The CW delays new season to January

US broadcast network The CW has delayed the launch of its new season until January 2021, with its fall schedule set to feature scripted series recently acquired from the UK and Canada.

Mark Pedowitz, the network’s chairman and CEO, said it was making a “proactive strategic decision” to delay the launch of its new season in light of the disruption to production caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

New shows Superman & Lois, Walker, Kung Fu and Republic of Sarah will debut next year, with the latter two joining The CW’s 2021 midseason schedule.

Programming for the fourth quarter of 2020 will feature a mix of original and acquired programming, including the return of Supernatural for the conclusion of its final season.

Also featuring is the recently acquired Coroner, a Canadian investigative drama about a recently widowed newly appointed coroner who investigates suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto.

Also making its US debut on The CW is Dead Pixels, a half-hour UK comedy series about three people who are obsessed with an online fantasy game. The show is split equally between the characters’ tragicomic real lives and their computer-animated misadventures.

Created by Jon Brown, Dead Pixels began airing on Channel 4’s youth-skewing network E4 in March last year. It is produced by Various Artists and distributed by BBC Studios, with Brown, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain and Phil Clarke exec producing.

This fall, The CW will also air Swamp Thing, based on the DC Comics character of the same name, which follows Dr Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small Louisiana town.

It premiered as a web series on the DC Universe VoD service last year but was cancelled after the first season. The show will now make its TV debut on The CW following a deal with distributor Warner Bros Television Distribution.

“As we manage the current crisis, we’ve developed a methodical programming strategy for this year and well into next that we believe works for The CW, our advertisers, affiliates and audience, while keeping the health and safety of our productions and creative partners front of mind,” Pedowitz added.

“In 2021, The CW will have more original scripted programming throughout the year, week in and week out, than we have ever had, fuelling our multiplatform ecosystem, which combines linear TV, our best in class AVoD services and unparalleled reach on social media. Additionally, next year The CW will have full stacking rights to eight series to stream on our free, ad-supported digital platforms.”

The CW’s fall schedule:

MONDAY
20.00-20.30 Whose Line Is It Anyway?
20.30-21.00 Whose Line Is It Anyway?
21.00-22.00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us

TUESDAY
20.00-21.00 Swamp Thing
21.00-22.00 Tell Me A Story

WEDNESDAY
20.00-20.30 Two Sentence Horror Stories
20.30-21.00 Dead Pixels
21.00-22.00 Coroner

THURSDAY
20.00-21.00 Supernatural
21.00-22.00 The Outpost

FRIDAY
20.00-20.30 World’s Funniest Animals
20.30-21.00 World’s Funniest Animals
21.00-22.00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Encores)

SUNDAY
20.00-20.30 Masters of Illusion
20.30-21.00 Masters of Illusion
21.00-22.00 Pandora

The CW’s primetime schedule effective January 2021 (new shows in caps):

MONDAY
20.00-21.00 All American
21:00-22:00 Black Lightning

TUESDAY
20.00-21.00 The Flash
21:00-22:00 SUPERMAN & LOIS

WEDNESDAY
20.00-21.00 Riverdale
21:00-22:00 Nancy Drew

THURSDAY
20.00-21.00 WALKER
21:00-22:00 Legacies

FRIDAY
20.00-21.00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us
21:00-21.30 Whose Line Is It Anyway?
21.30-22:00 Whose Line Is It Anyway?

SUNDAY
20.00-21.00 Batwoman
21:00-22:00 Charmed