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The CW May Step Away From ‘Reba’

May 10, 2006  •  Post A Comment

Fledgling network The CW probably won’t pick up the 20th Century Fox comedy series “Reba” for 2006-2007, people familiar with the matter said.

“Reba,” starring country singer Reba McEntire, is unlikely to make the cut as The CW cobbles together a fall schedule from the lineups of its predecessors, The WB and UPN. The Sunday night family comedy isn’t expected to fit in with the network’s lineup of shows designed to appeal to young adults, the people said.

In 2005, at the end of its fourth season, The WB and 20th renegotiated a deal for “Reba” that took the show’s production through spring 2007. That deal was struck long before the end of The WB and the birth of The CW was envisioned.

With 20th arguing the “Reba” deal survives the demise of The WB, Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp., The CW’s corporate parents, could be out tens of millions of dollars if they don’t pick up the show.

The CW could negotiate its way out of the fees by greenlighting other 20th development.

Spokespeople for The CW and 20th Century Fox TV declined to comment on negotiations over “Reba.”