10 The CW Shows You Totally Forgot About

While programming on The CW has changed dramatically in recent years and most of its original scripted programming has come to an end — Superman & Lois ended late last year and the last remaining original scripted series, All American, returns in February — there was a time when the network was a powerhouse when it came to television series. After all, The CW was the home of former The WB series such as Gilmore Girls, Smallville, One Tree Hill, and Supernatural and over the years also gave us series such as Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and the Arrowverse, including nine seasons of The Flash.

But while there were plenty of beloved series that fans still talk about today, even a decade after their conclusions in some cases, there were also plenty of series that came and went and have been largely forgotten. From teen romances to thrillers to disaster stories to even a short-lived DC series and more, here are ten The CW series you probably forgot existed.

Containment (2016)

Based on the Belgian television series Cordon, Containment was developed by The Vampire Diaries and The Originals’ Julie Plec and ran for just one season on The CW. Debuting on April 19, 2016, the 13-episode series followed the breakout of an epidemic in Atlanta that results in a section of the city cordoned off in quarantine leaving those stuck in the quarantined section to fight for their lives. The series starred David Gyasi, Claudia Black, Trevor St. John, Christina Moses, Chris Wood, Kristen Gutoskie, George Young, and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. While Containment received mixed reviews from critics, the series offered suspense and morally complex questions as well as some deeply human stories set against the backdrop of a public health disaster. While The CW opted not to renew Containment and leave it as a limited series, in retrospect one can’t help but think the series was just a little ahead of its time with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting in 2020.

Fortunately for fans of Containment, the series did end in a mostly satisfying way with the truth about the virus’ origin exposed, hope for a cure on the horizon, and a couple reunited.

The Secret Circle (2011-2012)

After the success of The Vampire Diaries, in 2011 The CW adapted another book series from L.J. Smith, this one about witches: The Secret Circle. Set in Chance Harbor, Washington, The Secret Circle follows Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson) who discovers that she’s a hereditary witch who just so happens to be the sixth member of a secret coven. In addition to Robertson, the series starred Thomas Dekker, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig, Jessica Parker Kennedy, and Louis Hunter.

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Unfortunately, while The Secret Circle was the network’s third-highest performing series that season, The CW cancelled the series after one, 22-episode season citing ratings decline in the second half of the season and cost of production. Tonkin would go on to appear in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, but the series remains one mourned by fans who initially unsuccessfully campaigned to save it.

Hellcats (2010-2011)

Cheerleading dramas are generally underappreciated and unfortunately, that was also the case for Hellcats.  Another one-season series for The CW, Hellcats debuted on September 8, 2010, and ran or 22 episodes. The series, which starred Aly Michalka, Ashley Tisdale, Robbie Jones, Heather Hemmens, Matt Barr, Gail O’Grady, and Sharon Leal, was based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders. It followed Marti Perkins (Michalka), a pre-law student who finds herself having to join her college’s cheerleading team the Hellcats to get a scholarship she needs.

The series was reportedly cancelled due to the departure of then-network president Dawn Ostroff. According to Smallville star Tom Welling, who was an executive producer on the series, a reboot of Hellcats was a possibility as of 2017 but nothing ever materialized.

Star-Crossed (2014)

If you hear “alien-human teen romance” your first thought is probably Roswell or even its reboot Roswell: New Mexico, but those aren’t the only The CW/The CW-adjacent series to take on that particular genre. in 2014, the network debuted Star-Crossed. Set in the then-near-future 2024, Star-Crossed followed the romance of human girl Emery and alien boy Roman after Roman and six other aliens are integrated into her Edendale, Louisiana high school. The series starred Aimee Teegarden, Matt Lanter, Grey Damon, Malese Jow, Titus Makin Jr., Natalie Hall, Chelsea Gilligan, Greg Finley, and Brina Palencia. Star-Crossed received wildly mixed reviews — critics either loved it or hated it, but it wasn’t exactly a hit with viewers. The series was cancelled due to low ratings after just 13 episodes.

Ringer (2011-2012)

Ringer had a promising start. The crime thriller boasted a cast that included Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ioan Gruffudd, Mike Colter, Kristoffer Polaha, and Nestor Carbonell, made its debut at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011, and was at the top of several “most anticipated new series” lists that same year. The show had relatively positive reviews as well, but the series never actually found its audience, seeing a stark decline in ratings after a three-month holiday hiatus and ended up cancelled after 22 episodes.

