Posted in: CW, Opinion, Preview, TV, TV | Tagged: All American, All American: Homecoming, gotham knights, kung fu, Nexstar, superman & lois, the cw, The Winchesters, walker, walker: independence
Superman & Lois, Walker & More: The CW/Nexstar News Gets Worse
It's not like new The CW Entertainment President Brad Schwartz was making a lot of folks feel less nervous earlier this month when he offered an update on where things stand with Walker, Superman & Lois, All American, All American: Homecoming, Kung Fu, Gotham Knights, Walker Independence, and The Winchesters. But today's news from Nextstar's Q3 earnings call today felt like another nail in the coffin of the network we once knew. By the time 2023-2024 rolls around, carryover shows from former majority owners Paramount Global & Warner Bros. Discovery will be "minimal." Yeah… that's not a good sign.
"Programming for the CW is in place for the 2022-2023 broadcast season, that extends through the end of August/early September timeframe of next year. You'll see that programming that is consistent with what the programmers have historically had on the air for that timeframe. Over the course of the next year, we're really working to develop our slate, which will then come online in the 2023-2024 broadcast season. We will have some carryover commitment for the CBS and the WBD programming in that year, but it's minimal at that point," Nexstar executive vice president and chief financial officer Lee Ann Gliha shared during the call earlier today. Though Nexstar CEO Perry Sook added, "Warners and Paramount are not precluded from selling us programming, it's just going to have to be a financial deal that we like, and there may be a couple of shows that distinguish themselves that we want to hold over into next year." The big red pin to put next to that last seemingly hopeful statement? While there may be an interest in a "hold over" with some shows, at what (literal) price? With Nexstar looking to scale back dramatically on per-episode costs, would fans want Superman & Lois or Walker being done on the cheap?