Coming as absolutely no surprise, The CW (aka the Happy Net) has renewed both The Originals and iZombie. Both shows are currently pulling pretty low linear viewing numbers for the network, but I still have been expecting renewal announcements for them. The CW acts less like an old-school broadcast network and more like one of the cable channels in its programming decisions, plus it has a very lucrative deal with Netflix which has exclusive streaming rights for the net’s shows. The Originals is in its fourth season and The CW has typically given its shows that have lasted that long at least a final season instead of outright cancelling them. They did not announce that next year will be the show’s last, but I am expecting that they will at some point like they did with Vampire Diaries. Plus, another season of at least thirteen episodes gets The Originals past the 88 episode threshold that the syndication market prefers. iZombie is in its third season and is a relatively inexpensive series to produce that has a strong following on the social nets. It’s possible that show could stick around through a fifth season because it is at least consistent with its audience and that would get it past the syndication stretch.
The Originals is a spin-off from Vampire Diaries that follows the original vampires as they try to assert their dominance over other clans of vampires as well as werewolves and witches and other supernatural beings in the New Orleans area. It was created by Julie Plec and stars Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, and Phoebe Tonkin.
iZombie is based on the DC comic book of the same name about a girl who is part zombie and receives flashbacks when she eats the brains of the corpses at the morgue where she works. It comes from Rob Thomas and stars Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, and Robert Buckley.
Next week the broadcast networks will have their Upfront presentations when they unveil their schedules for the 2017-18 season which means the we can expect plenty more renewal and cancellation announcements over the next few days (you can see the full rundown of this season’s cancellations and renewals at this link). Be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.
