Hot on the heels of premieres that have set recent network highs and dramatically boosted time period averages, both “The Flash” and “Jane the Virgin” have been picked up for full seasons by The CW.
Try not to look surprised.
“The Flash” premiered two weeks ago and drew 6.1 million viewers in Live+3 DVR figures and delivered the network's highest-rated series premiere among adults 18-49 since the 2009 premiere of “The Vampire Diaries.” The DC Comics adaptation slipped only slightly in its second week, averaging 4.27 million viewers and doing a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49 in Live+SD ratings.
While “Jane the Virgin” wasn't nearly as successful, the expectations weren't nearly as high for the telenovela adaptation, especially airing in the bleak wasteland that has been The CW's Monday. The “Jane” premiere drew 1.605 million viewers and did a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 in its Live+Same Day debut, drawing the most viewers in the time period since February 2012. The dramedy, which earned some of the fall's best reviews, seems to have held up well in its second airing, though we'll see what the numbers look like when a football preemption is taken out of the equation. [UPDATE: “Jane” slipped a little in its second week, but The CW's Monday standards are so low that it remains a triumph.]
“We have had a fantastic start to our season this year, with 'The Flash' launching as our most-watched series premiere ever, and 'Jane the Virgin' recognized as the best new show this season by critics across the country,” blurbs CW President Mark Pedowitz. “Over the past three seasons, we have made it our mission to grow and to broaden out our audience, and to keep raising the bar with the quality and impact of our new shows, and 'The Flash' and 'Jane' have both exceeded our expectations on all counts. I'm thrilled to announce full season orders for both of these terrific new series.”
Thus far, “Black-ish” and “Gotham” are the fall's only new shows to receive full season orders including additional episodes. [“How To Get Away With Murder” received an odd confirmatory order for the originally intended 15 episodes.]
We're still waiting on our first official cancellation.
You pleased?