So apparently the strategy for the broadcast networks in the Too-Much-TV era is “just renew it, baby!” ABC already renewed a long list of shows (including Once Upon A Time and Agents of SHIELD) and the CBS boss has promised renewals for that network’s freshmen entries (though take that with a grain of salt) and now The CW has renewed ALL of its current lineup. I had already said that quite a number of that network’s shows were likely to get renewed anyway, but bubble entries The 100 and iZombie both received an escape-the-Network-Executioner card as well. The CW did a similar blanket renewal move last year, and apparently decided to be the happy net once again. Missing from the list of renewed shows is upcoming virus-outbreak series Containment. That one does not debut until next month and it has been billed as a “limited run” entry, though we know that doesn’t mean much. Last year, The Messengers debuted late in the season and was cancelled after only a handful of episodes which does not bode well for Containment.
On top of that, The CW has to figure out where it is going to put all these shows because it only programs 10 hours each week in Prime Time, and it has quite a number of shows currently in development. The network may go light on its pickups from pilot season this year, preferring to stick with known properties. Or maybe it will try to cut down on preemptions and repeats (all of its shows are currently on a second hiatus) to cram everything in. It’s also possible that The Originals and Vampire Diaries will get shuffled to late season / Summer runs because they are both likely in their final years with the former season just trying to get enough episodes for a syndication run and the latter already having achieved that. I will be looking at all of this in further detail in the coming weeks, but fans of the The CW’s shows should be happy to know that all of them are coming back for at least one more year.
Expect even more announcements over the coming weeks and months (and the trend of late is definitely toward renewals) as we approach the May Upfronts where the networks present their schedules for the 2016-17 season (you can see the timing of those at this link). And keep a close eye on this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking announcements.
