The CW has been through a lot of changes over the last few years. 2022 marked a mass exodus of shows that were axed including Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Legacies, Dynasty, and many others. Last year The Flash, Riverdale, and Nancy Drew all ended their runs. This year there are only four scripted shows left. All American just recently started its sixth season and Walker recently started its fourth season. Superman & Lois will be entering its fourth and final season later this year. All American: Homecoming will be launching season 3 after All American wraps up its season.
How much longer will the remaining scripted shows last? All American and Walker will have shortened seasons. All American was supposed to have thirteen episodes but will now have fifteen episodes. Walker will have thirteen episodes. All American: Homecoming will have thirteen episodes like its prior seasons. After this current year will these three shows be renewed, or will they join Superman & Lois as having their current seasons be their final seasons?
The additional episodes for All American could allow time for the show to wrap up the series properly. All American is the longest show on the CW currently. It is becoming increasingly rare for television shows to make it to six seasons. The chances of All American getting a seventh season were always fifty fifty. The show could last a few more years but at this point, the CW may just want to get rid of it since they are moving in a new direction anyway.
Walker could last as long as the original series Walker, Texas Ranger. That show lasted nine seasons. Realistically Walker will probably not last that long. Walker could get a fifth season, but the network may just want to get rid of it sooner than later.
All American: Homecoming has yet to premiere its third season. Season 3 will either be its final season, or it could get renewed for a fourth and final season.
This year could very well be the end of all scripted series on the CW. All other shows that air on the network are either Canadian imports or unscripted series. Time will tell what the CW will decide, and it will be interesting to see how much longer the remaining shows will last.
It is common for many TV shows to have shortened final seasons. Superman & Lois is set to have 10 episodes for its fourth and final season due to premiere later this year. There was a time when shows had a full season such as Frasier, Cheers, Friends, Desperate Housewives, ER, etc. Here are some shows that should have had a full final season.
Gossip Girl
Credit: The CW
Gossip Girl lasted six seasons. Season 6 had 10 episodes. I understand that Gossip Girl was not going to get a seventh year. At the time of its final renewal, it was stated that several of the actors were not planning to renew their contracts if the show had continued beyond one more year. Gossip Girls’ final season felt cut short. 10 episodes was not enough. It should have had 22-24 episodes. It would have allowed more time for storylines. It would have been a little easier for former stars to reprise their roles in a more substantial capacity such as Jessica Szohr, Connor Paolo and Taylor Momsen who played Vanessa Abrams, Eric van der Woodsen, and Jenny Humphrey respectively. All three briefly appeared in the series finale.
Glee
Credit: FOX
Glee lasted six seasons as well and had 13 episodes. Originally Glee was supposed to have a full final season. I’m not sure what happened with that. It seemed FOX wanted to get rid of the show hence making it 13 episodes instead. If Glee had gotten 22-24 episodes that would have given more time to shine a spotlight on its huge cast of characters. Glee’s final season saw the return of almost all major characters. Some only appeared briefly in the series finale and didn’t have any storylines. A full season would have allowed the audience time to spend with the others beyond Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). It also could have allowed for more to do with the original group including Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) and Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.).
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow premiered in January 2016 on the CW. It was the third spinoff of the Arrowverse. It followed Arrow and The Flash. Supergirl joined the Arrowverse in the fall of 2016. Supergirl started off on CBS before moving to the CW. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow had a total of 110 episodes, being the fourth Arrowverse show to achieve 100 episodes.
Major Spoilers Follow
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow lasted seven seasons and ended on a cliffhanger. Given it celebrated 100 episodes and was a long running show, it was a major shock that the show would not get a proper ending. It also seemed like a given that all Arrowverse shows would get to end properly. Clearly, that was not the case given what happened with Legends as well as Batwoman which was also canceled the same year. The difference between both shows is that Batwoman was still fairly young being in its third season, while Legends of Tomorrow was in its seventh season and one of the longer running shows in the Arrowverse as well as the CW at the time. That alone should have allowed Legends to at least get one final season. It seemed fitting to have season 8 be the final season. The cast had changed a lot by this point anyway. Prior to the end of the show, it was announced that Nick Zano who played loveable historian Nate Heywood aka Steele was going to exit at the end of season 7. By season 7, all of the original cast was gone with the exception of Caity Lotz who played Sara Lance aka the White Canary and the captain of the team. Sara was the sister of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) from Arrow. The audience had a deep bond with Sara having had several seasons of Arrow to get to know her before she went on to star on Legends. Also, to be honest I’m not sure how much longer Legends could have gone on after season 7. I definitely could have seen it lasting to a season 8. I could have seen it going as far as a season 10. That would depend on who was still willing to do it. I don’t know if the show would have been able to survive if Caity Lotz ever decided to exit the show. It’s hard to imagine Legends without Sara Lance.
