CW Fall 2020 Schedule to Feature ‘Supernatural’ Finale, New Shows Held Until January
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The CW won’t be debuting any new original scripted shows in fall 2020.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus-related production shutdown, the network is holding nearly all of its original scripted fare for January 2021. In announcing its 2020-2021 schedule on Wednesday, however, the network did say that it would air the series finale of “Supernatural” this fall. The show was due to wrap up this spring after a 15-season run, but the final episodes were unable to complete filming before production was shutdown by the pandemic.
The CW will instead air a number of acquired shows and unscripted shows this fall. In addition to shows like “Masters of Illusion,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and “World’s Funniest Animals,” the network announced earlier this week that it had acquired the shows “Swamp Thing,” “Tell Me a Story,” “Coroner,” and “Dead Pixels,” all of which will run this fall. The CW will also air the summer show “Pandora” along with previously acquired shows “The Outpost” and “Two Sentence Horror Stories” as part of its fall lineup.
The CW offered a look at its planned January schedule, which will see the debut of “Walker” starring “Supernatural” co-lead Jared Padalecki on Thursday nights, taking over the “Supernatural” timeslot. Likewise, “Superman & Lois” will take over “Arrow’s” timeslot on Tuesdays, airing after “The Flash.” “All American” and “Black Lightning” remain in place on Mondays, while “Riverdale” and “Nancy Drew” remain on Wednesdays. “Charmed” will move to Sundays, taking over “Supergirl’s” timeslot.
Most of the network’s DC superhero shows will return in January with the exceptions of “Supergirl” and “Legends of Tomorrow,” which will both return at midseason. Likewise for returning shows “Dynasty,” “In the Dark,” and “Roswell, New Mexico.” The network’s two series orders out of its pilot season crop, “The Republic of Sarah” and “Kung Fu,” will also debut at midseason.
No word yet on the fate of “Katy Keene,” though an individual with knowledge of the situation says the show remains in contention for a renewal.
Both the fall schedule and the January 2021 schedule can be read in full below.
“This year, The CW has made the proactive strategic decision to launch its new season in January 2021, rolling out a line-up of our signature returning series which will be joined next year by our four new series, including the return of the DC’s most iconic superhero in SUPERMAN & LOIS, the return of the Texas Rangers in ‘Walker’, the reimagined ‘Kung Fu’ and the rebellious drama ‘The Republic of Sarah,’” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW. “And by moving our new season to January, we are stocking our fall with a balance of original and acquired scripted series and alternative programming that fits The CW brand and provides fresh programming through the fourth quarter. In 2021, The CW will have more original scripted programming throughout the year, week in and week out, than we have ever had, fueling 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.”
Fall 2020 Schedule
MONDAY
8:00-8:30PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
8:30-9:00PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
9:00-10:00PM PENN & TELLER: FOOL US
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00PM SWAMP THING
9:00-10:00PM TELL ME A STORY
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30PM TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES
8:30-9:00PM DEAD PIXELS
9:00-10:00PM CORONER
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00PM SUPERNATURAL
9:00-10:00PM THE OUTPOST
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30PM WORLD’S FUNNIEST ANIMALS
SUNDAY
8:00-8:30PM MASTERS OF ILLUSION
8:30-9:00PM MASTERS OF ILLUSION
9:00-10:00PM PANDORA
January 2021 Schedule
MONDAY
8:00-9:00PM ALL AMERICAN
9:00-10:00PM BLACK LIGHTNING
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00PM THE FLASH
9:00-10:00PM SUPERMAN & LOIS (New Series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00PM RIVERDALE
9:00-10:00PM NANCY DREW
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00PM WALKER (New Series)
9:00-10:00PM LEGACIES
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00PM PENN & TELLER: FOOL US (New Night)
9:00-9:30PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (New Night)
9:30-10:00PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (New Night)
SUNDAY
8:00-9:00PM BATWOMAN
9:00-10:00PM CHARMED (New Night)
January 2021 New Shows
Superman & Lois
