• by Wayne Friedman , May 18, 2023

The CW Network has loaded up on unscripted TV shows as expected -- as well as more scripted TV shows from non-U.S. sources -- for the 2023-2024 TV season, in a move to get the network on more profitable footing.

“The way the CW was built before was not to have shows that maximize revenues for the CW,” says Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment for The CW Network, at a press conference on Thursday.

With regard to more unscripted programs, Schwartz says this plan was installed even before the current situation of the stoppage of work by TV writers.

“Unscripted is a strategy of ours, regardless of the writer's strike,” he says, adding that now there is a good 50-50 balance between scripted and unscripted programming.

When asked about the CW's younger-skewing viewers -- now that it is scheduling more older-skewing programming, including that of new professional golf league LIV Golf -- he says CW will still cater to young viewers to an extent.

“Young adult content certainly has a place at the CW [as a] leader. I don’t think we will abandon that. It will be just one of five things we do.”

He adds: “We are not going to run away from an audience that we spent 20 years cultivating. That is why you see ‘All American’ renewed; that is why you see ‘Walker’ renewed.” In addition, he says, there are no plans to rebrand the CW name.

In an effort to boost financially positive results, the CW has dropped many superhero-themed shows that it had in the past.

“As we look forward to making this network bigger and profitable -- and frankly as much as we all love those shows, they had their time -- they were not working on linear,” he says. “We need shows that are profitable... and we [are making] shows that we have more rights to.”

In August 2022, Nexstar Media Group closed a deal to buy a 75% stake in the CW from Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The CW had been losing money yearly -- anywhere from $100 million to $150 million per year.

But the network helped its majority owners-- then CBS and WarnerMedia -- make money for their studio operations in selling after-market rights to shows that originally aired on the CW. In recent years that came especially with program sales to the likes of Netflix.

But then the streaming TV industry took off and owners -- now Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery -- wanted to retain those shows for their own growing connected TV operations.

New shows on the network this fall include “The Librarians: The Next Chapter,” a spinoff of the original fantasy series; “Joan” a drama about real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington; and “The Swarm," an eco-thriller.

New unscripted TV series include: “Patti Stanger: Millionaire Matchmaking” (working title), which follows a matchmaker as she helps dating-challenged singles find their ideal mate; “The Force,” focusing on members of law enforcement; and “The Great American Bakeover” (working title), looking at struggling small-town bakeries.

THE CW 2023 Fall Prime-time schedule

Monday

8:00-9:00 PM            "All American"  Season 6)

9:00-10:00 PM           "61st Street" (New Series)

Tuesday

8:00-8:30 PM            "Son of a Critch" (New Series)

8:30-9:00 PM            "Run The Burbs" (New Series)

9:00-9:30 PM             "Children Ruin Everything" (New Series)

9:30-10:00 PM           "Everyone Else Burns" (New Series) 

Wednesday

8:00-9:00 PM            "Sullivan's Crossing" (New Series)

9:00-10:00 PM          "The Spencer Sisters" (New Series)

Thursday

8:00-9:00 PM           "FBoy Island"  (Encore Episode)

9:00-10:00 PM         "FBoy Island" (New Series)

Friday

8:00-9:00 PM          "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" Season 10)

9:00-9:30 PM          "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"  (New Season)

9:30-10:00 PM        "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Encore Episode)

Saturday

8:00-8:30 PM         "Masters of Illusion"  (Season 10)

8:30-9:00 PM         "Masters of Illusion" (Encore Episode)

9:00-9:30 PM         "World's Funniest Animals" (Season 4)

9:30-10:00 PM       "World's Funniest Animals" (Encore Episode)

Sunday

8:00-10:00 PM        "I am Films"