The CW Wants More Sarah Michelle Gellar, Battle Royale and Muppets!
At Monday's Television Critics Association fall previews, The CW introduced a new slogan, "TV Now." Fans of the youth network will have a bit of a wait, however, to get their fix since their fall season won't kick off until later than usual, on Oct. 2 with the return of Hart of Dixie.
Check out what CW chief Mark Pedowitz had to say about the cancellation of Ringer, the possibility of a series based on the uber-violent film Battle Royale and holiday cheer with the Muppets:
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More Sarah Michelle Gellar, please: Although Ringer didn't perform as well as The CW expected in the ratings, online and on social media, the fans are still bugging the network to bring it back. Gellar is currently pregnant, but Pedowitz said, "When she's ready, she'd love to come back at The CW as an actress or a producer." He also noted the series might have done better with a shorter season, perhaps 13 to 16 episodes instead of the usual 22.
L.A. Complex not dead yet: Although the drama has been pulled from the schedule, The CW plans on showing the remaining 10 episodes. Once those conclude, the network will be able to decide the show's fate. Similarly, Breaking Pointe is still under consideration for renewal.
Chuck before Carrie: The CW decided to hold the highly anticipated Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries for midseason so that Gossip Girl could get a proper send-off with a final 10 episodes this year.
Battle Royale rumors: The CW is still considering adapting the harrowing Japanese film into a series. "Hopefully we'll be able to make a deal with producers. We'll see where it goes," said Pedowitz, who acknowledged that the kids-killing-other-kids plot could be a bit extreme for broadcast networks. "At this point in time... we're not in development. All that existed was a phone call. We're not planning to do anything [that] we cannot get on the air. No, we are not going to go in that direction. We're going to wait and see what happens and how things develop."
The Selection may still be coming: The CW passed on the pilot The Selection, a dystopian sci-fi romance series, for the current season, but are considering retooling it for midseason. "It just wasn't where we wanted it to be, tone-wise," Pedowitz said. "The writers have gone back to rescript. We hope to see something soon to make a decision to go forward...I really wanted a show that had Game of Thrones or Hunger Games tone."
Supernatural: There's a catch with Dean's return
Sam and Dean, together again eventually: "There was no question about [renewing Supernatural]," Pedowitz said. "There will be a lapse of time before Dean gets out of Purgatory."
But what about Burt Reynolds? Pedowitz praised Hart of Dixie, pointing out that it was The CW's leading streaming show on Hulu for a period of time. "In terms of where it's going, the love triangle on Hart of Dixie will continue," he said.
Just what the Dr. Horrible ordered: Pedowitz was personally instrumental in getting Joss Whedon's award-winning Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog webisodes to make its television debut this fall on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 9/8c. "I've been a big fan. I was proactive. I gave the phone call," he confessed. "We are primarily going to re-edit it for TV. Hopefully if Joss does another one, we'll get that."
The big Vampire Diaries question: "There are always new cast members, and those who are dead will come back to life," Pedowitz said, adding that Elena's transformation into a vampire creates an intriguing situation. "Will she follow Stefan's path or Damon's path? Does the vampire bloodlust get to her or not?" And although she has taken Damon's blood, it's still not clear who their shared sire is.
No vampires on Nikita: In the new season, Ryan and Nikita will be running Division, hunting down rogue agents with a team that Pedowitz describes as a "little bit of a Scooby-Doo gang." And although one critic expressed doubt that Percy had actually died last season, Pedowitz clarified, "This is not a supernatural show, so it's hard for the dead to come back."
It's time to play the music: "I can promise another Muppets special this holiday season," said Pedowitz, acknowledging that last holiday's special did well in the ratings for the network.
