The CW’s fall schedule, unveiled today, has the broadcast channel looking to well-known characters and franchises including "Arrow," based on the DC Comics hero Green Arrow, and "The Carrie Diaries," following a teenage Carrie Bradshaw based on the character from HBO’s "Sex and the City," reports USA Today.
The 2011-12 season hasn’t been favorable to the CW, which has seen a 15% decline in ratings. The network canceled freshman shows "The Secret Circle" and "Ringer," while its longtime hit "One Tree Hill" ended after nine seasons.
For the 2012-13 season, "Gossip Girl" will air its final season, which will consist of 10 episodes. In January, the show will be replaced by "Carrie," which is based on the Bradshaw character and comes from the creators of "Gossip Girl," the story notes.
The network is doing a lot of juggling to make everything fit, including putting “Supernatural” on Wednesdays, moving it out of its familiar Friday slot, shifting Wednesday staple “America’s Next Top Model” to Friday, TV Guide reports.
The story notes: “’Top Model’s’ move to Fridays is particularly interesting in light of the show’s recent announcement that longtime judges Nigel Barker and J. Alexander, and mentor Jay Manuel, will be departing the show.”
"Hart of Dixie," starring Rachel Bilson as a surgeon working in the South, will return and will be paired with a new medical drama, "Emily Owens, M.D.," which features another young female doctor, played by Mamie Gummer. "Supernatural" is expected to move to Wednesday, where it will be paired with the network’s highest-profile new series, "Arrow."
The CW will make "The Vampire Diaries," its best-rated show, the lead-in on Thursdays for "Beauty and the Beast," described as a romance with police plots, the story says. "America’s Next Top Model" will move to Fridays with "Nikita."
"Cult," about a TV show with rabid fans who commit copy-cat crimes, will appear midseason, the story adds.
Here’s the CW’s full schedule for 2012-13:
Monday
8/7c: 90210
9/8c: Gossip Girl
(In January) The Carrie Diaries
Tuesday
8/7c: Hart of Dixie
9/8c: Emily Owens, M.D. (New)
Wednesday
8/7c: Arrow (New)
9/8c: Supernatural
Thursday
8/7c: The Vampire Diaries
9/8c: Beauty and the Beast (New)
Friday
8/7c: America’s Next Top Model
9/8c: Nikita
Not too many winners came out of that bunch. The best of the lot, “Arrow,” needs more fun and needs to take itself a LOT less seriously if it is going to survive. It would really help if Oliver met up with other DC comics characters like Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern…Warner Bros. Is really too protective of their properties—lighten up, people! There’s a reason Adam West’s Batman TV show is still popular—it was FUN to watch, especially for KIDS! Arrow only appeals to a very small adult audience the way it is now.