The CW Grabs ’61st Street’ Drama After AMC Cancellation
The CW’s latest acquisition comes from an unlikely place: AMC.
The broadcast network has picked up both seasons of the drama series 61st Street from AMC. The legal thriller stars Courtney B. Vance as an attorney defending a high school athlete (Tosin Cole) who get swept up in Chicago’s corrupt criminal justice system.
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AMC picked up the series with a two-season order and aired the first installment in the spring of 2022. Despite season two already being finished, however, AMC scrapped the conclusion — part of a wave of cost-cutting un-renewals at several outlets in late 2022 and early 2023. The first season is set to air in the fall on The CW, with the unseen season two set for 2024.
“There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making 61st Street,” Vance said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of 61st Street a network home. With The CW, I’m confident that we will engage a universe of viewers who will celebrate the series with us. My cast, crew and I can’t wait.”
Said CW Entertainment president Brad Schwartz, “61st Street is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers. We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.”
The CW, now majority owned by local TV giant Nexstar, has significantly pared down the network’s slate of homegrown scripted series: Only All American and Walker have been renewed for 2023-24, with decisions yet to be made on All American: Homecoming, Gotham Knights and Superman & Lois. Nexstar, in a push to make the network profitable (which it never was, nor was it designed to be, under previous owners Warner Bros. and CBS) by 2025, is instead looking to cheaper acquisitions and unscripted shows to help fill out its schedule.
Peter Moffat (The Night Of, Your Honor) created 61st Street and executive produces with J. David Shanks, Michael B. Jordan (via has Outlier Society banner), Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich and Hilary Salmon.
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