Rejoice — The CW has blessed seven of its most beloved shows with early renewals at the TCA Winter Press Tour.
The CW used their slot at the biannual Television Critics Association Press Tour today to confirm that all seven of its veteran shows will be back next fall with new seasons.
Early renewals are a boon for fans and production alike, as the confirmation that more is to come allows the threads for the future season’s story to start being included with confident intention earlier rather than later, raising the quality of the storytelling. This way of working is clearly preferred by CW president Mark Pedowitz, who commented today: “Early pickups of these seven series now allow our producers to plan ahead for next season, and gives us a solid base to build on for next season, with original scripted series to roll out all year long.”
Unlucky for some, but lucky for others – Supernatural will have a 13th season, cementing its spot as the longest-running genre show to ever air on American prime-time TV. This renewal won’t quite get the show to its next massive milestone – 300 episodes, where it’s been speculated the show may end – even if it gets its usual full season order of 23 episodes. To reach that, they’d need at least a short order for a 14th season. (Pedowitz commented that “certain shows are better suited to be 13, 16 or 18 episodes, ” and the network boss has all but confirmed that Supernatural will be allowed to run until it chooses to end.) But focusing on the present, Supernatural’s 12th season has been rolling along swimmingly under new showrunner Andrew Dabb, so we’re more than happy to hear that there’s more in store for Sam and Dean and ponder over what this season’s stories may mean for later on.
Fans of Greg Berlanti’s DC universe can also rest easy – all four superhero shows have received a renewal, with Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow promised a third season, The Flash going into a fourth, and Arrow becoming positively middle-aged with a season six. It’ll be interesting to see how all four shows will continue to evolve and intertwine with each other — especially with one remaining crossover episode left to air during Supergirl and The Flash’s back halves. Pedowitz stated that he sees the crossover between all four DC superhero shows as their version of the Doctor Who Christmas special – an annual event that fans can get excited for.
It’s obviously a relief to hear that Supergirl will continue on on the CW after its transition from CBS, especially with the continuing positive impact it has had as the first female-led superhero show on the roster. Arrow’s sixth season will be the first devoid of flashbacks, as the current season wraps them up in Russia, just prior to Oliver’s return to Star City. Legends shook up its roster between its freshman and sophomore seasons, so a return of some original characters may be in the cards, and for The Flash, we’ll be curious to see a transition between seasons that won’t be dictated by Barry’s time-travelling misadventures.
It’s also pleasing to report that the network has given early renewals to its two award-winning female-led comedies. Jane the Virgin will be getting a fourth season and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will have a third. These quirky and progressive shows have gone a long way to widen the audience of the network and help to prove that the CW does produce world-class television. Lead actresses Gina Rodriguez and Rachel Bloom face off tonight at the 74th Annual Golden Globes – both women are nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and both have taken it home once before.
No word yet on 2016 debuts No Tomorrow or Frequency, and decisions about mid-season shows The 100, The Originals, iZombie, or the brand-new Riverdale, (which will steal Supernatural’s timeslot when it begins airing on January 26th, bumping the Winchester brothers an hour earlier,) are also yet to come – unsurprising, as they have not yet begun airing their current seasons. The Vampire Diaries and Reign are both already confirmed to be in their last seasons.