Said/She Said�). Kevin Williamson, best known for writing the “Scream� movies (his TV stuff has generally met with the same quick and grisly deaths that starlets suffer in the "Scream" flicks), has a soap that could fill the other hour.
In general, though, The CW’s sparse development suggests that it will be content to replace the networks that are combining to form it, but that there isn’t any ambition to grow significantly from them. And that seems a mistake.
As long as they keep "Gilmore Girls" and "Everybody Hates Chris," I don't care what they do with the rest. Although, someone really needs to remind me of when "Chris" comes on.