Last season, The CW shocked the TV world by doing something unprecedented: they actually canceled shows. And not just a few, either. The network axed half of their lineup, including some shows that didn't even rate all that poorly. So this season will be a challenge, predictions-wise, as I attempt to guess how they will move forward in this new, Nexstar-owned age. Keep reading for my initial predictions for the entirety of their fall slate.
The Winchesters: Supernatural is the longest-running CW series ever, and it's not entirely surprising that the network would eventually turn its eyes to it in an attempt to finally turn it into a franchise after numerous failed attempts. On premiere night, the show's first-ever spinoff, The Winchesters, showed no sigs that it would have the longevity of its predecessor. However, it certainly showed some life with a 0.12, rating just a single hundredth behind All American, the network's #1 series. New shows are often front loaded, and a spinoff of a beloved series like Supernatural may be more front loaded than most. However, this is undeniably a strong start for a show win a network whose programming has mostly failed to exceed the 0.10 mark. The CW ruthlessly canceled numerous series performing at this level last year, including veterans like Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. However, I would expect the network to be a bit less cancel-crazy this season, given that they don't have nearly as many programs in their roster as they did last season, and will likely want to continue airing original programming at the level they currently are. Even if the network does cancel more shows this year, The #Winchesters is nowhere near a top chopping block candidate, and is a LIKELY RENEWAL.
Walker Independence: This spinoff of Walker is a true question mark, as its 18-49 performance has been weak, but not too far off from its parent series. It's hard for me to envision The CW wanting to renew a 0.05 show that they pay to produce (as opposed to similarly-rated international series that they only pay acquisition fees for), but I also can't imagine them expecting much more from a spinoff of a show with ratings as mediocre as Walker. If these modest ratings were enough for them to order a spinoff of Walker, they could easily be enough for Walker: Independence to secure a renewal. It's entirely possible that The CW is satisfied with the large (by their standards) total viewership totals for the two shows, and that this is a metric they will value more going forward. The CW is very hard to read these days, especially with new owners and a new network president (for the first time in over a decade), but I would bet that they won't want to give up their investment in a Walker franchise just yet. It LEANS RENEWAL.
Stargirl: A holdover from the old CW, and the only show they currently have on the air that wasn't renewed during the bloodbath 2021-22 season, Stargirl is in an interesting place. Though its ratings are more-or-less in-line with the average CW program, The CW has been very picky in which shows they've renewed, and it's become pretty clear that the network is moving away from being a hub of DC programming. Of the five DC shows on the air last season, three were canceled, one will air its final season this winter, and the other has also been pushed to midseason. Stargirl doesn't' necessarily feel like a show that fits with the network's new direction, and so it LEANS CANCELLATION.
What do you think of my predictions? What are your predictions? Let me know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