Legends of Tomorrow had a huge cast that came and went throughout its seven-season run. The show starred Caity Lotz as Sara Lance aka White Canary, Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer aka The Atom, Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory aka Heatwave, Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold, Nick Zano as Nate Heywood aka Steel, Franz Drameh as Jefferson Jackson aka Firestorm, Victor Garber as Martin Stein aka Firestorm, Jess Macallan as Ava Sharpe, Tala Ashe as Zari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi, Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Amaya Jiwe aka Vixen and Charlie, Oliva Swann as Astra Logue, Shayan Sobhian as Behrad Tarazi, Courtney Ford as Nora Darhk, Lisseth Chavez as Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz, Adam Tsekhman as Gary Green, Amy Louise Pemberton as Gideon, and Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter.
The show also had Matt Letscher as a regular in season 2 as Eobard Thawn aka Reverse Flash. Matt Lescher was a recurring character in the Arrowverse predominantly on The Flash as Reverse Flash is the one who killed Barry Allen’s (Grant Gustin) mother. Reverse Flash would appear beyond season 2 in Legends. Also, Keiynan Lonsdale who played Wally West aka Kid Flash joined the show as a regular halfway through season 3. He left The Flash early on in its fourth season. By season 4 of Legends Wally was off the show. He never appeared on the show again, but he did recur on The Flash. In Season 1 Ciara Renee starred on the show as Kendra Saunders aka Hawkgirl alongside Falk Hentschel as Carter Hall aka Hawkman. Hawkgirl was on the entire first season while Hawkman was killed off early in the season. He was later revealed to be alive for the last few episodes. By the end of season 1 Hawkman and Hawkgirl left the team never to be seen again. For the 100th episode, Hawkman did return but Hawkgirl did not. Ramona Young who played Mona Wu was also a regular on season 4. She made a few more appearances in season 5.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow went through many changes over its run. One of the biggest changes was the shift in tone. As the series progressed the show became more outrageous and that worked in its favor. It still was part of the Arrowverse, but it was drastically different than Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Batwoman. Legends could get away with anything. The tonal shift seemed better suited for Legends and its cast of characters. As wacky as Legends became the show had a lot of heart. Relationships were a big part of the show. There was an investment in the bromance of Ray Palmer and Nate Heywood. There was investment in Ray’s eventual romance with Nora Darkh. It was sad when Ray and Nora got married and they left the team and Ray had to leave his best friend Nate. They had a heartfelt goodbye. Jefferson “Jax” Jackson and Martin Stein were quite a duo as both halves of Firestorm. It was devastating when Martin got killed off in the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Earth-X while Jax watched. Martin’s death prompted Jax to leave the team. Sara Lance finally found love with Ava Sharpe after years of complicated relationships. They got married near the end of the series. The finale also revealed they were expecting. It would have been nice to see how that would have turned out.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow deserved to have an eighth season even if that was going to be the end. The Flash got a shortened final season as did Arrow. Supergirl had a proper final season as well. It should have been a guarantee that Legends would have also gotten a proper final season given it was on for so long. Supergirl lasted six seasons. Legends is the third longest running show in the Arrowverse behind Arrow which lasted eight seasons and The Flash which lasted nine seasons. Legends had a few cliffhangers besides the pregnancy reveal for Sara and Ava. The team was arrested, and Booster Gold (Donald Faison) was introduced. It seemed to set up a bigger role for him in an eighth season. The other sad part is that there was no closure on another property. After the cancelation of Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash was the only Arrowverse show remaining, and it entered its final season. Given it only had 13 episodes there was not enough time for The Flash to wrap loose ends from the Arrowverse. The Flash predominantly focused on itself. None of the Legend characters appeared in the final season and there was no mention of the events from the finale.
Regardless DC’s Legends of Tomorrow still had a good run. It has become rare for shows to make it to 100 episodes let alone seven seasons. It is also even more rare when factoring in that Legends did not have full seasons the way the other shows did. At most Legends had 18 episodes. The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl averaged 22-23 episodes for the bulk of their runs. Batwoman never had full seasons due to Covid. Season 1 came the closest with 20 episodes. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow had a great cast of characters and was a wild ride. It deserved to have closure and a proper ending like the other Arrowverse shows but 110 episodes and seven seasons is still a good run.
