Welcome back to a proper Upfronts season, the moment when network TV reveals all their secret plans for the fall television season (such as it is anymore). In the wake of a destructive pandemic and in the face of the inevitable takeover of streaming, networks are playing it safer and safer: canceling fewer shows, ordering fewer comedies, and greenlighting familiar titles.
Our final entry is The CW, which, thanks to an unprecedented purge of shows, is introducing the largest slate of new programs: 5 new fall series, and 2 midseason shows. Of those 5 fall series, two are spinoffs of popular CW series, one is a ridiculous reality series, and two are Canadian series they’ve imported. It’s a weird mix, but what else would you expect from The CW?
Schedule
MONDAY
7/8 p.m.: All American (October 10)
8/9 p.m.: All American: Homecoming (October 10)
TUESDAY
7/8 p.m.: THE WINCHESTERS (October 11)
8/9 p.m.: PROFESSIONALS (October 11)
WEDNESDAY
7/8 p.m.: DC’S Stargirl (August 31)
8/9 p.m.: Kung Fu (October 5)
THURSDAY
7/8 p.m.: Walker (October 6)
8/9 p.m.: WALKER INDEPENDENCE (October 6)
FRIDAY
7/8 p.m.: Penn & Teller: Fool Us (October 14)
8/9 p.m.: Whose Line Is It Anyway? (October 14)
8:30/9:30 p.m.: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
SATURDAY
7/8 p.m.: CRISS ANGEL’S MAGIC WITH THE STARS (October 22)
8/9 p.m.: World’s Funniest Animals (October 22)
8:30/9:30 p.m.: World’s Funniest Animals
SUNDAY
7/8 p.m.: FAMILY LAW (October 2)
8/9 p.m.: Coroner (October 2)
New Fall Shows
The Winchesters
Official synopsis:
Before Sam and Dean, there were their parents, John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles, “Supernatural”), The Winchesters is the epic, untold love story of how John Winchester (Drake Rodger, “The In Between”) met Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly, “American Housewife”) and put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world. When John returns home from fighting in Vietnam, a mysterious encounter sparks a new mission to trace his father’s past. In his journey, he crosses paths with 19-year-old demon hunter Mary, who is also searching for answers after the disappearance of her own father. Together, the two join forces with young hunter-in-training Latika (Nida Khurshid, “Station 19”) and easygoing hunter Carlos (Jonathan “Jojo” Fleites) to uncover the hidden truths about both their families. Their investigation leads them to a rare book emporium, whose owner Ada (Demetria McKinney, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”) takes an interest to the occult and could provide the missing pieces to their puzzle. But secrets run deep for both the Winchesters and Campbells, and despite the best efforts of John’s mother Millie (Bianca Kajlich, “Legacies”) to protect her son from pursuing a dangerous life of demon hunting, John and Mary are both determined to work together to uphold their families’ legacies while beginning to form a family of their own.
T’s Take:
Will this be the Supernatural spinoff that finally works? Maybe! I will say that having New Orleans stand in for Kansas is an … interesting choice. Anyway, I defer to Whitney on this one. Whit?
Professionals
Official synopsis:
Follows Vincent Corbo (Tom Welling, “Smallville,” “Parkland”), a top-tier security operative who is paid to protect the interests of rich and powerful clients by any means necessary – legal or not. After a next-gen medical-data satellite explodes on launch, Corbo is hired by the rocket’s designer, billionaire futurist Peter Swann (Brendan Fraser, “Trust,” “The Mummy”), who suspects sabotage. Complicating Corbo’s new gig is his former paramour and now Swann’s fiancée, medical visionary Dr. Grace Davila (Elena Anaya, “Wonder Woman,” “The Skin I Live In”), who is racing to help stave off a global catastrophe. As Corbo and his team of veteran security professionals investigate the rocket disaster, they expose a lethal conspiracy of Swann’s corporate rivals, corrupt government officials, and a shadowy crime syndicate – all working to destroy Swann and take control of his tech empire. Worse, Corbo must also contend with Swann’s spoiled, troublemaking teen daughter (Jazzara Jaslyn, “Lioness”) and a rogue Europol agent (Ken Duken, “Inglourious Basterds,” “Counterpart”) who is hellbent on busting him for past sins.
T’s Take:
Brendan Fraser! That said, this looks remarkably silly.
Walker: Independence
Official synopsis:
Set in the late 1800s, an origin story of The CW’s current hit series “Walker,” Walker: Independence follows Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara, “Arrow”), an affluent and tough-minded Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. After crossing paths with Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez, “911: Lone Star”), a curious Apache tracker, Abby arrives in the town of Independence, Texas, where she encounters diverse and eclectic residents running from their pasts, chasing their dreams, and keeping their own secrets, including Kate Carver (Katie Findlay, “The Carrie Diaries”), an idiosyncratic burlesque dancer with perhaps too keen an interest in Abby’s origins, and Kai (Lawrence Kao, “Wu Assassins”), a soulful Chinese immigrant who runs a local restaurant/laundry and offers Abby friendship without agenda. Abby also literally runs into Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr, “Walker”), a slippery rogue, thief, and con artist with a dented heart of gold who quickly eyes Abby as a mark, until she turns the tables on him. In seeking justice for her husband, Abby encounters Independence’s noble deputy sheriff, Augustus (Philemon Chambers, “Single All the Way”), and his new boss, Sheriff Tom Davidson (Greg Hovanessian, “Another Life”), who she has reason to believe is a very bad man indeed. Abby and Hoyt soon find themselves precariously aligned, both seeking to uncover the truth about the identity of Abby’s husband’s killer, and vow to save Independence – a frontier boomtown where nothing is what it seems.
