TV Upfront Presentation Season: The CW
The CW
So honestly? Who gives a shit. The network full of shows about young pretty white girls who may or may not be in love with an (insert whatever here), is barely a network. Its shows with the exception of The Vampire Diaries, are routinely trounced by everything on television. The CW really exists as a place to watch first-run episodes of shows you might get stuck in a vicious hole watching on Netflix. I’ll admit to having watched 4 episodes of 90210 one day on Netflix for no reason. The one bright spot of The CW from a ratings standpoint is that they crush it in the 18-34 female demo. That is obviously a very small demo to go after, but it seems to be working. My only concern is that their approach is not sustainable. Every network, even cable ones have tried to broaden their appeal in years past, while The CW wants to insulate itself further. The other good thing is that they only have to program 10 hours a week, which is way less than everyone else.
New Shows: The Originals (spinoff of TVD), The Tomorrow People, Reign, The 100, Star-Crossed, Famous in 12
You know those movies like Beautiful Creatures and The Host that are just quick attempts to cash on on the YA fiction craze? That is everything The CW picked up, so trying to pick a winner from the bunch is damn-near impossible. I would guess The Originals, by virtue of being spun-off the highest rated show on the network, will be a hit for CW standards. Everything else looks like pure crap, so it’s not even worth my time prognosticating. The CW had a chance 6 years ago to be relevant. They had Everybody Hates Chris, Top Model (before they over-cycled it), and Veronica Mars. They were young, but they were diverse. Their characters were intelligence. It looks like their system now is to go to the local Hollister, pickup some kids and toss in a supernatural element. How the people running this network even still have jobs is beyond me. Anyone can make a network that caters to one tiny segment of the population, but no one can make that profitable. It’s time for The CW to grow up and grow out.
