The CW launched in the fall of 2006. The WB and UPN merged into the CW. The original lineup for the CW’s inaugural season included 7^th Heaven, One Tree Hill, Supernatural, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Reba and Beauty and the Geek from the WB. All Of Us, Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, Veronica Mars, and America’s Next Top Model came from UPN. The CW had two new shows that year, the short-lived Runaway and the spinoff of Girlfriends, The Game. Hidden Palms was a midseason show. Runaway was cancelled after 3 episodes. It starred Donnie Wahlberg who went on to star in Blue Bloods which is still on. The Game lasted 3 seasons on the CW before getting cancelled. It was revived at BET for a fourth season and went on to last for six additional seasons. There is a revival on Paramount Plus. The CW’s first season was a transitional season. There were not any breakout new hit series. The Game did well but it didn’t take the world by storm for the CW. The Game did take the world by storm when it was revived at BET. Most of the shows that were on the CW in its first year were gone by the end of the first year. 7^th Heaven ended again. The year prior 7^th Heaven was promoted as the final season. The series finale attracted huge numbers and shortly after it aired the CW decided to renew 7^th Heaven for an 11^th season. Season 11 became the finale season. Gilmore Girls ended after season 7. Veronica Mars got cancelled after season 3. It was later revived at Hulu years later. Reba, which was a last-minute renewal, only lasted one additional season and only had 13 episodes despite the fact it had high ratings during its final season. Hidden Palms premiered at the end of May 2007 and was cancelled after one season. One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Supernatural were the only WB shows to have a good run on the CW. All three shows became staples for the network. Nextstar purchased the CW last year which led to a massive exodus of shows. The remaining shows have all been axed. All American and Walker are the only two shows to have gotten renewed for the 2023-2024 season. No decision has been made about Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights, or All American: Homecoming. It sounds like they will not continue. With these changes, this pretty much has marked the end of the CW as it once was. It is also looks likely that All American and Walker will probably end after their upcoming seasons. I would be shocked if the CW renews both of them.

The CW had a good run after its inaugural season. It had a lot of great shows. Gossip Girl was a success for them and lasted six seasons. 90210 did well for them as well lasting five seasons. The Vampire Diaries was a massive success and lasted eight seasons. It also led to the spinoffs, The Originals and Legacies. Their biggest success story came from the Arrowverse. Arrow premiered in 2012 and was a massive hit. It was a different tone than Smallville. Arrow was darker and grittier. The Flash premiered and was an even bigger hit. Afterward, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow arrived as did Supergirl. Supergirl originally premiered on CBS and then moved to the CW in its second season. Every fall there would be an annual Arrowverse crossover that got bigger and bigger as the world kept expanding. The year of Arrow’s final season Batwoman premiered and joined the Arrowverse.

In the later years the CW became known for keeping all of their shows and giving them proper final seasons. Crazy Ex Girlfriend was not the biggest hit but still was able to last four seasons. Dynasty also did not have the greatest numbers but was able to last five seasons. If Nextstar didn’t purchase the CW, Dynasty probably would have made it to a season 6 or beyond. It had a devoted fanbase. Last year was a huge shocker when there was a mass exodus of shows getting axed. Dynasty was able to craft a series finale as was Legacies. Batwoman and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow both ended on cliffhangers. It was stated for a handful of shows that there were plans to keep going.

Anything is possible. Some of the shows could get a second life somewhere else. The Game season 4 launched on BET two years after it was cancelled at the CW. There is still a chance for the shows this year that got cancelled including Walker: Independence and Kung Fu to get picked up by another network or streaming service.

The CW that audiences knew is gone. All American is the only show returning in the fall while Walker is being held until midseason. The CW had a good run throughout its 16 years and gave audiences some new classics.