CW Renews Riverdale, Batwoman, Roswell, Black Lightning Plus 9 Others

Michael Ausiello

The CW is kicking the new year off with a (renewal) bang, picking up additional seasons of 13 (!!!) current series — basically its entire lineup. The list of shows confirmed to return for the 2020-21 TV season includes The Flash (Season 7), Riverdale (Season 5),Supergirl (Season 6),Black Lightning (Season 4), DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (Season 6), All American (Season 3), Charmed (Season 3), Legacies (Season 3), In the Dark (Season 3) and Roswell, New Mexico (Season 3). Freshman entries Batwoman and Nancy Drew also scored renewals, as did (we kid you not) recast-obsessed ratings weakling Dynasty (Season 4).

Additionally, Riverdale offshoot Katy Keene — which is set to launch on Feb. 6 — has received an order for 13 additional scripts. (For a rundown of how The CW’ current lineup is faring ratings-wise, read Matt Mitovich’s handy ratings cheat sheet.)

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While The CW has made extensive early pickups before, it’s unusual for the network to renew series that have yet to return with their latest seasons, such as Roswell, New Mexico (back March 16) and In the Dark (return date TBA). According to sources, the decision was made, in part, to prepare for a potential writers’ strike this spring.

“These early orders for next season give our production teams a head start in plotting out story arcs and a jump on hiring staff, and this also provides us with a strong foundation of established, fan-favorite CW shows to build on for next season,” said CW prez Mark Pedowitz. “We’ve been thrilled with the creative direction of all three new series, and even though we are in the very early stages of our new full stack streaming strategy, which allows viewers to catch up on our new shows from the beginning, we’re already seeing incredibly positive results from our multiplatform viewership for Nancy Drew and Batwoman.”

TVLine’s 2020 Renewal Scorecard has been updated to reflect these 13 pickups.

Launch Gallery: 2020 Broadcast-TV Renewal Scorecard

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