Dynasty premiered in the fall of 2017 on the CW for 5 seasons and had 108 episodes. Dynasty was a modern reboot of the original soap Dynasty that aired in the 80s. The only thing this version had in common with the other was really in name only. Some of the characters had the same names but they were completely different than the ones on the original show. The CW has had mixed results when they have done modern versions of older shows. Roswell, New Mexico found some success while Melrose Place only lasted one season. 90210 lasted for five seasons, however that one was more of a spin-off than reboot given some of the original characters appeared on the show. The CW’s Dynasty never was a ratings hit, but it came out at a time when the CW gave shows a chance. Also, Dynasty did better once it was on streaming, which happened for a lot of the CW shows. Dynasty ended the same year that Legacies, Roswell, New Mexico, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman were all axed along with other shows. In Dynasty’s case there was time for it to craft a series finale. However, it was admitted there were plans for a season 6. The producers wanted to keep the show going for a little bit longer.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW
Dynasty starred Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington, Grant Show as Blake Carrington, Daniella Alonso as Crystal Carrington, Robert C. Riley as Michael Culhane, Sam Adegoke as Jeff Colby, Rafael de la Fuente as Sam Jones, Maddison Brown as Kirby Anders, Sam Underwood as Adam Carrington, Adam Huber as Liam Ridley, Eliza Bennett as Amanda Carrington, Michael Michele as Dominique Deveraux, and Elaine Hendrix as Alexis Carrington. As with many soap operas, there were cast shakeups. For starters, the show lasted 5 seasons and had three Crystals. Season 1 starred Nathalie Kelley as Crystal, Blake’s new wife. By the start of season 2, it was revealed that Crystal was really Crystal Flores and she had swapped names with the real Crystal Jennings who was played by Ana Brenda Contreras. The real Crystal showed up after hearing that Crystal Flores died. The real Crystal married Blake and became Crystal Carrington. By Season 3 Danielle Alonso took over the role as Crystal Carrington and remained on the show for the rest of its run. There was no explanation why there was another actor change. The show just went with it. Halfway through season 1 Alexis Carrington, Blake’s ex-wife and the mother of his children joined the show. Nicolette Sheridan played the role. She got promoted as a series regular in season 2. Halfway through season 2 Nicollette Sherridan left the show. Adam Carrington, the newly discovered son of Blake and Alexis who went missing as a child, reentered their lives and burned Alexis alive. She was in the hospital for the rest of the season with severe burns. For an episode Elizabeth Gillies played the role after getting a botched surgery where Alexis looked like her daughter Fallon. Alexis went off to Europe to get new surgery. In Season 3, Alexis returned with a new face played by Elaine Hendrix who remained in the role for the rest of the series. Another big shakeup was the show started off with siblings Fallon Carrington and Stephen Carrington played by James Mackay. Stephen was a huge part of the series, and he dated fake Crystal’s (Nathalie Kelly) nephew Sam. They got engaged and then got married. In the first part of season 2, Stephen was written off the show. Stephen left Sam and his family to go find himself. Part of the season was spent wondering when Stephen would return home. Stephen was officially written off when he was made to seem he was mentally unstable. He checked himself into an institution to get help and learned he was tricked by his friend who revealed himself to be Adam, the long-lost brother of Stephen and Fallon. Adam left Stephen in the institution while he went on to live with the Carrington’s. That plotline was eventually resolved in the series finale when Stephen finally returned and confronted Adam about what he had done. Alan Dale starred as Joseph Anders for four seasons. He worked for Blake’s family for years. In true Alan Dale fashion, Anders was killed off halfway through season 4. Alan Dale has a tendency to play characters who die as seen in The O.C. and Ugly Betty.
Dynasty had a lot of crazy plots throughout its run. It was fun and over the top. It was like a modern Melrose Place. It was a little toned down compared to some of the antics Melrose Place had. No one blew up the Carrington manor. However, there was a fire. There were multiple kidnappings. Tons of fistfights and catfights. There were affairs and wicked in-laws and a fair amount of deaths. One thing that kept the show grounded was the characters. When looking at the full run of the show, there was character growth for a handful of them. Michael Culhane started off as the driver for the Carringtons. He was secretly dating Fallon and then they got engaged. The engagement ended and they wound up with other people. Michael had different job ventures. The feud between Blake Carrington and Jeff Colby started to soften up by the end. Jeff’s mother Dominique was revealed to be a sister of Blake’s making the Carringtons and Colbys family. Adam was the unstable one, but he even grew up a little bit. It would have been interesting if the show had continued what they would have done with Adam. It was suggested that Stephen came back partly because it was the series finale. If the show was continuing it sounds like Stephen would have remained absent and Adam would have stayed around. Adam was a long-lost brother to Fallon and Stephen. He was kidnapped as a child. A few seasons later Alexis revealed she never had an abortion when she was pregnant and gave that baby up for adoption. Amanda Carrington was a long-lost sister who clashed with Adam. Dynasty kept adding long lost siblings while barely acknowledging Stephen. Once Stephen left the show, there were few and far between references to Fallon having a brother.
Dynasty had a satisfying ending. I feel the show still had some life left in it. The original Dynasty lasted 9 seasons. I think the CW Dynasty could have lasted that long. I could have seen Dynasty at least make it to 8 seasons. It would have been interesting to see what else Dynasty would have done if it continued. Maybe at some point Stephen would have been brought back on the show as a main character without it being the end of the series.
The O.C. and One Tree Hill both premiered in 2003. They are currently celebrating their 20th Anniversaries. There are a lot of similarities between both shows besides airing at the same time. They were both teen dramas and they were both hugely popular. The O.C. aired on FOX and lasted four seasons. One Tree Hill aired on the WB which became the CW and lasted nine seasons.
There are Major Spoilers for Both Shows.
