We have another new CW Renew/Cancel this week, as the focus shifts to the network's longest-running original scripted series, as well as an unscripted show that may be on the way out. Keep reading for my predictions on all of the network's shows, plus the championship match in the CW Renew/Cancel March Madness!
All American: The CW is a very different network than it once was. While it was always known for offering lower-budget productions, they've taken things to another level since the Nexstar acquisition, with the majority of its lineup now being incredibly cheap reality programs and international co-productions where Canada or Australia or the UK or another country foots much of the bill. Such shows are budget-friendly, but also very low-rated. CW's #1 show as of now is Penn & Teller: Fool Us (it currently leads her Superman & Lois by a single thousandth - that's how low CW's ratings are now, and how hard it is for them to find a standout program), which, while a reality show, is one of the few shows remaining from the "classic" era of the CW. The only scripted show left standing, though, is All American. A relative flop in its first season on the CW, All American was part of an era where the CW was incredibly generous with renewals, handing them out to a plethora of underperformers, because they had Netflix bolstering them. Few shows were canceled in that era on the CW, and the network gained a reputation for giving nearly all of its shows a second chance (those were the days!). That second chance worked out this time. The show blew up on Netflix, like Riverdale a few seasons before, and returned with a linear season high. It continued to perform well, and finished as CW's #5 show that season, after rating as their #15 show the year before. It came back to a new series high in season three, and was their #1 show that season. The Netflix deal didn't only save its linear ratings, it's also what's kept it alive. As every other scripted CW show of that era has slowly but surely been removed from the airwaves, All American has persevered. It's in its seventh season now, and it's endured a lot to get here. Last year, rumors swirled that the show would either end or need to be heavily rebooted, as much of the cast was set to exit, including its lead star. It didn't end, but it did see a cast exodus, with only three members of its ten-person cast remaining. How has that impacted its ratings? It's hard to say, because the CW in general is down so much, but All American is down over 40% this season, and ranks ninth among the CW's programs, after ranking first last season. With ratings so low to begin with, it's difficult to say just how much of an impact its year-to-year drop will have on its fate, but it does seem like a show on borrowed time. The Netflix deal alone cannily save All American for so long. Given what a large percentage of viewers stopped watching the show this season, it's possible that viewership on Netflix will also drop with this reboot. The show is also, while still less expensive than it would've been had the other cast members remained on the show, a more expensive option to air than these international co-productions that now have incredibly similar ratings to All American. For me, the seventh season has felt similar to the final season of Scrubs, where it was expected to end, but the network instead opted to renew it for another season where just three original cast members remained, as the premise was retooled. It didn't work at all, the show lost a large chunk of its remaining audience, and it was canceled after a short final season. Season seven of All American appears to be less of a disaster than that ill-fated Scrubs reboot, and it certainly does still have a chance at coming back, but I think CW's desire for more cost-effective programming, co-produced internationally, will be its downfall. It LEANS CANCELLATION.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Another show remaining from the old era of the CW, Whose Line is also it's longest-running. I downgraded the show without explanation last week, and now I think I owe that explanation, given this show's long and impressive run on the network. In late 2022, star Colin Mochrie labeled the then-upcoming season of the show as its "final" season, and later elaborated that he meant to say that he intended it to be the final season with its cast at the time (who all remain on the show as of now), because they never felt fairly compensated for their work on the show. Flash forward two years, the show is still on the air. The cast returned for another round of filming after that. However, all of those episodes have been subsequently aired, and the CW has no episodes left of the show, as TVLine confirmed recently. There are seemingly no firm plans in place for a renewal, either. It's possible that the show could be renewed yet, as it's not like this show has elaborate scripts or sets that would require months of notice to prepare, but it rings alarm bells for me that a show whose cast has seemingly been unhappy for a few years now has finished production, and finished airing those produced episodes, and the network seemingly hasn't negotiated for another season yet. I wouldn't be surprised by a renewal, especially with ratings that are solid, but there are signs pointing against it that I can't ignore. It LEANS CANCELLATION, with the network having plenty of comedic half-hour unscripted shows that they could replace it with.
CW Renew/Cancel March Madness Concludes!
Last week, we kicked off the first-ever round of voting for the CW Renew/Cancel March Madness, with four of the network's original or co-produced scripted series from this season facing off. After a week of voting, two shows remain, and are set to compete in the championship matchup. #1 seed Superman & Lois advances to the championship match, defeating Good Cop/Bad Cop. Good Cop/Bad Cop started out with a small lead, but Superman & Lois pulled ahead a few hours into the matchup, and never relinquished, fending off a small surge in votes for Good Cop/Bad Cop at the end of the week. In a small upset, #3 seed Wild Cards defeated #2 seed All American, having led from the very start. As such, Superman & Lois and Wild Cards will face off in the championship round. You can vote in that poll below:
What do you think of my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
