The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the television industry in recent months, and it’s still unclear exactly how long it will take for things to return to a state of normalcy. The annual Upfronts presentations – where networks preview their future programming for advertisers and viewers – were cancelled as a result of the virus’ spread, but that hasn’t stopped some from teasing what the future could hold. The CW is the latest to do so, unveiling their fall schedule for the 2020-2021 season. The biggest piece of info is that nearly all of The CW’s original programming will be delayed until January 2021, outside of the final seven episodes of Supernatural.
You can check out the January 2021 schedule below.
Sunday:
- 8/7c: Batwoman
- 9/8c: Charmed
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?
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 fall 2020 season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.