The O.C. premiered on August 5th, 2003. It starred Benjamin McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Melinda Clarke, Tate Donovan, Chris Carmack, Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowen. Benjamin McKenzie played Ryan Atwood who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and was getting into trouble and fistfights. He moves in with Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) and gets a new family with the Cohens including Sandy’s wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowen) and their son Seth (Adam Brody. Ryan and Seth would eventually become best friends. The series saw Ryan adjusting to a new life in a new town and in a new school. Ryan also met and fell in love with Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). They had an on again and off again relationship throughout the run of the show. Marissa had a best friend Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) who was also the love of Seth’s life. Summer never gave Seth the time of day. Eventually they got together and also had an on again off again relationship. The first season was a huge hit on FOX. Season 1 was also supersized with 27 episodes. A lot of drama happened on the first season. Halfway through the season Rachel Bilson went from a recurring role to a series regular. The same thing happened with Melinda Clarke who played Julie Cooper, Marissa’s mother. Chris Carmack played Luke Ward who was Marissa’s boyfriend at the start of the series. Eventually they broke up and Marissa and Ryan got together. Luke and Ryan started out as enemies and eventually became friends. Luke also had the iconic line “Welcome to the O.C. bitch” which was said at the start of the series after he and Ryan had a fight. Luke was written off halfway through the season. After his personality changed, it seemed the writers were having trouble knowing what to do with him. After breaking up with Marissa and becoming part of the group Luke had an affair with Marissa’s mother Julie. By this point Julie was separated from her husband Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan). After Luke got in a car accident, he decided to go live with his father who had moved away.
Credit: Warner Brothers
One Tree Hill premiered on September 23, 2003 on the WB. Season 1 consisted of 22 episodes. It starred Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilary Burton, Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, Craig Sheffer, Paul Johansson, Moira Kelley, Barbara Alyn Woods, and Barry Corbin. Season 1 did well in the ratings. The O.C. had bigger ratings but it was also on different networks. FOX always had a bigger audience than the WB. One Tree Hill saw Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) deal with high school and basketball in the small town of Tree Hill. Lucas lived with his single mother Karen Roe (Moira Kelly). Lucas had a half brother Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) who got the life that Lucas and Karen could have had. Nathan lived with their father Dan (Paul Johansson). Dan left Karen and Lucas to be with Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods) and Nathan. The Scott family grew up in a wealthy household and were well off financially while Lucas and Karen had to fend for themselves. They had help from Keith Scott (Craig Sheffer) who was Lucas’ uncle and Dan’s brother. For the first time in years both families were more involved in each other’s lives after Lucas joined the basketball team which was the same team that Nathan was on. At the start of the series Nathan was dating Peyton Sawyer (Hilary Burton) who Lucas had a crush on. Nathan and Petyon ended up breaking up and eventually Petyon and Lucas got together. While that happened, Nathan met Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz) who was Lucas’ best friend. Haley started tutoring Nathan and they eventually became a couple which caused issues amongst Dan and Lucas for different reasons. There was also more drama when Lucas and Brooke (Sophia Bush) started dating. Brooke and Peyton were best friends and for several seasons there was a love triangle between the three of them. Barry Corbin also starred on the show as Coach Whitey Durham. He coached Dan and Keith back when they were in high school and was the coach for Lucas and Nathan.
The O.C. and One Tree Hill both had cast changes over the course of their runs. Since The O.C. lasted four seasons, there were not as many cast changes compared to One Tree Hill which went on substantially longer. The O.C. promoted Alan Dale who played Caleb Nichols, the father of Kirsten Cohen in season 2. By the end of season 2 Caleb was killed off. He had a heart attack. Alan Dale has a tendency to play characters who get killed off. His character died of a heart attack a few years later on Ugly Betty. The biggest casting change came after season 3 when Marissa Cooper was killed off. Some believe that is why season 4 wound up being the final season. Jimmy Cooper was reduced to a recurring role throughout the rest of the series after leaving within the first set of episodes of season 2. Season 4 promoted Autumn Reeser who played Taylor Townsend as a series regular. Willa Holland took over the role of Kaitlyn Cooper, the younger sister of Marissa in season 3. She got promoted to a series regular in season 4. Shailene Woodley played Kaitlin in the early years of the show before being sent off to boarding school.
One Tree Hill was fairly consistent during the high school years which were seasons 1-4. Lee Norris who played Marvin “Mouth” Macfadden was promoted to a series regular in season 3. Daneel Harris played new student Rachel Gatina in season 3. She was promoted as a main character in season 4 as was Antwon Tanner who played Antwon “Skills” Taylor. Season 3 killed off Keith Scott who was murdered by his brother Dan, who was also the mayor at the time. Keith was shot during a school shooting. Craif Sheffer appeared on the show after being killed off usually as a ghost haunting Dan. Season 5 jumped over the college years which brought major changes. All the adults were written off the show except for Dan. Karen, Deb, and Whitey went on to guest star. Rachel Gatina was written off as a main character as well. She would guest star on a few episodes of season 5 and recur in season 7. Season 6 ended with the exits of Lucas and Peyton. Whereas the O.C. lost Mischa Barton, One Tree Hill lost two of its leads. Season 7 added new characters who remained on the show till the end. Chad Michael Murray made one final appearance in the final season.
