Upfronts Scorecard: The CW
Sniffle. Welcome to the very last day of network upfronts week! It's with a little sadness that that we come to the end of the line as the last of the networks finish making their announcements about their fall schedules today.No fall schedule has been as scrutinized or been the subject of as much guesswork and conjecture as the CW's. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of the WB and UPN netlets, the CW has emerged as a blend of the two fallen networks and has had the arduous task of combining two very different lineups into one cohesive package while also adding some new programs into the mix. So, have they succeeded? Find out below...
The CW's OFFICIAL SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2006-2007
MONDAY
8-9 pm: 7th Heaven
9-10 pm: RUNAWAY
TUESDAY
8-9 pm: Gilmore Girls
9-10 pm: Veronica Mars
WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: America's Next Top Model
9-10 pm: One Tree Hill
THURSDAY
8-9 pm: Smallville
9-10 pm: Supernatural
FRIDAY
8-10 pm: WWE Friday Night Smackdown
SUNDAY
7-7:30 pm: Everybody Hates Chris
7:30-8 pm: All of Us
8-8:30 pm: Girlfriends
8:30-9 pm: THE GAME
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the CW schedule stacks up.
Returning Series:
WB: Gilmore Girls, Beauty & the Geek, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, Smallville, 7th Heaven, Reba* (despite being cancelled, it's now been renewed)
UPN: Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends
New Series:
The Game, Runaway, Hidden Palms (fka Palm Springs)
Midseason Launches/Returns:
Hidden Palms, Beauty & the Geek, Reba
Cancelled:
WB: Everwood, Related, Bedford Diaries, Blue Collar TV, Reba, Living with Fran, Modern Men, Pepper Dennis, Survival of the Richest, Twins
UPN: Eve, Cuts, One on One, Half & Half, Love, Inc, Get This Party Started, South Beach
Reactions:
Pretty much expected from the rumors that have been flying over the last few days. (Yay, Veronica!) The CW has more or less taken the strongest elements from the WB and UPN and fused them into the fall schedule on one network. (But One Tree Hill? Seriously? Over Everwood? Bizarre.)
The schedule rather resemebles the current WB schedule, with a few UPN additions. Pairing Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (their traditional homes) was a no-brainer as the shows seem to complement one another and seem a natural fit. Likewise for 7th Heaven and Runaway, whose family drama genres seem a perfect combination for a family-friendly double feature on Monday evenings.
It makes sense to keep UPN's urban-themed sitcoms together in one block and even pair them with a second window of America's Next Top Model. Not sure Sunday is the best night for that (I think Mondays would have been better, but then you'd lose the real estate traction of 7th heaven), but I think it's a good idea to form a programming block. But Everybody Hates Chris on Sundays at 7 pm?!? That's way too early. Great plan, CW, to eliminate what audience you've built so far. (That's the definition of foolhardy.) I'd rather you flip the ANTM repeats to 7 and shift everything an hour later.
All in all, rather what I anticipated beforehand but I am still on cloud nine that Veronica Mars made the cut that I'll overlook the fact that they only ordered two new series for fall (Runaway and The Game) and that neither of them interests me in the least.
Did I mention how thrilled I am about Veronica Mars?