And it has come to pass just as Hunky Nostradamus prophesied.
The CW announced on Monday (November 11) afternoon that it has given full-season orders to “Reign,” “The Tomorrow People” and “The Originals.”
For The CW, this reflects a positive fall 2013 that has seen the network rise nine percent year-to-year in total viewers and 10 percent among adults 18-49, while remaining flat in its target demos of adults 18-34 and women 18-34.
With the back-nines for “Reign,” “Tomorrow People” and “The Originals,” all of The CW’s new fall shows have been extended into the spring, with the network still holding the dramas “Star-Crossed” and “The 100” for midseason TBD premieres.
Since I wasn’t actually sure, I asked and was told that “Beauty and the Beast,” currently struggling on Monday nights, was renewed for a full 22 last spring. “The Carrie Diaries” was only ordered for 13 episodes, but that’s a capped 13, unconnected to the “Sex and the City” prequel’s difficulties on Fridays.
“In just a few seasons, we have built a much stronger primetime schedule. Our on-air ratings are up year to year, and our digital viewing continues to grow exponentially,” blurbs CW President Mark Pedowitz. “We’re excited about the creative momentum the producers have established for all three of our new series, and now our fans will have the chance to see the full stories unfold for them this season. With the additional episodes ordered, plus two new dramas and new reality for midseason, we”ll be able to continue our commitment to adding more original programming all year long.”
None of the pickups was exactly a surprise, though the rationale behind the orders wasn’t identical.
“The Originals” has been a rousing success for The CW this fall. The “Vampire Diaries” spinoff has opened Tuesday nights without a lead-in and, in recent weeks, it has been basically equalling its lead-out, the established “Supernatural.” In its most recent airing, “The Originals” did a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49 in Live+Same Day ratings, same as “Supernatural,” beating “Superatural” among women 18-34.
“The Tomorrow People” got out to a strong start with “Arrow” as its lead-in on Wednesday nights, but in recent weeks the gap between the two dramas has grown. Last week, “Arrow” averaged 2.8 million viewers and a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49, only to see “Tomorrow People” slip to 1.56 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating. The drop has been even steeper in female demos. Last week, “Arrow” did a 0.9 rating among women 18-34 and women 18-49 and “Tomorrow People” fell to a 0.3 and a 0.4 respectively.
And those drops look almost quaint compared to the weekly declines for “Reign,” a semi-historical drama that represented a major change-of-pace for The CW airing out of “The Vampire Diaries” on Thursdays. Last week, “The Vampire Diaries” averaged 2.59 million viewers and did a 1.3 rating among adults 18-49, while “Reign” slipped to 1.64 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating. Again, the drops have been even steeper in female demos. Last week, “Vampire Diaries” did a 2.1 rating among women 18-34 and a 1.7 rating among women 18-49, with “Reign” dropping to a 1.0 and a 0.9 respectively.
While “The Originals” is a CW-standard, CW-sized hit, “Tomorrow People” and particularly “Reign” reflect attempts to vary demo focus and tonality for The CW, so it makes sense for The CW to want to stick with both dramas at least for 22 episodes.
Have you been watching the three new CW shows? Any thoughts? Surprised by any of these renewals?