CW

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CW finds there’s life beyond Canada

Amid a sea of clever Canadians and tidy budgets, here’s a slight detour:
The CW network is adding a show that’s smart, fun and (surprisingly) American. “Good Cop/Bad Cop” (shown here) debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 19), the perfect companion to the 8 p.m. “Wild Cards.”
For CW, this is part of a quick makeover. The network had been best known for slick superhero shows. It lost money, but its co-owners (Paramount and Warner Brothers) did well be then selling the same shows overseas.
Then CW was sold to people who had no interest in loss-leaders. They dumped all of the scripted shows (except “All American”), kept some unscripted ones and mostly started over. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 17, 2025
Stories

The boy-band boom: big, bright, exhausting

From time to time, the world falls in love and/or hate with boy bands.
Record sales soar; the Backstreet Boys alone have sold 130 million. Some girls scream their approval, some guys disagree. Noel Gallagher, of the British group Oasis, called boy bands “the spawn of Satan.”
And then, after a slight pause, it starts all over again.
Now a documentary views a key phase: “The Boy Band Boom of the ‘90s” airs from 8-10 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 8) on CW. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 6, 2025
News and Quick Comments

CW’s scripted shows: scarce, but kinda good

In the makeshift world of the CW network, there’s some good news:
Scripted shows are making a modest comeback. They include:
— An OK one at 8 p.m. Mondays. The seventh season of “All American” is almost a reboot – a workable mix of old and new characters.
— A good one at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. “Wild Cards” is a fun blend of a quiet cop and a zestful con woman.
— And an even better one, added to Wednesdays on Feb. 19. “Good Cop/Bad Cop” (shown here) has clever ways of plugging mismatched siblings into mysteries. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 1, 2025
Stories

“Dream role” brings scams, wigs and fun

Some roles require little acting – a subtle smile, a sly smirk, maybe a pregnant pause.
Then there’s Max, on “Wild Cards,” who does … well, everythinng. “It’s kind of like a dream role,” said Vanessa Morgan (shown here), who plays her.
The show (8 p.m. Wednesdays on CW) has a cop (Giacomo Gianniotto) reluctantly paired with Max. A lifelong con artist, she has a bag of tricks (literally) from which she has produced wigs, pistachios and a grappling hook. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 18, 2024
Stories

She wrestles with superhero stardom

Javicia Leslie’s childhood prepared her for three careers – wrestler, martial artist or superhero,
She abandoned one after learning the World Wrestling Federation was fake. “I really thought (it) was real …. As I got older, I realized they were acting,” she told the Television Critics Association.
But now she’s merged the other two: She’s the new star (shown here) of “Batwoman” (8 p.m. Sundays on CW), flexing some martial-arts moves. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 21, 2021
Stories

“Walker”: An eternal TV show walks anew

From time to time, people have asked Paul Haggis about “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which he co-created.
“You can’t kill it with a stick,” he would say with a grin.
Not that he would want to; the show has been an eternal payday. It ran for nine years and 196 episodes … was a TV movie … reran on cable … reached more than 100 countries … and now is back as “Walker,” debuting at 8 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 21) on CW.
It has spanned generations. When the show debuted in 1983, Jared Padalecki (shown here), the new Cordell Walker, was 11; Lindsey Morgan, who plays his ranger partner Micki Rodriguez, was 3. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 18, 2021
Stories

CW is back (finally) with good, bad and Walker

If there’s a TV award for pandemic patience, it should go to the CW network.
Others scrambled to get many of their shows on the air by November; CW simply waited. Now – midway through the season – most of its shows are starting their seasons. The result, as usual, is mixed:
– One show is surprisingly good. The first season of “Batwoman” (8 p.m. Sundays), shown here, was beautifully crafted, in a grim and gloomy way. Then its star quit; the show found a way to keep the quality, while brightening a bit. “We wanted to add a little fun to the show,” said producer Caroline Dries, “because it is so bleak.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 16, 2021
News and Quick Comments

“Stargirl,” a summer surprise, is renewed

Right now, we’re short of good news and of new, scripted shows in the summertime.
So here’s something that combines both: “Stargirl” (shown here) has just been renewed for next season.
The show was created for the DC Universe streaming service, then set a two-part plan: Each week this summer, a new episode reaches DC on Mondays, then airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on CW.
The result has been a pleasant surprise, with smart writing and sharp casting. It still has six more episodes for this summer … and now more: For next year, DC Universe will drop out; CW will air each episode first, then move it to its next-day streamers. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 6, 2020
Stories

CW: Too much of a good (usually) thing?

If consistency is a virtue, then … well, the CW is our most virtuous TV network.
But if variety is the spice of life? This spice rack is almost empty.
The mini-network is in its premiere week now, two weeks after the big guys started. It has two new shows – the impressive “Batwoman” and the not-bad “Nancy Drew” — and lots of same-old.
Many of those shows have followed “Arrow” (shown here), which is starting its final, 10-episode season, “Who would have thought it would spawn six shows, a whole universe?” asked Mark Pedowitz, the CW’s programming chief. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 4, 2019
Stories

It’s the good life (sort of), without money or prospects

This isn’t your usual TV-comedy turf. There’s no supersized apartment, no superfun job, no expectations.
“Florida Girls” has four women sharing a messy home and a messy life. They’re about 25, almost a decade after dropping out of school.
There used to be five of them, but Mandy went upscale. She got her GED, got a job, moved out and goes by Amanda. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 8, 2019