Last Season: America’s other network waved goodbye to one of its’ best known shows in Gossip Girl, said hello to one of the season’s worst shows in Cult, revived Whose Line is it Anyway over the summer to modest success, and generally was just “there”.
This Season: It’s the CW, so needless to say, we will continue to see the typical mix of teen soaps and supernatural dramas. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the 17 year history of the network, as it’s most successful shows were teen soap Dawson’s Creek, the supernatural Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the supernatural teen soap Smallville.
It does seem however, that the CW is lining up Thursdays to be its’ new big night, debuting two new shows after The Vampire Diaries. First and foremost is new vampire drama The Originals (10/3), before ceding the spot two weeks later to Reign (10/17), a Carrie Diaries sort of show that follows the teenage Mary Stuart (better known Mary, Queen of Scots).
The Originals will be shuttled off to Tuesdays at 8, where it will lead into the current cream of the CW’s crop: Supernatural (10/8), making Tuesday another night built around the paranormal phenomena.
Wednesdays further continue this trend combining the superhero drama Arrow (think Smallville but replace Superman with b-tier DC hero the Green Arrow) with a revival of the British sci-fi series The Tomorrow People. Both of these shows are set to make their season debuts on 10/9.
While the middle of the week has a strong fantasy bent, its’ in the CW’s other two days that we see the networks soapy side. Friday nights bring the return of two series: The Sex and the City prequel Carrie Diaries, and veteran reality show America’s Next Top Model, this year with the tagline “Guys and Girls”. Both series debut on October 25th.
Mondays, meanwhile bring the return of two other CW dramas: the tent pole Hart of Dixie, and the second year drama Beauty and the Beast. Much like most of the CW’s debut week, these shows return on October 6th.