Cancellation Season is upon us and The CW has just announced major changes to their 2022-2023 lineup!
With streaming giants jockeying for subscribers, the “free” networks pay the price as the streamers collect up all their content and move them to paid subscription-based services. This year the CW canceled a whopping SEVEN TV shows. See who’s in and who’s out!
Who’s Out?
Naomi
Naomi, which JUST came out in January 2022, is out. The show has been canceled after just one season.
Based on the 2019 premiering comic book series co-written by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker, and illustrated by breakout artist Jamal Campbell, Naomi followed a Superman-obsessed teenage girl’s journey from her small northwestern town to the heights of the multiverse.
When a supernatural event shook her community, Naomi (Walfall) set out to uncover its origins, and what she discovered challenged everything we believe about our heroes — and the people who raise them.
Naomi is the third DC series to be cut by the CW in recent weeks, following Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow.
4400
4400 was also canceled after just one season. 4400 was a reboot of the 2004 science fiction television series The 4400, which was also canceled in 2007 after just 3 seasons. The show starred Brittany Adebumola, Joseph David-Jones, Ireon Roach, TL Thompson, Jaye Ladymore, Derrick A. King, Khailah Johnson, Cory Jeacoma, Amarr, and Autumn Best.
Over the last century at least 4,400 people who were overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized vanished without a trace off the face of the planet. One night, they are all returned to a location in Detroit not having aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them.
As the government races to understand the phenomenon, analyze the potential threat, and contain the story, empathetic social worker Jharrel Mateo (David-Jones) and hardened community corrections officer Keisha Taylor (Roach) are among the civil servants called upon to deal with the uncanny refugees. The new partners clash in ideology and approach, but gradually find they have more in common than they thought as they become familiar with those under their care.
These unwilling time travelers, collectively dubbed the 4400, must grapple with their impossible new reality, the fact that they’ve been returned with a few “upgrades”, and the increasing likelihood that they were brought back now for a reason they’re only beginning to understand.
Charmed
Another reboot, Charmed, which was a reboot of the beloved 1998 series was also canceled after 4 seasons. The original lasted twice as long, staying on the air for a total of 8 seasons.
Charmed followed a trio of witches, the charmed ones, who use their powers to protect the supernatural world and the magical creatures in it. In the first three seasons, the charmed ones were played by Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffrey. However, Mantock left Charmed, and her character was replaced with a new charmed one, played by Lucy Barrett. In addition to Barrett, Diaz, and Jeffrey, Charmed also starred Rupert Evans, Jordan Donica, Mareya Salazar, Bethany Brown, Shi Ne Nielson, and Kapil Talwalkar.
Dynasty
Yet another reboot, Dynasty will be ending after 5 seasons. The original 1981 series was one of the first prime-time soap operas and held viewers’ attention for 8 years.
The Dynasty reboot was a diverse twist on the original series’ premise and starred Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon, Daniella Alonso as Cristal, Elaine Hendrix as Alexis, Rafael de la Fuente as Sammy Jo, Sam Underwood as Adam, Michael Michele as Dominique, Robert Christopher Riley as Culhane, Sam Adegoke as Jeff, Maddison Brown as Kirby, Adam Huber as Liam, Eliza Bennett as Amanda and Grant Show as Blake.
Previous series regulars included Nathalie Kelley as the original Cristal (aka Celia), James Mackay as Steven, Alan Dale as Anders, Ana Brenda Contreras as Cristal No. 2 and Nicollette Sheridan as the OG Alexis.
Roswell, New Mexico
2022 is just not a good year for reboots as yet ANOTHER reboot, Roswell, New Mexico, found themselves on the chopping block after 4 seasons. Both Roswell, New Mexico and the original 1999 series Roswell were adapted from the Roswell High series of young adult novels from Melinda Metz. The reboot lasted one season longer than the original, which was canceled after 3 seasons.
Starring Jeanine Mason and Dean Parsons as Liz and Max, the series follows the former as she returns home to Roswell to work in her family’s diner after losing her biomedical research grant. The daughter of two undocumented immigrants, Liz discovers upon returning that her high school crush Max has been an alien the entire time, keeping his powers a secret from all around him. She reconnects with him and vows to keep his identity safe, but fears of a greater alien presence are heightened after a horrific attack, stoking fear and hatred among the populace that puts Max in danger.
In The Dark
Streaming on Netflix couldn’t save this series before it was canceled. The upcoming fourth season will be the last for this series.
The series follows Murphy Mason, played by Perry Mattfeld, a blind woman in her 20s. Over the course of its three-season run, the series has seen Muphy transform from has seen her go from a lazy and unhappy receptionist at a job that she hates to a vigilante detective to a drug front proprietor, with season 3 seeing her and her friends Jess and Felix, played by Brooke Markham and Morgan Krantz, respectively, as well as her ex-boyfriend Max, played by Casey Deidrick, on the run for murder. The four of them aren’t only being pursued by the authorities, but also by a drug kingpin known as Josiah, played by Maurice Compte. The upcoming season 4 of the series will see Murphy having to survive being in jail while her friends do everything they can to help her.
Legacies
Spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, Legacies has been canceled after 4 seasons. Legacies was a spin-off of The Originals, which was a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries. The series starred Danielle Rose Russell as 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson, descended from some of the most powerful vampire, werewolf and witch bloodlines. Set in The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted, Legacies tells the ongoing story of a new generation of supernatural students as they learn what it means to be special in a society that wouldn’t understand their gifts.
Who’s In?
The CW has renewed the following:
- All American (for Season 5)
- All American: Homecoming (for Season 2)
- The Flash (for Season 9)
- Kung Fu (for Season 3)
- Nancy Drew (for Season 4)
- Riverdale (for Season 7)
- Superman & Lois (for Season 3)
- Walker (for Season 3)
Returning:
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us
- Masters of Illusion
- World’s Funniest Animals
REELated: CBS renews all 3 Dick Wolf FBI dramas
NEW!
Gotham Knights
This new show is a one-hour drama which takes place after the murder of Bruce Wayne, although The CW notes it is not a Batwoman spinoff.
The upcoming series follows Bruce’s “rebellious adopted son,” played by Oscar Morgan, who “forges an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader.” When Gotham “descends into the most dangerous it’s ever been,” Oscar and his “team of mismatched fugitives” have to protect the city in Batman’s absence.
Walker: Independence
Another hour-long drama, Walker: Independence, takes place far from the city and back in time. Set in the 1800s, the show tells the story of Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), who seeks revenge after the murder of her husband and connect with Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr) along the way. While traveling together, the duo struggles “with the changing world around them, while becoming agents of change themselves in a town where nothing is what it seems,” per the show’s logline.
The Winchesters
It’s official, the third series to join The CW lineup is The Winchesters, another hour-long drama. Supernatural fans should be thrilled to learn of the prequel series, which follows Sam and Dean’s predecessors, parents John and Mary will be joining the CW lineup.
The CW describes The Winchesters as an “epic, untold love story of how John (Drake Rodger) met Mary (Meg Donnelly) and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.”
Unknown
The fates of shows Tom Swift and DC’s Stargirl have yet to be announced.
Joia DaVida reports on the entertainment industry in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
