The CW's Best Days Are Behind It

The CW has always lagged behind the three older broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox) in the ratings. Its ratings have always been lower than its predecessor, The WB, as well. Despite this, The CW developed a following, particularly among young people. Many of the programs it aired over the years maintain large fandoms to this day, including Smallville, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, The Flash, and Riverdale. Regardless of what one thought of many of the shows on The CW, many of them were successful. Sadly, I have to think that The CW will lose many of its long-time viewers this season. I know this will be the first season in over a decade in which I will watch nothing on The CW.

The CW was formed in 2006 following the closures of The WB and UPN by Warner Bros. (the owner of The WB) and CBS Corporation (the owner of UPN). It was last year that Nexstar Media Group acquired The CW from Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery. Almost immediately NexStar began making changes to the network. They cancelled most of The CW's long-running scripted shows, leaving only All-American, All-American: Homecoming, Superman & Lois, and Walker. New shows, such as Walker: Independence (a prequel to Walker) and The Winchesters (a prequel to Supernatural) were cancelled after one season.

In their place, The CW debuted shows that had originated elsewhere. Sullivan's Crossing is a Canadian show that originated on CTV, while The Swarm is a German show that originated on ZDF. FBOY Island is a reality show that originated on HBO Max, who cancelled it after two seasons. 61st Street is a show that had been cancelled by AMC. The CW also added sports programming to its schedule, including LIV Golf, the show 100 Days to Indy, and Inside the NFL.

The CW's plan is to focus on viewers in the key demographic of 18-49, as well as even older viewers. The reason for this was summed up by the network's president, Dennis Miller (not the commentator and comedian), who said at upfronts this past May, "The young adult audience is not making an appointment with broadcast today. That audience has abandoned broadcast, hence the opportunity we have to broaden the audience." On the surface, it then makes sense for The CW to broaden its audience from people in their teens and twenties to older people. It would certainly help with the ratings.

The problem is that, as Nexstar's chief operating officer Tom Carter pointed out last August, while The CW's programming was targeted at the 18-38 demographic, the average viewer of its broadcasts was 58 years old. It then seems to me that The CW already had an older audience, even if it was much smaller than those of NBC, CBS, ABC, or Fox. In cancelling long-running shows like Kung Fu and Stargirl, they could very well drive away what little of the older audience they have. Indeed, as I said, this will be the first time in over a decade that I will watch nothing on The CW.

Okay, granted, I could well be atypical of my generation when it comes to what I like on television. I like genre shows like Stargirl and The Winchesters. I detest unscripted shows like FBOY Island (even the title is nauseating). I have no interest in watching golf (honestly, I don't know anyone who does). I actually watch very little on broadcast television, preferring the offerings on the various streaming services. Even so, I don't think I am that atypical for an older Gen Xer. Almost nothing that The CW is offering this season appeals to me. Sullivan's Crossing? It looks to me like a romance series of the sort that appeals primarily to older female Boomers. Inside the NFL? Even when I was an NFL fan (I ceased being one when the Rams left St. Louis), I didn't watch sports commentary shows. 61st Street? I didn't watch it when it was on AMC. Why would I now? About the only show they have scheduled to air this season that somewhat interests me is The Spencer Sisters, a CTV show about two mystery solving sisters. And I would more likely watch it on streaming than I would on broadcast television. If other Gen Xers, not to mention Millennials and Zoomers as well, are like me, they may find nothing on The CW that appeals to them. In other words, The CW might have a much smaller audience than they ever did before.

On top of this, I think The CW's insistence on concentrating on broadcast could easily backfire. The sad truth is that broadcast television is becoming a thing of the past, A bulk of the older networks' audience watch their shows on On Demand or on streaming. And it is not just younger people who watch shows on On Demand or streaming. I aged out of the key demo of 18-49 long ago and, as I said, the bulk of what I watch is on streaming. On any given week the only thing I might watch live on a broadcast network is the evening news.

Of course, all of this could well defeat NexStar's goal of making the network profitable. The money they save by importing shows from Canada or obtaining them from elsewhere won't make up for the advertising dollars they could lose because they have lost their audience. As always, ratings are king when it comes to television advertising. 

In fact, I think instead of importing shows and airing unscripted shows, NexStar would be better off following the lead of ABC in the Fifties and Sixties. I don't think many people realize it, but in the Fifties and Sixties ABC lagged well behind the two older networks, NBC and CBS, in the ratings. There were even times when it was questionable whether the network would last. ABC survived essentially through counterprogramming, airing shows that were different from what CBS and NBC were airing. They aired Westerns like Maverick and detective shows like Surfside 6 against sitcoms and variety shows. They also pursued the key demographic with youthful programming, such as 77 Sunset Strip and Shindig. Most of all they were not afraid to shake things up. ABC aired the ultraviolent show The Untouchables, which proved to be a success. They showed The Fugitive, a drama filled with existentialist angst. It also proved popular. They aired Batman, the smash hit of the 1965-1966 season, done in a camp style and as close to a comic book on film as television has ever gotten. While I am not going to say that The CW should have continued with superhero shows, which seem to have run their course, or teen dramas, which appear to be passée, I am saying the shows they are debuting this season don't seem terribly different from what the older networks or even cable channels are airing.

Now I will admit that I could be wrong. Maybe NexStar's strategy of relying on shows imported from other countries, shows obtained from elsewhere, and unscripted shows could pay off. At the very least such a strategy would save money. I do think their decision to start showing sports was wise (even if I would have chosen something different from golf). That having been said, I don't think I am wrong. As a viewer I know what I like and what I like is not airing on The CW this season or any of the other broadcast networks, for that matter. And I am willing to bet other viewers, at least those around my age, may be the same way. If that is the case, The CW may see its ratings decrease and as a result once more fail to make a profit.