Between both shows, One Tree Hill probably was a little more over the top than The O.C. One Tree Hill had explosive finales as did The O.C. It seemed that One Tree Hill’s finales were over the top. In season 1 of One Tree Hill, Dan Scott had a heart attack, and his fate was left up in the air. It also revealed that Nathan and Haley got married. Season 2 ended with Nathan and Haley separated. Someone poisoned Dan at the car dealership and set it on fire. His fate was once again left in the balance. Season 3 ended with Dan learning who tried to kill him. Nathan and Haley renewed their wedding vows, and a drunk Rachel ran off with the limo and crashed it while in the car with Nathan’s Uncle Cooper (Michael Trucco). Nathan went to save the day leaving Haley devastated. The O.C.’s first season finale ended with Ryan leaving the Cohens to be with Theresa (Navi Rawat). Seth ran away from home. Season 2 got more explosive when Ryan had a fight with his brother Trey (Logan Marshall-Green). Marissa tried to stop them, and she wound up shooting Trey to save Ryan’s life. Season 3 ended with the gang graduating high school. Ryan was driving Marissa to the airport when Volchok (Cam Gigandget) crashed into them. Marissa died in Ryan’s arms.
The O.C. and One Tree Hill also had some notable guest stars. The O.C. had Chris Pratt and Chris Brown in the final season. This would have been after Everwood but before Parks and Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy for Chris Pratt. Chris Brown was at the start of his music career when he did a stint on the show. The final season also saw Ashley Benson and Janel Parrish Long as classmates of Kaitlin. This was before both actors would go on to play Hannah Marrin and Mona Vanderwall respectively on Pretty Little Liars. A pre Vampire Diaries Paul Wesley guest starred in an early episode of the show.
One Tree Hill had rapper Kid Cudi and Fall Out boy on the show. There was even a story arc with Pete Wentz. Kevin Federline did a few episodes. Daphne Zuniga joined the show in season 5 as Brooke’s mother. Daphne Zuniga was known for starring in Melrose Place, another over the top soap opera. James Van Der Beek best known as Dawson Leery of Dawson’s Creek guest starred as a film director. It was a bit of a reference to the fact that Dawson Leery was an aspiring film director on Dawson’s Creek.
Both shows used a lot of music. One Tree Hill had a tendency to use a lot of indie type music. The playlists usually featured artists that not many people knew of. They did also feature current music such as Fall Out Boy and Gavin DeGraw. Adele’s song Rolling in the Deep was featured in an episode when that song was big. Gavin DeGraw’s song I Don’t Wanna Be was the theme song for One Tree Hill. One Tree Hill had club TRIC which was a hangout spot for the characters. They brought bands and artists to perform there, which is how they got a lot of music guest stars. Peyton was a lover of music and collected all kinds of records. She went on to work in the music industry for a while. Haley became a singer discovered by Chris Keller (Tyler Hilton) who was a pompous musician. Chris Keller was a major thorn in Nathan’s side. Chris Keller became a series regular in the final season. Eventually Haley and Petyon launched a record label together and discovered artists.
The O.C. featured plenty of music. Its theme song was California by Phantom Planet. California is most associated with The O.C. similar to the association of I Don’t Wanna Be for One Tree Hill. One major difference is that The O.C. kept its theme song for the whole run of the show. By season 5 of One Tree Hill after the high school years, the theme song was removed. It was reinstated in season 8 and was removed again in the final season. The O.C. also featured the song Running Up That Hill, a cover by Placebo. Kate Bush did the original song that came out in the 80s.
I only just recently finished watching The O.C. I watched One Tree Hill when it aired. I started One Tree Hill halfway through season 3. I bought the DVD sets and caught up on the episodes I missed. Both shows have lasting legacies. It would have been nice to see The O.C. go on a little longer but it makes sense why it didn’t. The show’s tone was a lot different in its final season after Marissa was killed off. One Tree Hill had multiple changes. The high school years were probably the show’s peak for a lot of fans. Once they did the five-year time jump, the show was different since the characters were adults and closer to the actors’ real age. Season 5 felt like a new show in a way. Season 6 morphed into a more dramatic and over the top show similar to earlier seasons. There was a psycho nanny and Dan Scott was facing life and death again. After Lucas and Peyton exited the series, the show changed again. Season 7 had new characters and had a lighter tone. Season 8 had a mix of light and darkness. The final season went a darker route. It would have been nice to see One Tree Hill make it to a season 10 but it had a nice lifespan and is one of the longest teen shows in television. Both shows did well for their respective networks. Both sets of casts went on to remain active. It is weird to think that it has already been twenty years since both shows first premiered. Time really does fly.
