In a cruel twist of fate – It’s a week until The CW Upfronts. But what is the point when half the shows on the network were axed? God, this feels like when Krypton was cancelled all over again! Fans have been stepping away from The CW for some time, given the campy and often overbaked shows that seem never to have an expiration date.
This is not us being cruel, as it is horrible that so many cast and crew have lost their jobs in the culling. What is not okay is how the cancellation spree has triggered fans in negative ways. Some are pleased that a lot of the shows they either disliked or never watched have been axed, while others give the network the middle finger. We understand your pain well. We still haven’t forgiven Syfy for axing Krypton. Our belief is that their lack of marketing of the series caused it to be axed, and they did it on purpose—just our two cents.
Everyone has a right to express their opinion. For The CW to cancel half their shows without giving them a wrap up is almost unheard of. It’s like the merger has caused them to look at everything and just cut whatever they believe people won’t care about. Here’s the thing; their slogan is “Dare to Defy.” They had a diversity showcase with stories from all walks of life. But with the culling shows, it shows they don’t give… you get the idea.
Instead of going forward and continuing to lead by example, they’ve gone backwards. We don’t like shaming networks because it doesn’t achieve anything, but The CW will regret their decision to strike a deal with Discovery. Their ratings will dwindle to the point they’ll be tearing their hair out by the roots.
The CW Will Regret Decision?
The CW used to show such leniency with their show renewals. They’ve gone for the throat, thinking they’re freeing up room for new blood. While they are, in a sense, it is disheartening to fans of shows with a large following, despite live ratings. Live ratings are not everything they used to be. Now, shows rely on other factors such as streaming numbers. For example, DC’s Stargirl (one of our faves) has several elements for it being renewed.
One of these facts is the streaming numbers on HBO Max, which co-finances the series. We’ve been told that it’s a high streaming show on the platform. We believe that if the show were axed from The CW, it would not be too big a deal because of the deal struck with HBO Max after the show’s first season aired on the now-defunct DC Universe streaming service. The CW showed the episodes AFTER the streaming release as part of a deal struck at the time.
Also, the show can just be moved to HBO Max in its entirety if The CW cancels it. The CW is just the broadcaster, which puts the show in a unique position. It is now the only preexisting series not to be renewed or canned yet. The upcoming Nancy Drew spin-off about Tom Swift is also in limbo. Hopefully, we’ll have information next week about both shows, given all the news today.
Finally, it would be stupid to cancel a show before it’s even started and another which has yet to air its upcoming season. The end of The CW is incoming, and they’ll only have themselves to blame if viewers continue to jump ship.
