The world has effectively been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the spread of COVID-19, which has seen shows like The Flash, Supernatural, Riverdale, and others suffer major setbacks on The CW. During the network’s annual Upfronts presentation, we have now learned that these obstacles have effectively delayed the network’s new content for months, with most original shows delayed from their 2020 premieres all the way back to 2021. The one exception comes from long-running series Supernatural, which will air its final seven episodes later this year.
Videos by ComicBook.com
You can check out the Fall 2020 schedule below:
Sunday:
- 8/7c: Masters of Illusion (two episodes)
- 9/8c: Pandora
Monday:
- 8/7c: Whose Line Is It Anyway? (two episodes)
- 9/8c: Penn & Teller: Fool Us
Tuesday:
- 8/7c: Swamp Thing
- 9/8c: Tell Me a Story
Wednesday:
- 8/7c: Two Sentence Horror Stories
- 8:30/7:30c: Dead Pixels
- 9/8c: Coroner
Thursday:
- 8/7c: Supernatural
- 9/8c: The Outpost
Friday:
- 8/7c: World’s Funniest Animals (two episodes)
- 9/8c: Penn & Teller: Fool Us (encores)
You can check out the January 2021 schedule below.
Sunday:
Monday:
- 8/7c: All American
- 9/8c: Black Lightning
Tuesday:
- 8/7c: The Flash
- 9/8c: Superman & Lois
Wednesday:
- 8/7c: Riverdale
- 9/8c: Nancy Drew
Thursday:
- 8/7c: Walker
- 9/8c: Legacies
Friday:
- 8/7c: Penn and Teller: Fool Us
- 9/8c: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
This move also puts some of the network’s other shows — including Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Dynasty, In the Dark, and Roswell, New Mexico – as debuting sometime in the “midseason” of 2021. New series Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah are also expected to debut during that time.
The slate provides a bit of insight as to which of the network’s existing series (if any at all) hope to film episodes before the fall, something that still remains uncertain at the current moment. Multiple established shows on the network had its production shut down in March of this year, resulting in early season finales for The Flash, Riverdale, Batwoman, Supergirl, and Nancy Drew. Both Supernatural and Legacies went on indefinite hiatuses shortly after the shutdown, with Supernatural still having several episodes unaired in its fifteenth and final season. Although some optimistic timelines have suggested that, in a best-case scenario, series could begin filming in June or July, it remains to be seen if that will be the case.
There’s also been the lingering question of the network’s four new series, which were in various stages of pre-production or filming on their pilots before the shutdowns began. As of earlier this week, the network has provided series orders to four new shows: Arrowverse spinoff Superman & Lois, reboots of Walker, Texas Ranger and Kung Fu, and The Republic of Sarah. Two potential pilots have remained on the bubble – Arrowverse spinoff Green Arrow and the Canaries and an untitled The 100 prequel – as well as a potential Season 2 order for Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene.
Luckily, The CW does have a handful of pandemic-proof TV shows in place for the fall season, with the network picking up the domestic broadcast rights for four already-completed series. These include one season of DC Universe’s Swamp Thing (which, thanks to a bit of a post-“Crisis on Infinite Earths” continuity, is tangentially connected to the Arrowverse), two seasons of CBS All Access’ Tell Me a Story, two seasons of the British series Dead Pixels, and two seasons of the Canadian series Coroner. The network also has the domestic broadcast rights for DC Universe’s Stargirl, which is expected to debut next week.
What do you think of The CW’s schedule for the 2020-2021 season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
