With only five nights of programming and two hours of programming per night, The CW's schedule has fewer pieces than any of the others that have been revealed this week, but the network's 2014-2015 lineup, announced on Thursday (May 15) morning, still held a few surprises.
Just as last year you may have expected “The Originals” to get the Thursday 9 p.m. slot after “The Vampire Diaries,” you may have assumed that “The Flash” would probably go in on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. after “Arrow.”
You'd have been wrong last year and this year both.
And you might have anticipated The CW trying a different show after “The Vampire Diaries” on Thursdays next year given the only so-so numbers for “Reign.”
You really should stop assuming things.
Instead, The CW announced a fall schedule that features only one new drama and one new hour-long comedy, leaving two new dramas and two returning shows on the shelf for what could be a busy midseason.
Let's look at things night-by-night:
After a successful first season kicking off Tuesdays, “The Originals” is being shifted to The CW's always problematic Monday, landing the 8 p.m. hour and leading into the telenovela adaptation “Jane the Virgin.” The CW is calling the Gina Rodriguez vehicle a comedy, which has also been the Emmy classification for former Monday resident “Hart of Dixie.”
Starring Grant Gustin, “The Flash” will take over the Tuesday 8 p.m. slot, leading into “Supernatural.” Last year, The CW delayed the premiere of “The Originals” by a week so that it could get promotion with “The Vampire Diaries” and it wouldn't be surprising for the network to do the same thing this fall with “The Flash” and “Arrow,” which have been established as sharing the same corner of the DC Comics universe.
The CW is keeping its current Wednesday night, with “Arrow” leading into the freshman success “The 100.”
Similarly, in what has to be considered a minor surprise, The CW isn't touching its Thursday lineup. “The Vampire Diaries” will continue to seed the historical romance “Reign” in its second season, at least for the fall.
On Fridays, The CW will stick with its very successful hour of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” — one new episode and one repeat — and then “America's Next Top Model.” This will be the 21st Cycle for “America's Next Top Model” and the second to feature both male and female models. J. Alexander will return to the judging panel and The CW will launch “ANTM” in late summer, presumably mirroring the August launches for the past two cycles.
“This is a different CW than we were just a few years ago. Our audience is broader and more inclusive than it has ever been, and we are growing on-air and on all digital platforms,” blurbs CW President Mark Pedowitz. “We just finished our most-watched season in three years, and our schedule is as strong as it has ever been, with more vibrant and more diverse programming.”
Lingering for midseason, The CW has the fourth season of “Hart of Dixie” and the third season of “Beauty and the Beast.”
The CW also has a pair of new midseason dramas in “iZombie,” another DC Comics adaptation, this one starring Rose McIver, and the Book of Revelations-tweaking “The Messengers.”
Here's the handy breakdown. It's pretty simple:
THE CW”s 2014-2015 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE ORIGINALS (New Night)
9:00-10:00 PM JANE THE VIRGIN (New Series)
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE FLASH (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ARROW
9:00-10:00 PM THE 100
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM REIGN
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
8:30-9:00 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Encore Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA”S NEXT TOP MODEL
Thoughts?