Riverdale just wrapped its 7 season run on Wednesday, August 23rd. Riverdale had a crazy run. Based on the Archie Comics, Riverdale was a darker iteration. Even from the early episodes, there always seemed to be something different about the town of Riverdale. There was something off and eerie and felt like there was something supernatural. Nearby was the town of Greendale which was the setting of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which aired on Netflix. It wasn’t until season 6 that Sabria Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) appeared on the show. There were plans to have a crossover with both shows if The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had gotten a season 5. Riverdale has accomplished a lot over its run. It is one of the last long running shows on the CW after The Flash. The Flash ended in May and lasted 9 seasons. All American will launch its sixth season sometime after the strikes end. All remaining scripted series on the CW have not been on for as long. Riverdale’s final season had 20 episodes. The Flash’s final season had 13 episodes and Nancy Drew which also ended had 13 episodes. Riverdale has gotten to have a full final season. Riverdale ends its run with 137 episodes, which is a rarity these days. Most shows, especially newer ones, don’t make it to 100 episodes. Out of the remaining shows for the CW All American is the only one that will be able to achieve 100 episodes. It will be hitting that mark in its upcoming season.
Spoilers Follow
Riverdale started out as a teen show. It is one of the longer running teen shows out of that genre. Dawson’s Creek lasted 6 seasons while One Tree Hill lasted 9 seasons. The original Beverly Hills 90210 lasted 10 seasons and nearly 300 episodes. All three shows also saw the characters graduate high school. Riverdale had a wild ride. The characters graduated high school in the first part of season 5 due to the pandemic pushing the last 3 episodes out of season 4. After episode 3, Riverdale jumped 7 years later, and the characters were closer to the ages of the actors. In a twist ending at the end season 6, the characters were sent back in time to the 1950s and they were teenagers again. All of season 7 saw the gang back in high school in the 50s. The 50s was also the original setting of the Archie Comics.
Riverdale had an ensemble cast who stayed throughout the run of the series which is also a rarity for long running shows to begin with. One Tree Hill eventually lost two if its leads and The O.C. killed off a major character which also probably contributed to the series ending the following season. Riverdale had some cast changes. The biggest loss was when Luke Perry, who played Fred Andrews, died during season 3. Season 4 killed off Fred and had a tribute episode to the character. Most of the adults left the show after the gang graduated high school but still made guest appearances. Ashleigh Murray, who played Josie McCoy left the show as a series regular in season 3 but made appearances in the later seasons. The rest of the cast stayed throughout.
Riverdale also is the wildest show in a while. It is similar to Melrose Place in terms of how much the show changed over time. Melrose Place started out as a spinoff of Beverly Hills 90210. By the end of its second season, Melrose Place morphed into an over the top soap opera. It was completely different than the show it was a spinoff of. Riverdale started off as a darker show that morphed into crazy and outlandish storylines. By the time of season 6 the show had introduced a multiverse and had given many of the characters superpowers before resetting everything in the season finale and sending the characters back in time to the 1950s where they had to go through high school again. Surprisingly the final season was more grounded compared to the past seasons.
What made Riverdale fun was the fact it was over the top and outlandish. Melrose Place is one of my favorite shows and what I loved about it was how over the top it was. Riverdale is the same thing. Interestingly Riverdale and Melrose Place both lasted 7 seasons. Riverdale was fun even as it got crazier. What helped make the show great was the cast. All of the characters were fun to watch, and it was easy to invest in all of them.
Riverdale ended differently than what I was initially expecting but I did find the series finale satisfying. I am happy with how it ended, and it is one of the stronger series finales. Riverdale adds one more nail in the coffin for the CW as audiences know it. Riverdale will probably be one of the last long running teen shows to make it past 100 episodes. It has accomplished a lot during its run. I will miss Riverdale and I look forward to where the cast winds up next.
The Resident premiered on FOX in January 2018 and ended this past January. It ran for 6 seasons and 107 episodes. The Resident followed a group of doctors at Chastain Memorial in Atlanta, Georgia. The show starred Matt Czuchry as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, Manish Dayal as resident turned doctor Devon Pravesh, Bruce Greenwood as surgeon Dr. Randolph Bell, Malcolm Jamal-Warner as surgeon Dr. AJ “The Raptor” Austin, Jane Leeves as surgeon turned CEO Dr. Kit Voss, Jessica Lucas as surgeon Dr. Billie Sutton, Anuja Joshi as resident Leela Devi, Kaley Ronayne as Dr. Kincaid Sullivan, and Andrew McCarthy as pediatrician and father of Kincaid Sullivan, Dr. Ian Sullivan.
The Resident had a good run. The show could have lasted longer. It was announced after season 6 ended that the show would not return. It was announced several months later. The Resident did well and was one of the higher rated dramas for FOX. It was a bit of a surprise that The Resident did not get a proper final season. I would have thought that The Resident would have at least been renewed for one final season.
