The CW announced its 2012-2013 schedule on Thursday (May 17) morning, a roster peppered with new programs and dominated by attempted thematic blocks.
In all, The CW picked up five dramas for the 2012-13 season, with “Arrow,” “Beauty and the Beast” and the freshly retitled “Emily Owens, M.D.” airing in the fall. That, of course, means that The CW is saving one of its big guns, the “Sex and the City” prequel “The Carrie Diaries,” for midseason along with “Cult.”
“One of our biggest priorities this year at The CW was adding more original programming, and we”ve added 50 original hours to our schedule in 2012,” blurbs Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW. “With dynamic new dramas for the fall and midseason, and our first-ever summer schedule leading into our October fall launch, this is poised to be a transformative season for The CW.”
The transformative season begins, actually, with a reversion, as Monday nights will reunite “90210,” moving back to its Season 3 home, with “Gossip Girl.” The CW is announcing up-front that this is the sixth and final “Gossip Girl” season and that “The Carrie Diaries” will take over the Monday 9 p.m. slot in January.
Tuesday will be medical night for The CW. The Rachel Bilson dramedy “Hart of Dixie” will switch hours and night and kick Tuesdays off at 8 p.m. That will lead to “Emily Owens, M.D.” (formerly “First Cut”), which stars Mamie Gummer as a first-year intern at Denver Memorial Hospital learning that the hospital is a lot like high school.
Wednesdays will be all about manly action, as The CW premieres the new DC Comics adaptation “Arrow” in the 8 p.m. hour. Then, at 9 p.m., The CW is bringing “Supernatural” back into the fold. When was the last time you saw a drama premiere during the week, get move to Friday nights and not only survive but be invited back into the week? Rhetorical question, but it’s still rare.
Thursdays seem to be built for supernatural romance? The CW’s hit “The Vampire Diaries” isn’t going anywhere at 8 p.m. and the netlet has set “Beauty and the Beast” for the coveted 9 p.m. slot. “Beauty and the Beast” stars Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan and The CW’s release makes no mention to any ties to a TV show from the ’80s.
The CW is reaching a bit for the thematic ties on Friday, but they’re going with “fierce females.” “America’s Next Top Model,” once the jewel of The CW’s schedule, is limping off to a night devoid of competition reality hoping for a rebirth. Maggie Q’s “Nikita” will shift to 9 p.m. for its third season and second season on Fridays.
If you’re keeping score at home, that would be exactly one show that’s airing where it aired last season.
The CW plans to roll-out its schedule starting in early October.
THE CW’s 2012-2013 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210 (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL (New Time)
(THE CARRIE DIARIES premieres January, 2013)
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HART OF DIXIE (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM EMILY OWENS, M.D. (New Series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ARROW (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL (New Night)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (New Series)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA”S NEXT TOP MODEL (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM NIKITA (New Time)