The CW Is Dead. Long Live The CW!
With a new regime comes the death of trust audiences had with TV networks — and they already didn't have much
The CW began with a bloodbath.
The birth of The CW was the death of two networks. The “netlet”—as it was often called—was the product of a merger between UPN and The WB in 2006. Each network had a full roster of shows, and trying to cram all of them into one network’s schedule was brutal. At least two dozen shows were canceled in one fell swoop. Fans were outraged, their favorite shows gone just like that.
And that’s just a part of its storied history. The CW might only be 16 years old, but it’s gone through mergers, target audience changes, executive transitions, and groundbreaking streaming deals. A decade and a half in, yet another iteration of the netlet is upon us as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery give up majority ownership to Nexstar.
Regardless of what you might think, The CW has been one of the few networks with a strong brand identity, willing to make some off-the-wall series, with a reputation of nurturing behind-the-scenes talent. What saddens me most, though, is this: The rebirth of The CW signals the end of any trust audiences have left in TV networks, whether they be linear or streaming—and they didn’t have much to start with.
Let’s Take It Back
UPN gave us a plethora of Black-led shows, like Moesha, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. The WB, noticeably whiter, had their own iconic hits like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, and Gilmore Girls. At the time, ratings were low for both network, hence the merger. They figured they’d be stronger together.
The problem is that didn’t work. When you merge two low-rated networks, you get one low-rated network.
For a few years, The CW acted like most other networks, meaning it canceled shows regularly depending on ratings. (One difference was its over-prioritization on shows with audiences that skewed younger and female. Women aged 18–34 was a key demographic then.) In 2011, Mark Pedowitz replaced Dawn Ostroff as the president of the network. Perhaps his most historic decision as president was the landmark deal with Netflix; all CW shows would premiere on the streaming service only eight days after their seasons ended, as opposed to waiting till fall. With this deal in place, Pedowitz was very vocal about ensuring that shows on the network had proper endings.
This sowed confidence in The CW among its fans. They didn’t just talk the talk; they walked the walk. Shows beyond one season really did get the time to end without cliffhangers, even with shortened seasons—like Gossip Girl’s 10-episode final season.
Simply put, there was no other network-audience relationship like that, perhaps ever but definitely not in recent history. If you watched a show on The CW, you could be confident in knowing that it would have an actual ending and not get canceled unceremoniously.
That’s huge in a TV landscape where you hear people say they wait till a show is actually finished to begin watching, in fear of never getting closure. None of the Big Four networks could say the same, neither could cable or even premium cable networks. Streaming services were supposed to be less brutal when it came to canceling shows, but that didn’t end up being the case. Netflix’s reputation, anecdotally, is worse than linear networks when it comes to cancelations. HBO Max just deleted shows and movies out of nowhere a couple weeks ago.
This loyalty to even its worst-performing shows was made possible because of The CW’s unique setup. The CW’s shows were produced by the studios who also ran the network, meaning they reaped the benefits when it came to streaming and foreign licensing deals. This meant that linear ratings and the network’s revenue didn’t matter all that much, as long as the shows themselves eventually turned a profit. That landmark streaming deal with Netflix helped make the shows profitable. (Later, that Netflix deal was nixed in favor of streams via The CW app and deals with Paramount+ and HBO Max.) Put in other words: It didn’t matter if only 400,000 people watched the latest episode of Dynasty live, where the revenue from advertising wouldn’t be enough to pay for the episode, as long as Netflix paid enough to stream it.
It’s that setup that made way for some of the more odd, critically acclaimed shows—like Jane the Virgin or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which I’m not sure would’ve survived as many seasons as it did on most networks. It’s likely the only broadcast network that would air something as bonkers as Riverdale season six. I guess you could say they dared to defy.
The New Regime
Yesterday, it was confirmed that Nexstar will acquire a 75% ownership of The CW, leaving Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery with 12.5% apiece. This is a fundamental shakeup—not just for The CW, but going as far back as the days of The WB and UPN, which operated similarly to The CW now, sans streaming deals of course. When the studios who own and produce the shows no longer own the network those shows air on, ratings become much more important, as they are with all other broadcast networks.
Tom Carter, the president and COO of Nexstar, said yesterday that the average age of a CW viewer is 58*. And while that’s hilarious, it’s also not too shocking given that we know older views are the ones watching live TV these days. Younger audiences have flocked to streaming. Nexstar’s strategy for The CW is one that’s been predicted for a while now: targeting older viewers.
[*There are a couple thing to note here. The average age of any live TV viewer is likely older than the coveted 18–49 demographic. However, Carter could also be saying that viewers of the local affiliates/stations who are tuned in to daytime and syndicated shows, like reruns of Two and a Half Men or something, are older, too. Maybe when they’re advertised a teen show to watch at 8 p.m. on The CW, those older viewers are changing their local station’s channel for primetime shows that appeal to them more.]
The strategy is straightforward: Cut costs. More unscripted content. Shows that appeal to a broader audience.
And it saddens me for all the reasons I mentioned above. We make fun of it all the time—any show can survive on The CW. It’s true. For the second half of The CW’s life, if a show made it to a second season, it didn’t get canceled without the writers being able to give the story proper closure. Your favorite show getting canceled, especially if it ends on a cliffhanger, is the number one fear of any TV viewer. Whether you liked their shows or not, you knew The CW would do right by you as a viewer.
There are other reasons, too. For one, it’s my understanding that The CW’s productions have a reputation for nurturing writers, showing them all aspects of what it takes to run a show.
But it’s also one of the last TV networks with an actual brand identity. Most TV networks try to be something for everyone. Even streaming services are like this. Netflix makes everything imaginable. Warner Bros. Discovery recently announced they’re launching a new service that will combine HBO Max and Discovery+, something for all demographics. Nexstar taking ownership of The CW and pivoting to broaden its audience is more of the same.
When you turned on The CW, you knew what you were getting: Superhero shows, sci-fi shows, supernatural shows—with the occasional oddball series mixed in.
Now, what are we to expect? CBS Lite? Something akin to MyNetworkTV?
I feel like we’ve gone through a great experiment with television for the past decade and a half. Viewers claimed they wanted more specificity in the TV they were paying for, the option to choose “à la carte.” (Tangent: They also said they wanted no ads, but ads generate far more revenue.) But for whatever reason—whether they’re not paying or not tuning in—it’s not sustainable. Specificity is out, and jacks of all trades are in.
This acquisition is one of the largest indicators of a shift in the TV landscape—back to caring about overall viewership rather than the 18–49 demo that ruled TV for so long, back to casting the widest net.
The CW used to be a playground where shows could try new things and viewers knew it was safe to get invested. That playground didn’t always work, of course. Still, I can’t help to be sad about the end of this era.
For the longest time I’d say if it was on the CW I’d probably like it. I’m very sad I can’t say that anymore.