Some SPOILERS
The Resident had a fairly proper ending. The finale could function as a series finale. It did not end on any major cliffhangers. It felt like there was still more left for the series. The Resident was a little darker and grittier than other hospital shows on during its run. New Amsterdam, which also ended earlier this year, had a more optimistic view. Grey’s Anatomy, which has been on for 20 seasons may be gritty when it comes to blood, but it is also known for being an over the top soap opera with tons of sex scenes. The Resident was a little more cynical especially at the beginning. Particularly, Conrad Hawkins was more cynical at the start of the show than at the end.
When compared to other medical shows, particularly Grey’s Anatomy and ER, The Resident was able to maintain most of its main characters. Most who started out on the show remained throughout the run. That could have changed if the show went on longer. There were some big cast changes during its run, particularly Emily VanCamp who played nurse practitioner Nic Nevin. Nic and Conrad eventually got together and got married. Nic was killed off at the start of season 5 before the series did a five year time jump. Nic went on to appear in a few episodes since leaving a series regular. The other major change was Shaunette Renee Wilson who played the strong willed and determined Dr. Mina Oakfor. She exited the series in season 4 to return to her home country Nigeria after her visa expired. Two beloved couples were broken up on the series. After Shaunette Renee Wilson exited, it broke up Mina Oakfor and AJ Austin’s relationship and the death of Nic Nevins ended her marriage to Conrad Hawkins. Both Conrad and AJ moved on to new chapters of their lives. The Resident gained a lot of new additions over the years including Dr. Billie Sutton and Dr. Kit Voss who remained on the series until the end. The most substantial exit besides Emily VanCamp and Shaunette Renee Wilson was Morris Chestnut as the corrupt Dr. Barrett Cain. He joined the series in season 3 and left at the end of season 4.
The Resident followed the characters and their lives. It was more realistic than Grey’s Anatomy which has always been an over the top soap opera. The Resident was grittier and a little more raw than other medical shows on. What carried the show was Dr. Conrad Hawkins and the rest of the characters. The Resident had a beloved cast. It was impressive the show could still continue without Shaunette Renee Wilson and Emily VanCamp. Their characters were big parts of the series. The show was able to continue.
There was still life left in the show. I don’t know how long The Resident would have gone on for. I could have seen it at least make it through a season 8, maybe even a season 9 and 10. That would have really come down to the cast. The show may have survived losing two major characters, but I am not sure the show could have lasted if Matt Czuchry decided to leave. Grey’s Anatomy has surprisingly been able to continue after losing its star, but I am not sure that would have been the case here. The series ended with Conrad and Billie Sutton getting together after spending substantial time after the death of Nic Nevins doing a will they or won’ they. It would have been nice to see where their relationship would have gone if the show continued.
The Resident had a good run. Six Seasons and 107 episodes is impressive especially now a days. It is increasingly rare for series to last six seasons and even more so to achieve 100 episodes. Maybe down the line there will be a reunion of some sort. This day and age anything is possible, but the Resident had a good run, and it also gave Matt Czuchry a chance to shine as the lead after supporting roles on Gilmore Girls and The Good Wife.
The Flash recently ended and with that comes the end of the Arrowverse. Here is a list of the best heroes of the Arrowverse.
Green Arrow (Stephen Amell)
Credit: Warner Brothers
It took several years until Oliver Queen donned the title of The Green Arrow. Season 4 is when Oliver became the Green Arrow on Arrow. The Green Arrow is the OG hero kicking off the Arrowverse. By the end of Arrow, Oliver sacrificed himself during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths to save the universe.
The Flash (Grant Gustin)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Barry Allen got the name The Flash in season 1 of The Flash. The Flash has been through a lot and really grew into being a hero.
White Canary (Caity Lotz)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Sara Lance has died several times and been brought back to life. She became the leader of the Legends in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Batwoman (Javicia Leslie)
Credit: Warner Brothers
There were two Batwomen. Ruby Rose played Kate Kane who was Batwoman. After Ruby Rose left the show, Javicia Leslie joined season 2 of Batwoman to play Ryan Wilder who donned the suit. Ryan was a badass and really came into her own on the two seasons of the show she was on.
Supergirl (Melissa Benoist)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Kara Zor-El really grew into being a superhero on Supergirl. She was able to stand on her own and also had a great support system from her friends.
Superman (Tyler Hoechlin)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Superman made his debut in season 2 of Supergirl. He was never a major character. He appeared in a few episodes of Supergirl as well as the Elseworlds and Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
Guardian (Mehcad Brooks)
Credit: Warner Brothers
James Olsen became more than just a reporter on Supergirl, becoming the hero Guardian.
Spartan (David Ramsey)
Credit: Warner Brothers
John Diggle finally became Spartan in Arrow down the line. He was always by Oliver Queen’s side.
Martian Manhunter (David Harewood)
Credit: Warner Brothers
J’onn J’onzz played a major role on Supergirl as Martian Manhunter. He was both the director of the D.E.O and helped Supergirl fight bad guys.
Dreamer (Nicole Maines)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Nia Null joined Supergirl in season 4. She became Dreamer later that season. By the end of the series Dreamer had grown into her own abilities. She was also the first transgender hero in the Arrowverse.
