The end of Upfronts Week is here! I’ve talked about NBC, Fox, ABC, and CBS already. Finally, it’s time to talk about The CW!
As for renewals, since I’m now caught up on Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, I’m thrilled that I can rejoice along with everybody else that this show was renewed! Before I was caught up, I was just happy for everyone involved on the show since I knew that the show and people behind the show were great but now I’m invested so it’s another level of excitement. It’s also really good to see iZombie renewed along with essentially everything else on the network…
Thoughts On Cancelled Series:
I had a feeling that Frequency wouldn’t last long if it didn’t find viewers quickly but I was hopeful and in the end, not surprised by this cancellation. I enjoyed it while it lasted, even if it just ended up being a moment of nostalgia. The CW gave us a very satisfying 3.5 minute epilogue to wrap up the series so definitely check that out if you enjoyed the show.
On the other hand, I had concerns about No Tomorrow‘s longevity from the very beginning so I never really allowed myself to get too emotionally invested with it, which is good since it did get the ax. The CW created an “extended finale” for No Tomorrow aka adding two minutes at the end of the season one finale now series finale to give us a recap of what happened after the events of the finale. I’m somewhat satisfied with how they decided to conclude the show. I thought the Supernatural bit was adorable.
Thoughts On New Series:
Black Lightning is without a doubt the new CW drama that I am looking forward to the most. A Black superhero is getting their own show! I repeat. A Black superhero is getting their own show. I’m watching. I cannot wait. As for the others? Life Sentence looks cute and fun but longevity wise, I have concerns. Valor looks wonderful so I just hope enough viewers get behind this so it doesn’t get cancelled.
Last but not least, Dynasty looks…well, okay. As a Dynasty reboot or whatever they want to call it, no. Hard pass. BUT if this show weren’t called Dynasty, if it were to stand on its own as its own rich people drama, this looks great and I’m all in. But it does have the Dynasty stamp so for shame for that alone. That said, I’ll be watching because I love the creatives behind this show and I trust that they’ll create a great show, Dynasty rep aside. Man, I wish they could have just let this show stand on its own instead of riding off Dynasty because it would have been fine without it. Gah.
Now for the Fall 2017 Schedule…
New series are in CAPS.
MONDAY
8-9pm Supergirl
9-10pm VALOR
TUESDAY
8-9pm The Flash
9-10pm DC’S Legends of Tomorrow
WEDNESDAY
8-9pm Riverdale
9-10pm DYNASTY
THURSDAY
8-9pm Supernatural
9-10pm Arrow
FRIDAY
8-9pm Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
9-10pm Jane The Virgin
Midseason Drama: Black Lightning, Life Sentence
I really like the changes that have been made on the schedule. You know, aside from Jane the Virgin being moved to Fridays. Blegh. But it makes a great pairing tone wise with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, so it makes sense if you can get past it being on death night. You can tell The CW puts a lot of thought into what days and nights they pair shows on and it’s really smart what they’re doing. I just hope The CW can escape the Friday night death pot hole that other networks find themselves in…I also hope they don’t, in the future think they can just dump whatever shows aren’t fantasy onto Friday nights. Because that’s what it looks like is happening so yeah, that’s really my only concern about the scheduling. Other than that, looks good to me! Okay, now, onto the trailers!
Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Christine Adams), suffered. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.
Based on the characters from DC, BLACK LIGHTNING is from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash”), Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”), and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash”). The Black Lightning character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.
LIFE SENTENCEfollows Stella (Lucy Hale), a girl who has spent the last eight years living like she was dying (because she was). Just like the “manic pixie dream girl” heroines in her favorite sappy cancer movies, Stella traveled the world, faced her darkest fears and found true love on a whirlwind trip to Paris. But when Stella finds out that her cancer has been cured, she is suddenly forced to face the long-term consequences of the “live in the moment” decisions she made, including marrying a total stranger. And if that’s not enough, she also finds out that her “perfect family” isn’t so perfect after all. Turns out, because she was dying, everyone in her life hid their problems from her. But, now that she’s well, all bets are off. Stella is shocked to learn that her parents, Peter (Dylan Walsh) and Ida (Gillian Vigman), have fallen out of love, partly because Peter spent their retirement helping Stella make the most of her final days, and partly because Ida has fallen in love with her best friend (Stella’s godmother), Poppy. Also, it turns out Stella may be responsible for the fact that her sister, Elizabeth (Brooke Lyons), gave up her own dreams to take care of Stella and start a family with her husband Diego (Carlos PenaVega), just to give her parents something positive to focus on. Then there’s Stella’s often overlooked brother, Aiden (Jayson Blair), who’s pushing 30 and still lives above the garage, sells Adderall to soccer moms and uses Stella’s cancer to guilt them into sleeping with him. And, of course, there’s her husband Wes (Elliot Knight), a handsome Londoner who she agreed to spend the rest of her life with, thinking that would only be six to eight months, tops. Now that their forever just got a whole lot longer than they were expecting, Wes begins to worry that he can’t continue to pretend to be her perfect husband for the rest of his life. With a real future suddenly in front of her, Stella’s cinematic life snaps into reality, and instead of living like she’s dying, she will have to learn to live like she’s living, and help her family and friends do the same. This multi-generational, coming-of-age story proves that we all end up living somewhere between our dreams and reality… and maybe that’s okay.
