Thursday, May 18, 2017

2017 Upfront Answers: The CW


The schedule is coming, and with it the Upfront Answers!

CW's upfront previews: Renewology | Upfront Questions

More Upfront Answers: NBC | Fox | ABC | CBS | CW








Monday

8:008:309:009:30
SupergirlSupergirlVALORVALOR

Spot's Question: What gets the Supergirl lead-in?

In fact, Supergirl ends up being the only one of the superhero shows to lead into a newbie, and it's the military-themed Valor. I haven't seen a trailer or anything but for some reason this actually seems like an OK fit to me.



Tuesday

8:008:309:009:30
The FlashThe FlashLegends of TomorrowLegends of Tomorrow

Spot's Question: What gets the Flash lead-in?

It's the return of Legends of Tomorrow, which did well in this slot in the winter. This is a bit complacent for my tastes, but if it is just keeping the slot warm for a Black Lightning launch at midseason, I can live with it. If iZombie somehow ends up back here again, come talk to me.



Wednesday

8:008:309:009:30
RiverdaleRiverdaleDYNASTYDYNASTY

Spot's Question: What gets the Arrow lead-in?

Local programming! And not even on Wednesday! Arrow is Thursday-bound so the CDub can start up a soapy Wednesday lineup with modest sophomore Riverdale and the new Dynasty reboot. Riverdale will have to duel with Empire but I still think that's a better situation than This Is Us and Scandal on Thursday. Dynasty is going to have to self-start to a large extent, but this 9/8c hour looks a lot less intimidating than it has in previous years.



Thursday

8:008:309:009:30
SupernaturalSupernaturalArrowArrow

Spot's Question: Is there a better lead-in for Riverdale than Supernatural?

Again, local programming! Arrow and Supernatural have been paired before, but now they reunite with the timeslots reversed.



Friday

8:008:309:009:30
Crazy Ex-GirlfriendCrazy Ex-GirlfriendJane the VirginJane the Virgin

Spot's Question: Is Surrender Friday returning?

Yep. The critically-beloved dramedies get to lead off the CW's Friday season, which is not a surprise.



FINAL THOUGHTS

Ever since the announcement of the This Is Us move, I've been reading (perhaps over-reading) a lot of these schedules as reactions to that, and this is another one that feels in the same vein. If there has to be a soap night, I'd much rather be facing a fast-fading Empire than going up against the This Is Us/TGIT gauntlet on Thursday. So I give them credit for going a bit out of their way to improve its chances to succeed, and for the acknowledgement that there's eventually going to have to be something other than superheroes on this network. But there's a real chance this is going to bomb out anyway. We may well look back and wonder why the network crammed its five strongest pieces into three nights.

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