In SUPERMAN & LOIS, after years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, the world’s most famous superhero, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin, “Teen Wolf”) and comic books’ most famous journalist, Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch, “Grimm”), come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever – dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society. Complicating the already daunting job of raising two boys, Clark and Lois must also concern themselves with whether or not their sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, “Little Fires Everywhere”) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin, “The Peanuts Movie”) could inherit their father’s Kryptonian superpowers as they grow older. Returning to Smallville to handle some Kent family business, Clark and Lois are reacquainted with Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui, “Entourage”), a local loan officer who also happens to be Clark’s first love, and her Fire Chief husband Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez, “Graceland”). The adults aren’t the only ones rediscovering old friendships in Smallville as the Kent sons are reacquainted with Lana and Kyle’s rebellious daughter, Sarah (Inde Navarrette, “Wander Darkly”). Of course, there’s never a dull moment in the life of a superhero, especially with Lois’ father, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh, “Nip/Tuck”) looking for Superman to vanquish a villain or save the day at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois’ return to idyllic Smallville is set to be upended when a mysterious stranger (Wolé Parks, “All American”) enters their lives. Based on the characters from DC created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, SUPERMAN & LOIS is written and executive produced by Todd Helbing (“The Flash”) and executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns. The series is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Walker
WALKER, a reimagining of the long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” stars Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”) as Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. He’ll attempt to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son (Kale Culley, “Me, Myself and I”) and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter (Violet Brinson, “Sharp Objects”) and navigate clashes with his family – an ADA brother (Keegan Allen, “Pretty Little Liars”) who stepped in during Walker’s absence, his perceptive mother (Molly Hagen, “Herman’s Head”) and his traditional rancher father (Mitch Pileggi, “The X-Files”). Walker’s former colleague is now his Ranger Captain, (Coby Bell, “The Game”). Walker finds unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history) played by Lindsey Morgan (“The 100”), while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. The show also stars Jeff Pierre as Trey Barnett. WALKER is written and executive produced by Anna Fricke (“Being Human,” “Valor”), and executive produced by Dan Lin and Lindsay Liberatore and Jared Padalecki. WALKER is from CBS Television Studios in association with Rideback.
Midseason New Shows
Kung Fu
A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents (Tzi Ma and Kheng Hua Tan) are at the mercy of a powerful Triad. Nicky will rely on her tech-savvy sister (Shannon Dang), pre-med brother (Jon Prasida), Assistant District Attorney and ex-boyfriend (Gavin Stenhouse), and new love interest (Eddie Liu) as well as her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice … all while searching for the ruthless assassin (Gwendoline Yeo) who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her. Inspired by the original series created by Ed Spielman, KUNG FU is from Warner Bros. Television in association with Quinn’s House and Berlanti Productions, with writer/executive producer Christina M. Kim (“Blindspot,” “Lost”) and executive producers Martin Gero (“Blindspot,” “LA Complex”), Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”).
The Republic of Sarah
The bucolic tranquility of Greylock, New Hampshire is upended when a massive vein of coltan – an incredibly valuable mineral used in tech – is discovered under the town. State-backed mining company Lydon Industries swoops in with plans to extract the mineral … plans that include wiping Greylock off the map. With her friends and family in danger of losing their homes, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper (Stella Baker) vows to stop Lydon’s bulldozers. It won’t be easy. Leading Lydon’s efforts is Sarah’s estranged brother, Danny Cooper (Luke Mitchell). After enduring a difficult childhood at the hands of his mother, former state senator Ellen Cooper (Megan Follows), Danny is eager to exact his revenge on a community he feels abandoned him. Sarah enlists her friends – fellow teacher Corinne Dearborn (Hope Lauren), police officer Amy “AJ” Johnson (Nia Holloway), and diner manager Grover Simms (Ian Duff) – in the fight against Danny, but there seems to be no way to stop the town’s impending demise … Until Sarah proposes an oddly intriguing solution: Greylock could declare independence. Citing various historical maps, she explains that the land on which Greylock sits was never properly claimed by the United States. If Sarah and her friends can convince the town to vote for independence, Greylock would gain international sovereignty and could protect its land for good. With the help of a group of supporters that includes three of her teenage students – LA transplant Maya Jimenez (Izabella Alvarez), introspective outsider Tyler Easterbrook (Forrest Goodluck), and preppy “popular girl” Bella Whitmore (Landry Bender) – Sarah and her friends win the vote. And after a federal judge agrees that Greylock isn’t – and never was – part of the United States, the town becomes a new nation. Now, Sarah and her allies must confront an even more daunting task: building a country from scratch. Executive Produced by Jeffrey Paul King (“Elementary”), Marc Webb (“Why Women Kill), Mark Martin (“Rendition”), Jeff Grosvenor and Leo Pearlman, THE REPUBLIC OF SARAH is a production of CBS Television Studios in association with Fulwell 73 and Black Lamb.
