The aim is for viewers to be ‘Charmed’
Network hopes reboot will cast a spell as it boosts schedule, says bye to fan favorites.
The CW is charming its way into Sundays and saying goodbye to some fan favorites.
The 2018-19 season will see the network, which until now has been doling out 10 hours of programming each week, boost its prime-time schedule by 20% by adding two hours of scripted shows on Sundays. And it is hoping to cast a spell from the start by leaning on brand equity to establish the night.
The reboot of “Charmed” will help launch the CW’s new evening. The returning “Supergirl” will anchor the night, followed by the remake of the supernatural WB drama, which will boast a new cast and comes from “Jane the Virgin” mastermind Jennie Snyder Urman.
“We wanted to have an established show on Sunday night,” CW President Mark Pedowitz said Thursday morning during a conference call ahead of the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers. “We wanted name value with ‘Charmed’ on there. We felt that it was two shows that empowered women and were making a statement that we were not kidding — we were not going to phone it in on Sunday nights, that we were going to compete.”
“Charmed” is one of five freshman shows the network will launch next season — three in the fall, two for mid-season. The CW also confirmed that it would be saying goodbye to “iZombie” and “Jane the Virgin,” both reaching five seasons, and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” coming to a close at the end of its fourth season.
“We will miss each of those shows in terms of what they’ve done,” Pedowitz said. “They’ve helped the perception of the CW across the board.”
Overall, not much change is hitting the network’s prime-time lineup.
“Legends of Tomorrow” and “Arrow” stand guard on Mondays, while “The Flash” and “Black Lightning” will keep Tuesdays safe. For those keeping score, that makes five superhero dramas on the schedule for fall.
“Riverdale” will continue on its Wednesday path, with the night welcoming the new Greg Berlanti drama “All American,” about a rising football player from South L.A. who is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High.
Thursdays will also get a dose of something new. “Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals” spin-off “Legacies” will close out the night that’s headed by the veteran “Supernatural.”
Fridays will see “Dynasty” paired with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”
Shows holding until midseason are the returning “The 100,” “Jane the Virgin” and “iZombie,” as well as new series “In the Dark” and the CW’s other reboot, “Roswell, New Mexico.”