CW’s solution for summer and fall: O, Canada

Maybe the “C” in the CW network stands for “Canada.” Consider the moves this week:
— One day, CW announced an ambitious summer schedule that includes four scripted shows from Canada, three new and one (“Family Law”) returning.
— The next, it said another Canadian show will be on its fall schedule. “The Spencer Sisters” will star Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber as mother-and-daughter detectives. It’s one of two fall shows announced so far by CW; the other (not Canadian) is “61st Street,” a transplanted cable drama with Courtney Vance.
That emphasis seems especially logical if the writers’ strike forces networks to scramble for available shows. It’s also part of a key transition: After years as the fun home for comic-book heroes – from Batman and Supergirl to Archie Andrews and Jughead – CW is now in the hands of the guy who nurtured Canada’s biggest U.S. hit, “Schitt’s Creek.”
In 2015, the former TV Guide Network became Pop, operating on a tiny cable budget. Brad Schwartz, its programming chief, granted that he never thought he’d have a full-scale, scripted show in the first year, but there it was: Pop was co-producing “Schitt’s Creek.”
The show became an instant favorite for some critics and a gradual one for viewers. Schwartz scrambled for some companion pieces, with mixed success; then things collapsed in 2020:
— The pandemic shut down “One Day at a Time,” which CW had grabbed after Netflix dropped it.
— A corporate shift put Pop under new supervisors. They dumped all of the scripted shows.
“Schitt’s Creek” had already decided to end its run. That fall, it won the top seven Emmys in the comedy category… and, like other scripted shows on Pop, vanished.
Then came another corporate shake-up. On Aug. 15, 2022, Nexstar – which owns about 200 stations, plus some digital channels – bought CW.
For shows, CW had leaned heavily on its previous owners – CBS (that’s the “C”) and Warner Brothers (the “W”). The latter owned DC comics; CW rippled with high-octane shows.
These were fairly expensive adventures, drawing modest ratings. Mark Pedowitz, then the programming chief, said CBS and Warner were happy to have the network as a loss-leader, because these were the types of shows that could then turn a profit overseas.
Nexstar soon ended that. Some of the shows were already leaving and others were dropped.
Departing are “The Flash,” “Kung Fu,” “The Winchesters,” “Walker Independence,” “Star Girl” and more; “Riverdale” and “Nancy Drew” will conclude this summer. Among scripted shows, only “Walker” and “All American” have definitely been renewed, with a few others – “Superman & Lois,” “Gotham Knights,” “All American: Homecoming” – waiting for word.
In November, Nexstar announced that Schwartz was in charge, because of his skill at “developing and acquiring hits with limited resources.”
“Limited resources” can involve reality, or a show that’s aired elsewhere. (“61st Street” filmed two seasons for cable’s AMC, but only one was aired.) Or it might be a show already airing in Canada.
Occasionally, American networks have grabbed them for summer or beyond – “Due South” on CBS, “Rookie Blue” on ABC, “Transplant” on NBC, “Coroner” and “Burden of Truth” and more on CW.
This summer, CW is expanding its Canadian line-up. It’s bringing back one light drama (“Family Law”) and adding another (“Moonshine”), plus two comedies (“Son of a Critch” and “Run the Burbs”). It also will also have the British “The Rising” and two Australian shows – the returning comedy-drama “Bump” and the new “Barons.” And it will have five non-fiction shows.
Now comes the fall spot for “Spencer Sisters,” from the creator of “Rookie Blue” and the company that does “Family Law,” “Moonshine” and “Burden of Truth.”
The show has a mystery writer linking with her daughter to start a detective agency. It stars Lea Thompson, 61, (“Back to the Future”) and Stacey Farber, 35, who has been big on Canadian TV for two decades and plays Leslie Larr, a “Superman & Lois” villiain, on CW.
After debuting in Canada in January, the show makes the jump. For now, CW stands for Canada Wins.