Vibe (Carlos Valdes)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Cisco Ramon became Vibe in season 2 of The Flash. After spending the duration of the first season being on coms helping The Flash, Vibe was able to go into the field and help The Flash fight bad guys. Vibe also played a major part in all of the crossovers.
Killer Frost (Danielle Panabaker)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Caitlin Snow became the villain Killer Frost who eventually became a good guy. In Season 7, Killer Frost dropped the Killer from her name and became simply Frost. She helped Vibe and The Flash fight bad guys.
Firestorm (Victor Garber & Franz Drameh)
Firestorm in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Credit: Warner BrothersMartin Stein (Victor Garber) and Jefferson “Jax” Jackson (Franz Drameh) in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Credit: Warner Brothers
Martin Stein and Jefferson “Jax” Jackson made up Firestorm. Jax become Martin’s partner after Ronnie Raymond (Robbie Amell), his original partner died on The Flash. After meeting each other on The Flash, Firestorm went on to join the Legends on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Atom (Brandon Routh)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Ray Palmer is a tech billionaire who romanced Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) on Arrow. After being presumed dead, The Atom went on to join the Legends of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Steel (Nick Zano)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Nate Heywood joined the Legends in season 2 of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Steel became a valued member of the team for the rest of the series.
Batwing (Camrus Johnson)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Luke Fox donned a suit in the season 2 finale of Batwoman. Batwing became a sidekick to Batwoman for the rest of the series.
Black Canary (Katie Cassidy)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Laurel Lance became Black Canary in season 3 of Arrow following in the footsteps of her sister Sara Lance who died the beginning of that season. Laurel was killed off in season 4. Laurel from Earth-2 showed up as the villain Black Siren. Eventually in later seasons, Black Siren became more of a hero and went on to become the Black Canary.
Arsenal (Colton Haynes)
Credit: Warner Brothers
Roy Harper became Arsenal in season 2 of Arrow. He was a huge a part of the original Team Arrow before exiting the show in season 3.
The Flash had many villains over the years. Here are some of the best villains during The Flash’s 9 seasons.
Reverse Flash (Tom Cavanagh & Matt Letscher)
Reverse Flash (Tom Cavanagh & Matt Letscher) in The Flash Credit: Warner Brothers
Reverse Flash will always be the top villain for The Flash especially since he was such a major character throughout the series. Reverse Flash is The Flash’s greatest enemy. Matt Letscher played Eobard Thawne who was Reverse Flash while Tom Cavanagh played Harrison Wells. Eobard Thawne killed Harrison Wells and used his form. Eobard also killed Barry Allen’s (Grant Gustin) mother, Nora (Michelle Harrison) and framed his father Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) for her murder. Throughout the series Matt Letscher and Tom Cavanagh portrayed Reverse Flash. Matt Letscher also went on to play the role in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Zoom (Teddy Sears)
Teddy Sears as Zoom in The Flash Credit: Warner Brothers
Zoom is another speedster who was the main villain in season 2. Just like Season 1, Zoom posed as someone else. Zoom was from Earth-2 and posed as Jay Garrick, who was the Flash on Earth-2. It was revealed that Zoom was really Hunter Zolomon and he locked up the real Jay Garrick. Zoom was just as bad as Reverse Flash and he murdered Barry’s father, Henry, another similarity to how Reverse Flash murdered Barry’s mother.
Savitar (Grant Gustin)
Grant Gustin as Savitar in The Flash Credit: Warner Brothers
Savitar was the main villain in season 3 and another speedster. Savitar was unmasked toward the end of the season where he was revealed to be an evil Barry Allen. By this point fans were starting to complain about the redundancy in speedster villains. Savitar ranks on here mostly because of the twist that it was Barry which also gave Grant Gustin an opportunity to play a villain.
Thinker (Neil Sandilands)
Neil Sandilands as The Thinker in The Flash Credit: Warner Brothers
The Thinker was the main villain in season 4 and was the first non speedster. Right from the beginning, the Thinker’s identity was revealed as Clifford DeVoe. Team Flash knew who The Thinker was. It was already a change of pace for the show that had spent the prior seasons concealing the identities of the villains. All three prior villains were unmasked later in the seasons. In season 4, there was no need to unmask which brought a different energy to the show. The Thinker was a cool villain especially since he was not a speedster.
Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy)
Sendhil Ramamurthy as Bloodwork in The Flash Credit: Warner Brothers
Bloodwork aka Ramsey Rosso was the main villain in the first half of season 6 before Crisis on Infinite Earths. Just like The Thinker, Bloodwork’s identity was revealed at the beginning. Sendhil Ramamurthy did a good job in the role, and he got to reprise the character in the final season.
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 7th 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. 7th Heaven ended again. The year prior 7th Heaven was promoted as the final season. The series finale attracted huge numbers and shortly after it aired the CW decided to renew 7th Heaven for an 11th 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.
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