The CW renews 12 shows including Riverdale, The Flash and Batwoman

The CW went on a renewal spree this week, giving additional seasons to 12 of their shows, per Variety. That’s basically everything on their roster at the moment, including several shows that have yet to begin airing their next seasons. The complete list includes All American, Batwoman, Charmed, Legends Of Tomorrow, Dynasty, The Flash, In The Dark, Legacies, Nancy Drew, Riverdale, Walker and Roswell, New Mexico.

Attentive eyes may notice that Supergirl and Black Lightning aren’t on the list, as they are both set to air their final seasons this year.

In the time of COVID-19, which has come with plentiful production delays, it’s probably a good idea to renew stuff early. That said, I’m side-eyeing some of the choices on this list. I mean, do we really need another season of Riverdale? Don’t get me wrong, I love the show, but I think the time has come to cut the cord. In fact, this week’s graduation episode would have been the perfect opportunity since it played out like a series finale, but I digress.

The future of The CW

CW CEO Mark Pedowitz explained the renewal fest in a statement. “Though we’re just a few weeks into the new season, we wanted to get a strategic head start on next season with these early renewals, which allows our production teams to start laying out story arcs and hiring staff, and at the same time, continues to provide us with a strong, stable schedule to build on for next season.”

That makes sense and all, but I’d like an explanation for some of the other programming decisions being made over there. For example, despite giving All American a spin-off series, The CW decided to axe Green Arrow & The Canaries despite its impressive backdoor pilot. Oh, what an opportunity they had there.

Given all the complications caused by COVID, maybe it’s just easier right now to go ahead with what they have rather than make something new.

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h/t AV Club