The CW Picks Up Two New Shows, Plus Four Acquisitions
Ordinarily, now would be about the time we would hear what the TV networks have planned for the fall season…but most of them are still scratching their heads as to how to handle it. Will the outbreak dissipate enough over the summer to make filming possible? How many precautions should they take? You get the idea. It’s uncharted territory.
One network that is moving forward anyway is The CW. They just announced two new shows, and four acquisitions, that seem to lock up their lineup for 2020 and beyond.
Four pilots were in contention this year, and of those, CW picked two: the first is The Republic Of Sarah, a show about a high school teacher who discovers a legal loophole that will allow her small town to declare itself their own country (it seems they must do this to fend off an evil mining company). The Republic Of Sarah has been floating around in pilot form for two years now. It has a very interesting premise, but it was also up against six thousand DC pilots and other assorted “safe bets.” We’re both surprised and delighted to get this series.
The second pickup is Kung-Fu, based on the 1970s David Carradine series. And if they stick with the formula, you will get what the title promises: lots and lots of karate and powerful kicks. Olivia Liang stars as the central character, who returns from training in a Chinese monastery to find her hometown has become overrun with crime. She prepares her legs for action!
Fighting crime by kicking it really hard will be a theme next season, now that both Kung-Fu and Jared Padelecki’s Walker remake will be on the same channel. Superman and Lois, the latest Berlantiverse show, is the other confirmed new series. And of course, The CW renewed ALL of their currently running shows back in January.
The library is as packed as ever, but they need a plan in case none of it is ready by September. So The CW also announced the acquisition of four pre-existing programs they can plug into empty spaces: DC Universe’s Swamp Thing, CBS All Access’s Tell Me A Story, and two Canadian imports, Coroner and Dead Pixels.
We would say that closes the book on The CW’s next season, but knowing them, they could still surprise us with yet another pilot pickup. Left on the table are a prequel series to The 100 and an Arrow spinoff.
mbozzo
May 15, 2020 @ 9:51 pm
I read about the two new series from CW. I’m not too sure about the Kung Fu reboot, but this new teenage series seem interesting.
Eileen Cruz
May 18, 2020 @ 1:25 am
I’ll give the Kung Fu reboot a few episodes to see if it’s any good.