T’s Take:
So … 1883, but make it The CW.
CRISS ANGEL’S Magic with the stars
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
In each episode of Magic With the Stars, two celebrities train with professional magicians and compete to create a show-stopping series of magic performances. The celebrity competitors are tasked with mastering three major categories of magic, which they perform in front of a team of judges led by magician Criss Angel. Only the highest-scoring celebrities will be invited back to the finale where they will compete for the golden wand.
T’s Take:
“Stars.” “Celebrities.”
Family Law
Official synopsis:
Family Law centers around Abigail Bianchi (Jewel Staite, “Firefly”), a high-paid personal-injury lawyer who’s good at blaming others – particularly when it comes to her own problems. After Abby’s husband kicks her out of the family home because of her drinking, she goes on a bender, shows up drunk in court and pukes on a client. The law society’s punishment is swift. She’s suspended, fined, and can only practice law again if she finds a senior lawyer who is willing to take her on and mentor her for a one year probationary period. Only one man is willing to take that risk: Harry Svensson (Victor Garber, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”), who runs the top family law practice in the city. He also happens to be Abby’s estranged father, who left Abby and her complicated mother for his secretary when Abby was seven. Now, not only does Abby have to work for her father, she also has to work with her half siblings: Daniel (Zach Smadu, “Cardinal”), from Harry’s subsequent marriage and Lucy (Genelle Williams, “The Expanse”), from Harry’s third marriage. Thus begins the odd dynamic at Abigail’s new workplace. Abby has to try to put her shambles of a life back on track, all while dealing with family on three different levels: Other people’s families in her cases, the family she was born into, and her family: her husband and two children, all of whom she desperately wants back. Abigail not only has to prove herself in a new realm of law; she also has to work with and build relationships with a family she barely knows. Most challenging of all, she must work under the thumb of the man she’s spent a lifetime resenting.
T’s Take:
Listen, Victor Garber is a gem, and this Canadian legal dramedy looks like it could be charming. But considering it’s going against The Equalizer and Sunday Night Football, it’s probably a good thing that The CW isn’t spending their own money to produce this, because it doesn’t stand a chance.
Midseason
Gotham Knights
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan, “De Son Vivant”) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan, “Days of Our Lives”), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe, “grown-ish”), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara, “The Virgin of Highland Park”), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins, “Supernatural”) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore, “All American”), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson, “Raven’s Home”). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.
T’s Take:
I don’t watch superhero series, but this is The CW’s bread and butter, and I’m sure will do just fine.
RECIPE FOR DISASTER
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
In each episode of Recipe for Disaster, three professional chefs and their cooking partners compete to prepare spectacular dishes under absurdly adverse conditions. Our studio transforms into a bizarre new world each week, replete with themed disasters that challenge our chefs in ways they never imagined. They will attempt the perfect sear while stranded on an in-studio “desert island” during monsoon season, prep ramen while pulling off an art heist, or create a show-stopping soufflé while dodging aliens on Mars. To make matters worse, their cooking partners are people from their lives who are total kitchen novices. Who will impress the judges, and whose dishes will succumb to the ridiculous disasters du jour? Ultimately, only one team will be crowned Masters of Disaster!
T’s Take:
What?
Cancellations
- 4400
- Batwoman
- Charmed
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
- Dynasty
- In the Dark
- Legacies
- Naomi
- Roswell, New Mexico
Renewals
- All American
- DC’s Stargirl
- Devils
- The Flash
- Kung Fu
- Masters of Illusion
- Nancy Drew
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us
- Riverdale
- Superman & Lois
- Walker
- Wellington Paranormal
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?
- World’s Funniest Animals
Shows Still Up in the Air
- Legends of the Hidden Temple
- March
- Two Sentence Horror Stories
- Would I Lie To You?
Give The Winchesters to MEEEEEEEE!!! I was already pre-disposed to it by Robbie Thompson’s involvement, but hearing “saving people, hunting things” and seeing the SAMULET hanging from Baby’s rearview? HERE. FOR. IT. Strangely, I’m not bothered by the timeline or the retcon, I’m just so excited for more Supernatural from creators who actually love and respect the show. It’s divisive in the SPN fandom for a host of reasons, so there’s that segment of audience that’s not going to come on board. And I wonder how many civilians will be interested and stick with it. But I will be watching and recapping!
And Mark Shepherd is in Walker: 1883? SHUT. THE FRONT. DOOR. I had no interest in that show (I still don’t really) but I’ll watch at least long enough to see what Crowley is up to.