CW current programs: What to keep and what to flush...

Doug Elfman

Cutting the fat as WB, UPN merge

January 29, 2006

BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic

KEEP IT: "Supernatural" (WB)

FLUSH IT: "Charmed" (WB)

KEEP IT: "Gilmore Girls" (WB)

FLUSH IT: "Reba"

Jack Bauer's Spunky Sidekick, Ian J. Ball...

As I said elsewhere, this may actually happen because "Reba" is a FOX TV
Studios show.

KEEP IT: "America's Next Top Model" (UPN)

FLUSH IT: "Friday Night Smackdown" (UPN)

Jack Bauer's Spunky Sidekick, Ian J. Ball...

As WGF points out, this is unlikely to happen - with "Smackdown!",
Friday nights are incredibly easy for The CW(BS) to program; without it,
they almost have to stop programming Fridays.

KEEP IT: "South Beach" (UPN)

FLUSH IT: "Eve" (UPN)

KEEP IT: "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)

Steven L....

Any chance to move "Everybody Hates Chris" to a major network? NBC might be
able to use it somewhere in their schedule.

evwill...

There's an interesting question. Can the contractual obligations of
these shows to the UPN and The WB simply be transferred to The CW? If
so, "Everybody Hates Chris" would land on The CW for certain. If not,
maybe one of the major networks could take EHC.

bklyntv...

Well, I'm sure they'd have to write new licensing contracts (networks
pay a lisence fee to air a show, the current contracts are to UPN & WB
which will no long exist).

William George Ferguson...

I don't think they'll have to, I' pretty sure that the license contracts
are transferrable (see CBS moving its werewolf show from CBS to UPN).

I suppose since UPN & the WB broke their contracts it presents a window
for the production companies to shop their shows to a new network. But
aside from Everybody Hates Chris nearly ALL these shows are lucky
ANYONE wants to air them and they'd be fools to turn the CW down.

William George Ferguson...

CBS owns Chris, or more correctly Paramount Television Productions, a
division of CBS-Paramount, owns Chris. It was acknowledged in the past
that Moonves could move Chris from UPN to CBS without any problems, just
as he moved Wolf Lake from CBS to UPN. He said last fall that he
wouldn't do it, that it would not be right to have UPN develop a show and
then take it away because it was successful.

The person that would have the ultimate say for the studio would be Les
Moonves, you know, the guy Dawn Ostroff will report to when she's
President of the CW.

Even if they could interest another network (a BIG if for most of these
shows), the animosity jumping ship would generate in Hollywood/TV biz
circles probably wouldn't be worth any benefits of trading a CW
contract with say, FOX.

William George Ferguson...

If they could do it, that wouldn't delay them a split second. There are
numerous past examples, the one most germane to this discussion probably
being Buffy.

Besides, where would they go?
ABC: none of these rate high enough to interest a network that has a
lot of hits on it's sked now.
CBS: (Can't shop to them as they're the parent of CW.)
NBC & FOX: I don't see any advantage as both these networks treat their
shows badly, shuffling them around the shedule so viewers can't find
them and then cancelling them prematurely even if they show promise.

In this specific instance I had heard a rumor CBS head Les Moonves is
considering moving EHC to CBS. Not sure if there's any truth to it.

Everett W.

FLUSH IT: "Twins" (WB)

KEEP IT: "Girlfriends" (UPN)

FLUSH IT: "Beauty and the Geek" (WB)

Jack Bauer's Spunky Sidekick, Ian J. Ball...

As much as I agree, neither will happen. (Or, rather, the opposite
will.)

Jack Bauer's Spunky Sidekick, Ian J. Ball...

Can I just flush *Elfman*?...

KEEP IT: "Veronica Mars" (UPN)

Steven L....

How could he forget about "Smallville", which I'm sure he would vote to
keep?

Donna B...

Re-ordered, just to look at it another way.

And, did I miss a memo about SMALLVILLE? And AQUAMAN? And, EVERWOOD?

Taylor...

Nice. Thanks. I guess it's not a complete list because there's a good
10+ shows not mentioned ('7th Heaven', 'Half & Half').

bklyntv...

I read elsewhere (sorry web-search can confirm) that Smallville's
definately confirmed to be back next fall. I think Aquaman is up in the
air. Everwood seems likely but I've not heard confirmation.

7th Heaven was cancelled before the announcement. I don't anticpate
there's any reason to reverse that decision.

What 'up with that?

Rob Jensen...

Probably cut for space.

My take:

KEEP IT: