jaredpadalecki:  Hey @jensenackles @misha !!! Look at all of these young, beautiful, talented people!!! (They’re the ones we’re standing with… 🤦‍♂️) Thank you Mark Pedowitz, and the ENTIRE @CW, for the wonderful and exciting reunion. ❤️🙏 #cwupfront #nyc #GameOn!

Variety Article

Better network anon? CW was the better network.

Carina: I’m so sad about this. The previous leadership at The CW nurtured a family of artists — Mark Pedowitz was involved in our storytelling. He watched every episode. He championed emerging writers & valued keeping talent in the family.

Aline: This is so sad. CW was a great place to work. Talented kind executives who supported us at every turn. First thing Mark Pedowitz said to us: “Don’t ever pull yourselves back.” At one point 67% of their showrunners were female. RIP to one of the best places I ever worked.

The CW was known for leading the pack when it came to queer representation. It was a network that worked hard on representation and diversity. From Deadline: “There has been a concerted effort for everyone at The CW and our studio partners to create this diversity and inclusion.”

This is why those of us who actually understood the industry didn’t cheer when Nexstar took over and Mark Pedowitz stepped down because we knew that the network would become less diverse and inclusive. It would kill a place that once gave voice to people who usually aren’t given a voice.

who the blue fuck doesn't understand that Mark Pedowitz still runs cw because i just got sent a longass name-wiped post about jensen having a friend in him but op thought he's gone and j2m will have a bad time suddenly and like. he's not. what the fuck. STOP TALKING ABOUT SHIT YOU DONT GET

JUST LIKE THE OTHER [GESTURES AT PEOPLE BEING CONFUSED AS FUCK ABOUT ALL THINGS WB, HBO, Skew, Gotham Knights, the last few days of posts],

*Mark Pedowitz is still CEO of CW*

If you thought this changed, you still are not following

No, there will be no magical new pressure on Jensen, the Winchesters or whatever due to a void of Mark Pedowitz, because much to my chagrin, we're still stuck with Mark Pedowitz, and I really don't know where that got pulled out of anyone's head. If Mark was CEO when WB and CBS owned it why do they think that changed by default by Nexstar buying in I'm???/ IF MARK PEDOWITZ ISN'T AT CW ANYMORE, SOMEBODY BETTER TELL HIM. Or this news article from 18 hours ago that specifically refers to him as still leading it.

in fact as much as I hate Peter Roth, HE'S in Jensen's corner and HE'S the one Zaslav is taking advice from, so calm the fuck down, we're going up, not down. In the magical AU Mark Pedowitz and Peter Roth aren't involved, maybe there's this theoretical pressure, but we are not in that universe. We're in the universe where Jensen's mentor is now the mentor of the entire head of WarnerBrothers Discovery. So IDK where the fuck anyone thinks we downgraded in our corporate representation.

DO PEOPLE THINK POSTING ABOUT BUSINESS SHIT IS JUST THINGS YOU CAN SPITBALL ABOUT AND HIT ACCURATELY??????????? yallllllllllllllllllllllllllll I PROMISE I JUST DON'T SAY RANDOM SHIT INTO THE INTERNET. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ

I have literally spent a SOLID DAY combating misinformation at this point

THERE IS A BIZARRE LACK OF GOOGLING CAPABILITY GOING ON TODAY

Pedowitz's influence is the same as before. Jared won't benefit much from the Roth/Zaslav situation, but Jensen foremost from their connection and thus SPN/Winchesters, and likely Gotham Knights as well as it's also WB. Jared can enjoy being adrift in CBS riding the cancel cowboy line yeehaw or whatever from there

This fandom is strange. Like this fandom is really being dramatic cause Misha decided to show appreciation to someone who gave him a chance. No matter our own personal feelings they knew each other.

Mark Ped had a lot of faults as owner of cw(still bitter about Wayward Sisters) but telling Misha and dragging him for tweeting about someone he knew personally and appreciated getting a chance is strange behavior. But it's spn fandom so I'm not surprised.

Meanwhile....

