The coronavirus pandemic has prompted The CW to delay the start of its new season until January and it will mainly air acquired and alternative series in the fall.
The CW’s 12-hour fall schedule unveiled Thursday includes two airings each of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” “World’s Funniest Animals” and “Masters of Illusion.”
The CW’s newly acquired fall scripted programming consists of:
— the superhero series “Swamp Thing,” which streamed for one season on the video-on-demand service DC Universe;
— the psychological thriller anthology series “Tell Me A Story,” which streamed for two seasons on CBS All Access;
— the British comedy “Dead Pixels” about three friends obsessed with a multiplayer online role-playing game; and
— the Canadian character-driven drama “Coroner” about a recently widowed newly appointed coroner (Serinda Swan) who investigates any suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto.
The CW’s returning fall scripted programming consists of:
— the final seven episodes of the 15th and final season of the dark fantasy series “Supernatural.” The season’s first 13 episodes have aired, with the series going on hiatus following the March 23 episode because of the suspension of production because of the coronavirus outbreak;
— the third season of the fantasy-adventure drama “Outpost”;
— the second season of the science fiction series, “Pandora”; and
— the second season of the horror anthology, “Two Sentence Horror Stories.”
Both of The CW series set to premiere in January have ties to television’s past.
“Superman & Lois” is television’s fifth live-action attempt to tell the story of The Man of Steel, following the 1952-58 syndicated “Adventures of Superman”; the 1988-92 syndicated “Superboy”; ABC’s 1993-97 “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”; and The WB’s and The CW’s 2001-11 “Smallville.”
The latest version stars Tyler Hoechlin, who has played Superman on The CW’s “Supergirl,” “The Flash” and “Arrow,” and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane. It is set in Clark Kent’s hometown of Smallville, and includes Kent and Lane raising sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin)
“Walker” is billed by The CW as a reimagining of the 1993-2001 CBS Chuck Norris-starring crime drama “Walker, Texas Ranger.” The new version stars “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki as a widower and father of two who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, “only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home,” reconnecting with his children (Kale Culley and Violet Brinson).
Series set to premiere at mid-season on The CW are “Kung Fu,” inspired by the 1972-75 ABC series, and “The Republic of Sarah” about the attempt by a high school teacher (Stella Baker) to declare her small New Hampshire town an independent nation to fend off a mining company’s attempt to wipe it off the map in an attempt to mine a valuable mineral.
The new seasons of “Supergirl,” “Dynasty,” “In The Dark,” “Roswell, New Mexico” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” are set to begin at midseason.
The CW announced in January that it had ordered additional seasons of 13 of its 15 series on the air at the time, including both the first-season series on its 2019-20 fall schedule, “Batwoman” and “Nancy Drew.”
The only CW series on the air not renewed were “Arrow” and “Supernatural.” The CW had announced earlier both would end their runs in the 2019-20 season, “Supernatural” after 15 seasons and “Arrow” after eight.
There was no announcement about the fate of the only CW series to premiere at midseason during the 2019-20 season, “Katy Keene.” The CW announced it January it had ordered 13 additional scripts of “Katy Keene.”
“As we manage the current crisis, we’ve developed a methodical programming strategy for this year and well in to next that we believe works for The CW, our advertisers, affiliates and audience, while keeping the health and safety of our productions and creative partners front of mind,” said Mark Pedowitz, The CW’s chairman and CEO.
Here is The CW fall schedule:
— Monday: “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”
— Tuesday: “Swamp Thing,” “Tell Me A Story”;
— Wednesday: “Two Sentence Horror Stories,”; “Dead Pixels,” “Coroner”;
— Thursday: “Supernatural,’ “The Outpost”;
— Friday: “World’s Funniest Animals,” “World’s Funniest Animals,” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”;
— Saturday: No programming;
— Sunday: “Masters of Illusion,” “Masters of Illusion,” “Pandora.”
Here is The CW January schedule:
— Monday: “All American,” “Black Lightning”;
— Tuesday: “The Flash,” “Superman & Lois”;
— Wednesday: “Riverdale,” “Nancy Drew”;
— Thursday: “Walker,’ “Legacies”;
— Friday: “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”; “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
— Saturday: No programming;
— Sunday: “Batwoman,” “Charmed.”