The CW sets pandemic proof fall schedule & halts all new shows until 2021

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The CW is prepping a pandemic proof schedule and it means that you won’t be seeing many of your returning favorites for quite a while.

The network is delaying the launch of nearly all of its new and returning shows until January 2021 and it’s a strategy that other networks who haven’t revealed their schedules just yet, could follow. This is all due to the coronavirus shutdowns that have shuttered all of Hollywood and halted productions until further notice. No one knows when they’ll be able to go back to work so the network is playing it safe.

Ten scripted series will be delayed until January 2021 while another seven will be held for midseason which could launch any time between April and June 2021. Launching in the fall will be newly acquired series' Swamp Thing and Tell Me a Story. Both series aired on different platforms (DC Universe and CBS All Access, respectively), and they have since been canceled but The CW acquired them in case something like this happened. They’re basically trying to fill the void until their own original shows can return.

Supernatural will be the lone series that needs to return to start production to launch this fall as it has seven remaining episodes of its final season yet to air, two of which still need to be filmed, including the series finale to end its 15 season run. The CW is hoping to get back to work on these last two episodes soon so fans can have a proper send-off for the series. Filling the network’s fall slate are episodes of summer unscripted series Whose Line Is It Anyway, Penn & Teller: Fool Us and World’s Funniest Animals; CW Seed transfer Two Sentence Horror Stories; and foreign acquisitions Dead Pixels, Coroner and The Outpost.

As for January, when the official new season starts for the network, the schedule pretty much stays the same. New series Superman & Lois will launch behind The Flash on Tuesdays (taking over Arrow‘s slot) and Jared Padalecki’s Walker, Texas Ranger reboot will take over for the final season of Supernatural at 8 p.m. The CW will launch a night of unscripted series on Fridays in January with even more episodes of Penn & Teller and Whose Line, with Charmed moving to Sundays behind Batwoman and taking over the slot previously held by Supergirl. The new season of Supergirl will be held for whenever midseason 2021 is for The CW and will film after star Melissa Benoist returns from maternity leave.

Midseason will see the 2021 launch of rookies Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah as well as returning series Legends of Tomorrow, Dynasty, In the Dark and Roswell, New Mexico. While Katy Keene is not currently anywhere on the network’s schedule, a decision on the Riverdale offshoot has yet to be determined but remains in contention as the network is waiting to see how it does on forthcoming SVOD service HBO Max.

With its January scripted launch, The CW largely avoids having to worry about rushing back into production during the summer. The new schedule does bring its own set of questions including how many episodes the 10 programs earmarked for a January launch will have? Most are expected to air through the summer but since its midseason shows could launch between April and June, how long exactly will midseason last?  Will it stretch until the fall season of 2021? Only time will tell.

Do YOU think it was smart to hold its shows until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic?