UPDATE: Back in May when the networks released their fall schedules, such as they were, most seemed to be at least slightly optimistic that the nascent writers’ strike would end long before filming would need to begin on the scripted fall shows. ABC was the only network that took a more pessimistic approach, filling their schedule with game shows and reruns. And now, almost two months to the day, the other networks seem to be realizing that the strikes aren’t ending anytime soon, and making adjustments to a fall schedule that is set to launch in September.
The CW had done a fairly good job of strike-proofing their schedule by moving most of their returning scripted series to midseason. However, there are still some adjustments that needed to be made — All-American has been moved back to midseason; as have 61st Street and I Am Movies, while The Swarm has been bumped up to the fall. Check out the modified schedule and premiere dates below.
There is no such thing as a traditional Upfront season anymore. Last year, very briefly, it felt like the Upfronts — the events when the networks announce their upcoming fall schedules and new series — were back following the pandemic and the steady decline of network television in general. But now with a writers’ strike that could very well stretch through the summer, and potential strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild on the horizon, the networks are having to play the upcoming fall season entirely by ear. With some networks, this looks like loading up on reality content; with others, it looks like they are moving forward with their scripted material and hoping for the best.
The CW changed ownership last year and they are shaking things up. Out are the superhero shows that defined the network for the past decade. In are more “adult”-friendly series from unconventional sources, including the raunchy, definitely-not-meant-for preteens reality series salvaged from HBO Max, FBoy Island, and the well-received crime drama, 61st Street, that AMC unceremoniously canceled last year. They’ve also added a dark sitcom from the UK, and a number of series from Canada: three family sitcoms and two female-led dramas.