LIFE SENTENCE stars Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”), Elliot Knight (“Once Upon A Time”), Dylan Walsh (“Nip/Tuck”), Gillian Vigman (“The Hangover”), Jayson Blair (“Whiplash”), Brooke Lyons (“The Affair”) and Carlos PenaVega (“Big Time Rush”). From Doozer Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Erin Cardillo (“Fuller House,” “Significant Mother”) Richard Keith (“Fuller House,” “Significant Mother”), Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs,” “Cougar Town”), Jeff Ingold (“Ground Floor”), Oliver Goldstick (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Lee Toland Krieger (“The Age of Adaline,” “Riverdale”).
An elite unit of U.S. Army helicopter pilots called the Shadow Raiders are sent on a top secret mission to Somalia, a mission that goes terribly awry. Only two members of the team return safely: Warrant Officer Nora Madani (Christina Ochoa), one of the unit’s first female helicopter pilots, and her commanding officer, Captain Leland Gallo (Matt Barr), while the whereabouts of their comrade Jimmy Kam (W. Tre Davis)are unknown. Now back in the U.S., Madani and Gallo are the only ones who know the truth about what really went wrong in Somalia. Nora’s boyfriend, First Lieutenant Ian Porter (Charlie Barnett), suspects she’s not telling him the full story, and Jess Kam (Corbin Reid), Jimmy’s wife and Nora’s friend, is frustrated and furious at being kept in the dark. Meanwhile Thea, (Melissa Roxburgh) the enigmatic CIA officer charged with investigating the failed mission, has her own suspicions about what occurred. With Nora still recovering from a gunshot wound suffered during the mission, the commander of the Shadow Raiders, Col. Robert Haskins (Nigel Thatch), grounds her from flying. But when it’s discovered that Jimmy is alive and being held captive by a group of ruthless terrorists, Nora is determined to join Gallo back in the cockpit to rescue their friend. As preparation and training intensify, Nora and Gallo grow closer, and soon find themselves torn between duty, honor and desire as they wonder who they can trust, and whether the secrets they’re hiding will help save Jimmy… or put them all in terrible danger.
VALOR stars Matt Barr (“Sleepy Hollow”), Christina Ochoa (“Animal Kingdom”), Charlie Barnett (“Chicago Fire”), W. Trè Davis (“Shades of Blue”), Corbin Reid (“How to Get Away With Murder”), Nigel Thatch (“Selma”) and Melissa Roxburgh (“Star Trek Beyond”). From CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Bill Haber (“Rizzoli & Isles”), Anna Fricke (“Being Human”), Kyle Jarrow (“Lost Generation”) and Michael Robin (“Nip/Tuck”).
Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies) is charismatic, cunning, and poised to become the new COO of her father’s global energy empire – or so she thinks. When her father, Blake Carrington, (Grant Show) summons Fallon and her brother, Steven, (James Mackay) home to the family compound in Atlanta, Fallon is horrified to learn that the reunion isn’t to announce her promotion – but rather to make the acquaintance of their stepmother-to-be, Cristal (Nathalie Kelley). Cristal is stunning – and almost as young as Fallon, as Fallon is quick to point out – but she isn’t just some flimsy gold-digger to be scared off. Cristal is driven, principled, a savvy publicity maven at Carrington Atlantic, and she truly loves Blake. However, the wealth and privilege of the Carringtons’ world proves challenging to her, as she clashes with the staff, including Blake’s butler Anders (Alan Dale), as well as Fallon, who all make it very clear Cristal doesn’t belong. Family dynasties flow through blood, and Fallon would sooner draw blood than call Cristal “Mom.” Fallon asks Culhane (Robert Christopher Riley), the family’s chauffeur – and Fallon’s secret lover – to help expose Cristal for the fraud Fallon thinks she is. But when that backfires, and Blake chooses Cristal over his own daughter, Fallon sidles up to Blake’s biggest rival, Jeff Colby (Sam Adegoke), mixing business and pleasure to seek her revenge… leaving a jealous Culhane to watch from the sidelines. While the Carringtons’ rocky relationships prove the theory that family sticks together no matter what, Cristal is reminded of exactly that when her nephew, Sammy Jo (Rafael de la Fuente), arrives with a suitcase full of secrets from Cristal’s past. Now Cristal’s carefully concealed history could bring her future crashing down – and who knows who else she might take down with her.
DYNASTY stars Grant Show (“Melrose Place”), Elizabeth Gillies (“Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll”), Nathalie Kelley (“UnReal,” “The Vampire Diaries”), James Mackay (“The Leftovers”), Alan Dale (“The O.C.”), Sam Adegoke (“Murder in the First”), Robert Christopher Riley (“Hit the Floor”), and Rafael de la Fuente (“Empire”). From CBS Television Studios in association with Fake Empire, with executive producers Josh Schwartz (“Gossip Girl), Stephanie Savage (“Gossip Girl”), Sallie Patrick (“Revenge”), Esther and Richard Shapiro (the creators of the original “Dynasty”) and Brad Silberling (“Jane The Virgin”).
