The CW

"People unfamiliar with it assumed that it as an acronym for Country Wester, Carsey-Werner, or Chuck Woolery. Some have even dubbed it the "Can't Win network" - Connor Higgins (The Downfall of UPN - and Viacom)

The CW is a broadcast television network that launched in 2006 as a merger between The WB and UPN, two networks that tried to copy Fox but failed (badly). The network itself initially was simply a merger between the two networks before The Arrowverse came and took the lineup by storm with YA-oriented DC Shows possibly meant to compete with Freeform.

Nowadays, the network has been pushed aside with Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global (who already own CBS) now owning only 12.5% of the network and Nexstar Media Group owning the remaining 75%. EDIT: There are rumors that Paramount sold their share of the network to Nexstar, so the channel is basically a poor man's The WB but alas, Nexstar is determined to keep the wannabe Fox alive with why none other than SPORTS!

Notable Programming

• Supernatural - Ex-WB show. You get a bunch of guys who are in to hunting vampires and the whatnot. Hell is often involved in the series and at the end of the series, God is somehow involved.
• WWE Smackdown! - Ex-UPN show. Just guys who love to fight. Moved to MyNetworkTV in 2008 following The CW trying to look for an audience and then moving to Syfy (despite having nothing to do with Science Fiction) and then Fox.
• The CW4Kids - A Saturday morning block owned by everyone's favorite (least favorite) dubbing studio, 4Kids Entertainment! The block itself is basically the FoxBox block but on The CW. A massive downgrade to Kids' WB, but it's a better fate than ABC Kids. Rebranded to Toonzai after 4Kids did a big "oops".
• Vortexx - Another Saturday morning lineup. This time, operated by Saban Brands (you know, the studio that Disney used to own). The block was basically a mad fusion between Jetix and Toonzai. Digimon and Dragon Ball are there if you really wanted action with Qubo series Rescue Heroes as filler. Closed in 2014 for unknown reasons.
• Arrow - Arguably the start of the downfall for the network. The series itself is one of the better Arrowverse shows according to some.
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Ex-Freeform show. Basically, the closest thing we have to a late-night talk show on The CW. Most would take it over most of the Arrowverse though!
• The Flash - Another Arrowverse show. Gotta go fast, I guess.
• One Magnificent Morning Jack Hanna's Into the Wild - If you see this symbol, then you're watching something that's educational in informative! Three hours of nothing but Jack Hanna (Give the poor man a break).
• Riverdale - What if Archie's Weird Mysteries and Velma had a baby. Also, not a part of the Arrowverse despite an eerily similar format.
• Batwoman - Yet another Arrowverse show. It's a show loved by critics but hated by fans.
• Powerpuff - The Arrowverse strikes back.... This time targeting your childhood! Fortunately for any 90s kids seething with rage at the site of this Eldric abomination, it quickly became the Fred and the Nature Gang of the network as it was silently cancelled before release. I guess The CW just got a new nickname "Childhood Wrecker".
• Legends of the Hidden Temple - Nostalgia pays big. Also, another rare type of series that isn't the Arroverse or an edgy teen show. Good for you!

The Fate of the Network

In 2022, WarnerMedia Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global announced that they were selling the network to another owner. Nexstar Media Group would buy the station in October of that year for the low price of free. With that, Paramount decided to destroy any evidence of the network on their eight CW stations (for those wondering, WPSG, KSTW, WUPA, WPCW, KMAX, KBCW, WTOG and WKDB) with Nexstar scrambling to find affiliates for the network and later in 2024, E.W. Scripps (the same guys that killed Qubo) announced that they were severing affiliations with the network as well, including WMYD, a station that nearly got into a lawsuit after someone attempted to sue them.

After Nexstar's acquisition of the network, the channel started to phase out of teen dramas (and thus ending the Arrowverse once and for all) and focused more on acquiring general programming primarily from Canada and Australia (and occasionally the UK).

Also, in 2024, they gave the channel an orange coloring and (lazily) removed the "The" from the logo.

Comments

Loading comments...