BEVERLY HILLS – It’s time for the last of the network executive sessions from the Television Critics Association press tour.
Woo!
Click through to see what Mark Pedowitz has to say about the network’s present and future…
9:45 a.m. We get a glimpse at The CW’s new brand campaign, titled “TV Now.” It doesn’t feature Michigan J. Frog. Therefore… Not aimed at me.
9:51 a.m. Promo for the new CW singing competition “The Next.” It looks excruciating. But it proves that Nelly is still alive. So there’s that.
9:53 a.m. First question for Pedowitz is about… “Ringer.” Naturally. Why was it cancelled? It wasn’t performing well enough in the digital/online space or on social media. Pedowitz says that he and Sarah Michelle Gellar have had conversations about her returning to The CW as either an actress or a producer in the future. He suggests that in the future, he might do a show like “Ringer” as six episodes or 13 episodes.
9:54 a.m. Poor “L.A. Complex.” Pedowitz says The CW is actually a big fan of the show and that it does well digitally and in the social media space and that the network plans on showing all available episodes. That’s optimistic.
9:55 a.m. Does Pedowitz regret having “Arrow” and “Beauty and the Beast” at the same time? “The audience will find what the audience will,” he says. Pedowitz says that the producers will find the show and he doesn’t think they’re all that similar.
9:56 a.m. Pedowitz says that “Gossip Girl” will end in mid-December after only 10 episodes. Interesting. The plan is to air both “Carrie Diaries” and “Cult” as 13-straight episodes.
9:57 a.m. Does Pedowitz expect to continue the expanded development they had last year? They’re going to continue to be in the summer business and “do what we need to do to make The CW work as a viable entity.”
9:58 a.m. “I wish it performed slightly better in the ratings,” Pedowitz says of “Breaking Pointe,” though he praises its online and digital entity.
9:58 a.m. “It’s amazing what happens when you just have a phone call and a discussion,” Pedowitz says of “Battle Royale,” though he says they’d love to do something with it.
9:59 a.m. “It just wasn’t where we wanted it to be tone-wise,” Pedowitz says of “The Selection.” He calls himself “a big believer” in the show, which is being redeveloped. He also praises the cult following for “Battle Royale.”
10:00 a.m. Pedowitz says that they’re “realistic about where the audience is” and he’s begun to view The CW’s audience as an aggregation of people who watch TV and who watch online.
10:01 a.m. Pedowitz says that renewing “Supernatural” was a no-brainer, while he praises “Hart of Dixie” for its online performance, particularly on Hulu.
10:02 a.m. “I’ve been a big fan of ‘Dr. Horrible,'” Pedowitz says. “We are primarily going to reedit it for TV,” Pedowitz says, though he adds that if Whedon wants to do another one, he hopes the network will get it. He was proactive.
10:02 a.m. “You’ve gone after young women for a long time,” a question begins. Heh. Pedowitz is amused. But are they now going after young men? “Is this like the NBC show?” Pedowitz says, referring to “To Catch a Predator.” He says that they’re an 18-34 network. He mentions “Arrow” and “Cult” as shows
10:03 a.m. “We’re not planning to do anything that we can’t get on the air,” Pedowitz says of “Battle Royale,” suggesting that it might not be EXACTLY the kids-killing-kids plot that fans of the book and movie know. In full, his comment was, “At this point in time, it’s only in development. And we’re not in development. All that existed was a phone call. we’re not planning to do anything, we cannot get in the air. No, we are not going to go in that direction. We’re going to wait and see what happens and how things develop.”
10:06 a.m. The network’s theory in late premieres was to get away from the clutter of September and to reduce repeats.
10:07 a.m. “There’s always new cast members and those who are dead can always come back to life,” Pedowitz says of “The Vampire Diaries.” He loves the cast and the show. It’s funny. Last year he told us he was catching up on “The Vampire Diaries.” It’s obvious that he’s up-to-date now.
10:10 a.m. To repeat: The CW looks at ratings as an aggregation. They look at streaming and digital and social network and all of that. “I know Nielsen is trying the best they can,” he says, but he’s looking at other and different numbers.
10:11 a.m. “We wouldn’t have stuck with it if we didn’t believe it,” Pedowitz says of “The L.A. Complex.” The CW has 10 more episodes.
10:12 a.m. “This is not a supernatural show, so it’s hard for the dead to come back,” Pedowitz says of a possibly dead character on “Nikita.”
10:13 a.m. Where is The CW in terms of comedy? They developed eight scripts last year and they’re very interested in two of them. “We may end up actually doing them through digital,” he teases. “They have to be different for us, but they have to have a strong female perspective,” he says.
10:14 a.m. “There will be more Muppets this holiday season,” Pedowitz says in response to my question about surprisingly strong ratings for a Muppets special last winter. MUPPETS!
That’s all folks…