Mark Pedowitz has been The CW’s president for a couple years now. He’s done multiple Television Critics Association press tour panels, so we’re pretty accustomed to his relatively brief answers and to the ongoing proof that he’s watching all of his network’s shows.
He’s also got a new drama hit in “Arrow” and a surprising new comedy hit in “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Click through for The State of the CW courtesy of Mark Pedowitz’s TCA press tour executive session…
8:58 a.m. All of The CW’s big announcements — a “Whose Line” renewal and a small premiere date shakeup — came yesterday. So we’ll see what’s left to reveal.
9:02 a.m. We’re running late, but because The CW supplied us with cronuts, we won’t be grumpy. We’ll just be wired on cream filling.
9:07 a.m. We start with a clip from “Capture,” which basically looks like a realer version of the competition show on “Siberia,” minus whatever the heck the twist is in “Siberia.”
9:08 a.m. Finally Mark Pedowitz takes the stage.
9:09 a.m. The first question is about a possible “Flash” spinoff from “Arrow.” They’re planning on introducing an origin story for Dr. Barry Allen. “We’re planning an origin story. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully it’ll go well. We do want to expand on the DC universe,” he teases.
9:09 a.m. A question about “Cult.” Who was Steven Rea? “Well, we never got to that second season, did we? We tried giving it as satisfactory conclusion as we could,” Pedowitz says, adding that the identity of Rae was going to be revealed in Season 2.
9:10 a.m. How does “Reign” fit into The CW brand? Pedowitz wants to broaden in the 18-34 demo. He says that with the departure of “Smallville,” the network lost men, but a lot of men came back with “Arrow.” But with “90210” and “Gossip Girl” leaving, they needed more women. He feels that “Reign” should attract 18-34 year-old women and that “Vampire Diaries” will give it the best chance possible. Pedowitz praises star Adelaide Kane and and hints that Damon Lindelof had been looking at her for a movie role.
9:13 a.m. Pedowitz agrees with Les Moonves’ comments from yesterday that The CW works well within its CBS Corporate ecosystem.
9:13 a.m. Are there international partners on “Reign”? The series was shot in Ireland and the series will be shot outside of Toronto with some second unit exteriors in Ireland. It is, indeed, being somewhat co-produced by a Canadian company.
9:16 a.m. A question about the rumored “Supernatural” spinoff. “It’s planned to be a planted spinoff” is all that Pedowitz well say. “There will be hunters. There will be monsters,” Pedowitz says, emphasizing that there may not be returning characters from “Supernatural.”
9:16 a.m. With the success of “Whose Line,” what’s happening with comedy at The CW? “It gives us a strategic piece now for comedy,” Pedowitz agrees. “We have now a platform to develop with and we didn’t before,” he says.
9:17 a.m. What’s the scheduling plan for “Nikita”? The gameplan isn’t three two-hour movies, which is what everybody was telling people at Comic-Con, though he agrees that there may be a two-hour finale. They’re planning to air the episodes in November and into December.
9:18 a.m. “I feel like I’m young at heart,” Pedowitz says of how he works at The CW even though he isn’t in the demo. “You feel what you feel,” he says.
9:19 a.m. Has The CW made progress on how they’re approaching ratings? The CW says that online is a little over 20 percent and that continues to grow as do on-air ratings. Or something.
9:20 a.m. What’s up with “Amazon”? “The script isn’t quite where we want it,” Pedowitz says, claiming that the long-gestating project is on pause for now.
9:21 a.m. “I have a ton of faith in the show,” Peodwitz says of “The Carrie Diaries.” He doesn’t know why it didn’t do better, but he hopes that repeats and Netflix may draw a bigger audience and he thinks it’s a good pairing with “America’s Next Top Model.”
9:21 a.m. “Funny is funny. It’s a funny show that crosses over all demographics.” Pedowitz says of the lessons potentially learned by the success of “Whose Line.”
9:22 a.m. What impact will DC movie plans for “The Flash” have on their series? “We’re good to go… There’s no conflicts in any way shape or form,” he says.
9:23 a.m. Does The CW believe that there’s more value to an overall audience and does The CW need to expand its demo? Pedowitz says they their primary goal is still to sell “a broad 18-34.” He tries making it clear that his agenda is different from the agenda that CBS follows.
9:24 a.m. Is it possible for The CW to draw an audience with a show that lacks a pre-established audience? “‘Hart of Dixie’ was launched and it’s going into its third season,” Pedowitz says. “Having those franchises allow you to incubate and new product to come out and increases your development capability,” he says.
9:25 a.m. “We’ll see what happens after that,” Pedowitz says of the addition of Samantha to “Carrie Diaries” and whether that means that other “Sex and the City” favorites will appear.
9:26 a.m. What are Pedowitz’s thoughts on “Supernatural” going into its ninth season? “I would love ‘Supernatural’ to continue as long as they can continue,” he says. “As long as the fanbase is there and the ratings are there, there’s no reason this can’t continue,” he says. Fair enough.
9:28 a.m. “In terms of musical/variety, if the right project comes in, you look at it,” Pedowitz says of expanding development.
9:29 a.m. “We’re going to go into more romance and mythology this year,” Pedowitz says, adding that they’re somewhat changed the way the Beast looks this year.
9:30 a.m. What are The CW’s expectations for “The Originals”? They’re counting on “built-in equity.” He says that he’s “somewhat confidence” that it’ll hold onto its fanbase.
9:30 a.m. Is there any chance for continuity between the DC movies and DC properties on CW? “Don’t know yet,” Pedowitz says, saying that it’s possible, but it’s possible not. Does Pedowitz have any thoughts on Batman or Superman for TV? “The question goes to ‘Does the studio want to move them back to TV or keep them on the theatrical side?'” He says. It comes down, not surprisingly, to what Warner Brothers wants.
That’s all, folks…