For many months now, the young-skewing CW network has been facing down an uncertain fate: TV giant Nexstar Media Group recently acquired a majority ownership stake in the network and shifted gears, with plans to target older viewers and add more low-cost, unscripted programming. Since then, The CW has been victim to the grim reaper of TV cancelations. The network made headlines earlier in the year when it axed over half a dozen of its titles, including DC entries like “Naomi,” “Batwoman” and “Legends of Tomorrow.” Final seasons for popular series like “Riverdale” and “The Flash” were also announced.
Despite all that, the network moved forward with its Fall and 2022-2023 lineup, which included new titles like “The Winchesters” and “Walker: Independence.” A new report from Deadline has revealed a startling update for the future of these titles: each show has been capped at its original 13 episodes, with no back orders. This will be applied to all The CW freshman series (including the yet-to-premiere “Gotham Knights”).
According to the report, network head Dennis Miller has stressed that the lack of back orders does not necessarily indicate cancelations. But that’s a small comfort because other news out of The CW has not been optimistic: Nexstar also laid off 30 to 40 staff members at The CW in the same week (via Variety).Â