Which is unfortunate because the premise was good. Gellar starred as twin sisters Siobhan and Bridget. Bridget, a recovering addict, reconnects with her wealth and glamorous twin, Siobhan. But Siobhan soon takes her own life leaving Bridget to impersonate her twin. Unfortunately, Bridget didn’t realize her sister had some dark secrets of her own. The series ended on the ultimate cliffhanger with Bridget realizing that her twin wanted her dead.

Reaper (2007-2009)

The only series on this list to get more than one season, Reaper was a comedy that followed college dropout Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison) who, is living at his parents’ house and working a dead-end job at a home repair superstore when, on his 21st birthday, discovers that his parents had promised their first born to the Devil — him. This means that Sam is conscripted into being the Devil’s bounty hunter, aka a Reaper, to track down and return souls who escaped from Hell. The series, which starred Harrison, Andrew Airlie, Allison Hossack, Missy Peregrym, and Ray Wise, received positive reviews, but was cancelled in its second season. There were apparently discussions about selling the series to Sci-Fi Channel as it changed to SYFY, but those plans fell through when it was reported that Harrison would not be returning for a third season.

The series’ creators later revealed that Season 3 would have seen some interesting developments, including potentially bringing Archangel Michael in as a character and a surprising reveal about Sam’s parentage that would have changed everything for the character.

The Tomorrow People (2013-2014)

A remake of a 1970s British series of the same name, The Tomorrow People followed a group of young people with psionic powers due to human evolution — the Tomorrow People — and particularly Stephen Jameson (Robbie Amell), who recently developed his powers and is the son of the most powerful of the Tomorrow People who disappeared years before.  With the Tomorrow People hunted by a genetic cleansing organization called Ultra. Stephen ends up becoming a double agent, joining Ultra to take the group down.

In addition to Amell, the series also starred Peyton List, Luke Mitchell, Aaron Yoo, Madeleine Mantock, and Mark Pellegrino. While the show’s premise was promising and came from a solid creative team — Julie Plec, Greg Berlanti, and Phil Klemmer were all involved — the series simply failed to find an audience, leading to its cancellation after just one season.

Cult (2013)

While most of the shows on this list got just one season, Cult didn’t even get to finish airing its first season before it was cancelled — kind of a sad end for a show that had a long road to screen. Cult initially began as a series developed for The CW’s predecessor network, The WB which, at that time, was supposed to star Matt Bomer. Then, in 2012, a revamped version of the series, now starring The Vampire Diaries alum Matthew Davis, went into development.

The series followed journalist blogger Jeff (Davis) and Skye (Jessica Lucas), a production assistant on a crime series called Cult as the pair investigated a series of mysterious disappearances linked to the Cult television show. The series had a 13-episode order but had only aired seven when it was cancelled and removed from the schedule Two months after it’s cancellation, the network aired the remaining six episodes.

No Tomorrow (2016-2017)

Based on the Brazilian series Como Aproveitar o Fim do Mundo (How to Enjoy the End of the World), No Tomorrow is a little unusual when it comes to forgotten short-lived The CW series in that despite the series having low ratings and a small fanbase (which led to its cancellation), the network eventually released an epilogue to reveal how the story ended.

Airing for just 13 episodes between October 4, 2016, and January 17, 2017, No Tomorrow followed Evie (Tori Anderson), a Seattle woman who starts dating her dream, Xavier (Joshua Sasse) who turns out to be obsessed with the idea that the world will end in eight months and plans to live his life to the fullest. He gets Evie to make her own “apocalyst” and accompany him on his adventures, though Evie and her friends try to figure out if he’s serious or just crazy. (And for those wondering, turns out Xavier wasn’t exactly crazy — but the apocalyptic event he thought was going to happen ended up being not that big of a deal at all.)

Gotham Knights (2023)

While this series may be more recent than most on this list, its proximity to the network’s powerhouse Arrowverse sometimes leads to it being overlooked. Gotham Knights debuted on March 14, 2023, and ran for just 13 episodes, offering DC fans a fresh take on the general world of Batman and Gotham City. The series followed Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan), Bruce Wayne’s adopted son who is forced to make an unlikely alliance with two runaways, Harper and Cullen Row (Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara respectively), and criminal Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan) when they are all framed for Bruce’s murder. The group soon learn that the Court of Owls is behind things, prompting the group, along with Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore) and Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson) to become Gotham’s new protectors: the Gotham Knights. The series also starred Misha Collins as Harvey Dent.

The series didn’t get the best critical reviews, though some noted that the series merely needed a little time to find its footing and once it did so, improved dramatically. Unfortunately, the series never got the chance and was cancelled after just the one season leaving fans on a massive cliffhanger with Turner appearing to be dead — though he was instead taken by the mysterious Henri Ducard to be trained.