According to my calendar, it's once again that magical time of the year when the CW grants early renewals to many of its flagship programs. Get comfortable, folks, and steel yourselves for a plethora of pickups for the 2020-2021 season for 13 of the network's scripted series that are destined to air another day.
Are you psyched? Are you ready? Okay. Let's do this! The CW has confirmed season renewals for the following programs: BATWOMAN (Season 2), NANCY DREW (Season 2), ALL AMERICAN (Season 3), BLACK LIGHTNING (Season 4), CHARMED (Season 3), DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (Season 6), DYNASTY (Season 4), THE FLASH (Season 7), IN THE DARK (SEASON 3), LEGACIES (Season 3), RIVERDALE (Season 5), ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO (Season 3), and SUPERGIRL (Season 6).
Furthermore, the CW has ordered 13 additional scripts of the Riverdale spinoff, titled KATY KEENE, headlined by Lucy Hale.
Early renewals have been something of a CW staple for some time, though it's possible that this round of early approvals are part of an effort to lock projects down tight as TV studios prepare for a potential writers strike ahead of WGA contract negotiations. Essentially, by preemptively approving the aforementioned programs, the CW has given their writers plenty of time to submit scripts before any shenanigans occur as a result of negotiations gone south. Granted the talks have yet to happen, but should writers choose to strike, scripts for future episodes will be waiting in the wings as things continue to get sorted.
“These early orders for next season give our production teams a head start in plotting out story arcs and a jump on hiring staff, and this also provides us with a strong foundation of established, fan-favorite CW shows to build on for next season,” said CW President Mark Pedowitz. “We’ve been thrilled with the creative direction of all three new series, and even though we are in the very early stages of our new full stack streaming strategy, which allows viewers to catch up on our new shows from the beginning, we’re already seeing incredibly positive results from our multi-platform viewership for Nancy Drew and Batwoman.”
Which of the above-listed renewals are you the most excited about? Let us know in the comments section down below.