Katy Keene: The CW Exec Says Season 2 Renewal Could Depend on Streaming Numbers

Katy Keene's Season 1 finale airs tonight, capping off The CW's newest original series - and the [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Katy Keene's Season 1 finale airs tonight, capping off The CW's newest original series - and the latest live-action Archie Comics interpretation. At the moment, the long-term fate of the series remains a bit of a question mark, as it has yet to officially be renewed for a second season. According to The CW president Mark Pedowitz, the future could definitely still look bright for Katy Keene, as the network hopes that it will find a larger audience on streaming, both for free through The CW's app and eventually through the upcoming HBO Max streaming service.

"We are incredibly pleased with the creative [direction] of this show," Pedowitz explained. "The producers and the talented cast have done a terrific job. The linear ratings have been soft, but we have seen some good streaming viewership. We've gone to the studio and the producers and we're extending the option of when we can pick it up so we could see how it's performing once the full season is up, which will happen tonight, with the finale. And also we are counting on that it will appear alongside the launch of HBO Max, and we're hoping that that, too, will help it. And we'll make a decision in a few weeks after that. We believe that the show will work streaming-wise. We'd like to see it perform a little bit better, but we have no creative issues on the show. "

This mindset definitely isn't unprecedented for The CW, as the network's original shows often find a whole second wind through Netflix or other streaming platforms. Riverdale, Katy's sister series, became a bonafide phenomenon thanks to the service, a fate that is similar to what happened with some of the network's non-genre shows, such as Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and most recently, All American.

There's also the nature of Riverdale's upcoming time-jump, which could theoretically set both series within the same stretch of time. (Katy is currently set five years after the events of the flagship series.) Given the network's proclivity for crossover events, it doesn't seem impossible that we could get a more official crossover between the two series, should Katy get renewed for a second season.

Katy Keene follows its titular character (played by Lucy Hale), Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), Pepper Smith (Julia Chan), and Jorge Lopez (Jonny Beauchamp), as they chase their dreams in New York City.

"It is a watershed moment for the company," Archie CEO John Goldwater previously told ComicBook.com of Katy Keene. "We are called Archie Comics, so most people don't realize the breadth and depth of our IP. We literally have hundreds of brands, thousands of characters, obviously some way more well-known than others. Comic book people know Katy but the world at large don't know Katy. And for us to be able to start to mine the depth of our library is a transformative moment for Archie Comics. It's such an exciting moment in time for the company and it's as exciting as when Riverdale first came along. It is that kind of seminal moment."

Katy Keene airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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