The CW has handed out early renewals to seven different series including “The Flash” and “Riverdale” but several more remain in limbo…
The CW has officially handed out renewals to several series, although not as many as past years when the network would routinely announce almost an entire slate of shows coming back for another season.
The seven shows that were renewed on Tuesday include:
The Flash (Season 9)
Superman & Lois (Season 3)
Riverdale (Season 7)
Walker (Season 3)
Kung Fu (Season 3) and
All American (Season 5)
Nancy Drew (Season 4)
It’s not a huge surprise that “The Flash” got another season renewal, especially after series star Grant Gustin recently inked a new deal to remain with the long running DC show. There have been plenty of rumors that “The Flash” season 9 could be the last for the Scarlet Speedster but that wasn’t announced with the renewal.
The same could be said for “Riverdale” heading into season 7.
Typically, series regulars are initially signed for a seven season order when a show first launches, although cast renegotiations happen all the time. That said, “Riverdale” could be looking at a rather expensive endeavor to keep the show going into season 8 and beyond, although the series remains very popular both on The CW and through streaming past episodes.
Overall, The CW handed down less renewals that usual most likely because the network’s corporate parents — Paramount and WarnerMedia — have been shopping for a buyer. It’s entirely possible that a sale could gut the original programming slate at The CW with many of the shows possibly shifting over to streaming services like Paramount+ or HBO Max.
There’s also no word on several other CW series that have either wrapped recently or those that are still airing in the middle of a season right now.
Among those are several DC based series including “Batwoman,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” “Naomi” and “Stargirl.” Of course not receiving an early renewal doesn’t mean any of these shows are doomed but none of them have gotten the go ahead for another season just yet.
