Analyzing the 2018 Fall Schedule: The CW

CRAIG’S CHOICES

Most Promising Trailer: All American is probably the one Fall trailer that left me with the best impression. I’m not too big on sports shows, but I do like series about real people, and that show in particular seemed to have a very appealing cast.

Most Anticipated New Show: Roswell, New Mexico. I hate that I have to wait until midseason to see it.

Best Scheduling Move: I’m… really not a fan of this year’s schedule, so I don’t know. Adding Sundays seems like a good move. Let’s go with that.

Worst Scheduling Move: Where do I start? Read my entries for the individual days to see my complaining.

Most Likely New Hit: Charmed will probably open big for curiosity’s sake, but Legacies will be the real winner.

Likely First Cancellation: In The Dark. I know it doesn’t premiere until midseason, but go with me on this.

What I’ll Be Watching in the Fall: It’s The CW. The better question is what WON’T I be watching. (Answer: I probably won’t watch In The Dark, and Charmed needs to get a lot better than that first trailer if they want to keep my interest.)

SHILO’S SUPERLATIVES

Most Promising Trailer: The volume of non-supernatural, non-mystery teen dramas has been dangerously low in recent years, so it’s very nice to see something a bit more straightforward in All American. But aside from the solid looking cast, what seems to be a lot of heart, and some appreciated vibes of The O.C. and Friday Night Lights, what made the All American trailer so promising was that it pointed to a show that had a sense of humor. Levity will keep it from going over the line from pathos into Very Special Episode territory and give the show more places to go with its storytelling.

Most Anticipated New Show: I’m really curious about In The Dark. I wasn’t able to see the trailer, but the concept is out there even for The CW and I’m wondering what it looks like in motion. And frankly, I’d like to know whether it’s going to resonate with critics the way that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin have because that feels like the only reason to pick up something that just screams “niche streaming project”. The CW at least has some cover if it stumbles thanks to two reboots and a spinoff, but this probably has to hit with the critics to have a shot at survival.

Best Scheduling Move: Legends and Arrow Mondays, maybe? They’re not that compatible tonally, but I think this’ll be a sturdy night of synergy that will allow The CW to focus its energies elsewhere. This type of scheduling is just as important as the big moves and the network needed some type of low-key pairing with an extra night to promote. While neither show will burn up the Nielsens next season, especially with Monday Night Football looming, I have a feeling that the night will look pretty decent once everything settles.

Worst Scheduling Move: The more I think about Sundays, the less here for it I am. Putting a DC drama up against Sunday Night Football feels shortsighted and using your second oldest drama on a show about college kids doesn’t make much sense. Also confusing is going to the trouble of rebooting Charmed, which could very easily have been a good 8:00 anchor for them, only to use it Sundays at 9:00. I mean, I get how this season The CW had to think more about the affiliates in their schedule due to the expansion, but if the gulf between Supergirl and Charmed is that pronounced, the former gets hit by football, and the negative buzz surrounding the latter holds until fall, this could be a major disappointment for them. And worse of all, it could cut into the life spans of both shows.

Most Likely New Hit: Weirdly, none of the new fall shows are in a great scheduling position (why The CW refuses to launch new shows at 8:00 is just beyond me) and the two based on known properties have anti-fan bases before an episode has aired. I think that Charmed has a higher ceiling than Legacies, which would do well to stay in the ratings range of the original, but the negative buzz and the fact that it’s been a minute since a 9:00 non-comic drama really popped on The CW makes me wonder just how much of that ratings potential it’ll get to fulfill. One thing I am confident about, though, is that Charmed will get a Netflix deal a’la Dynasty and do well enough to be an easy renewal.

Likely First Cancellation: This is The CW, y’all. We won’t see a newbie cancellation until pre-upfronts week next year; they can just very quietly wrap a season at 13 episodes, give some spiel about decisions being made at a later date, and remind people to catch up on Netflix. I think we’re more likely to see another veteran joining iZombie, Jane the Virgin, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in getting a pre-announced final season vs. seeing a new show officially and formally cancelled before May.

What I’ll Be Watching in the Fall: I’ll be checking out All American, which had one of my favorite upfronts trailers and could give us the Next Great Teen Drama. And I’m pumped for more Dynasty after the show really proved itself creatively in the last 2/3 of its season.