Cause while everyone is kiki'ing over Dean coming back and getting to see The Winchesters, they forget he's the reason it got greenlit. Cause we all know the new ownership would not have given neither The Winchesters nor Gotham Knights a chance if he probably wasn't their biggest cheerleader. And I'm not a fan of Mark Ped. The new ownership about to be very conservative. At least old school cw gave us crazy fun shows to watch when other networks weren't.

Mark Pedowitz Exits As Chairman & CEO Of The CW – Deadline

Interesting article.

Jared, Jensen, Supernatural and Walker are mentioned quite a few times.

Jared says if it weren't for Pedowitz convincing him to act and executive produce, he would have retired and Walker Verse wouldn't exist.

It's not exactly news, but it still hits different in the context of this whole article.

In the biggest transformation in the history of the CW since Mark Pedowitz took the reins 11 years ago and turned the fledgling female-focused CW into a gender-balanced network with a thriving superhero franchise, the net is fundamentally changing the way it operates and makes decisions.

Having functioned as an extension of its parent companies’ studios, Warner Bros. TV and CBS TV Studios, the CW’s role had been to help launch series which the two studios can exploit in streaming and international. A number of renewals over the years were dictated by the shows’ value to the studios, not the network, which explained why the low-rated Dynasty ran for five seasons on the CW. The show, which was canceled today, was the subject of a rich deal between CBS Studios and Netflix and making money for the studio regardless of its performance on the CW.

After the CW’s sale, while Warner Bros. and Paramount are expected to retain minority stakes and continue to supply programming for it, their interests will no longer be above those of the network.

The 2019 end of WBTV and CBS Studios’ Netflix output deal for the CW programming also played a role in some of the cancellations as newer series go to HBO Max/Paramount+ and do not bring in external streaming revenue, putting more pressure on them to deliver for the studios. (The end of the Netflix pact has been beneficial for the CW, which can now monetize its shows with a full-season stack for all of but The Flash, Riverdale and All American.)

Financial considerations by studios led to the cancellation of several series, which Pedowitz probably would’ve kept on the air longer, including Legends of Tomorrow, which deserved a proper sendoff after seven seasons, Legacies, which has a devoted fan following, and In the Dark, which has been among the CW’s highest quality series. I hear the CW was willing to renew those shows but the studios behind them were not for business reasons as they try keep their slates profitable.

While the CW’s original scripted series volume is going down significantly, the network has beefed up its slate of acquired scripted programming, including Family Law, Professionals and Leonardo, on tap for next season, as well as alternative fare.

In light of the cancellations, we may no longer see marquee CW original scripted series such as Riverdale and Nancy Drew on Fridays or Sundays as was the case this season; they may be concentrated on Monday-Thursday (or possibly Sunday-Thursday). More acquired and alternative programming will likely find its way to the lower-trafficked nights and the summer where the CW had been consistently airing a few original scripted shows over the last couple of years.

There are a lot of rumors and speculation what the CW would look like under its new owners, with speculation about a potential push for more wholesome programming that appeals to middle America and questions about its future commitment to LGBT representation.

While time will tell what the CW would evolve into, for now, under Pedowitz, the network remains committed to diverse and inclusive storytelling that could push boundaries.

Heading into the CW’s new era, Pedowitz next Thursday will take the stage for the only traditional broadcast presentation this upfront as we bid farewell to the unicorn that the CW was, a broadcast net with two equal owners and a unique business model that survived way longer than anyone would’ve predicted.

https://deadline.com/2022/05/the-cw-cancellations-upfront-2022-transitional-year-ownership-change-1235022928/

Das Ende einer Ära - Goodbye Riverdale, Goodbye TV-Era!

Mit dem Ende von "Riverdale" nächste Woche endet auch ein Fernsehzeitalter. Denn Muttersender The CW war bis letztes Jahr das letzte Network mit eigener Identität und immer wieder neuen langlebigen Serien. Natürlich gibt es immer noch die Dinosaurier-Serien rund um die Franchises der anderen US-Networks wie "Grey's Anatomy", NCIS", "Law and Order" und die ganzen "Fire"-Serien, doch an denen wird hauptsächlich deswegen festgehalten, weil sie eben Dinosaurier sind, und damit alles, was diese Networks noch am Leben erhält, alles, wovon es noch wahre Fans gibt. Neue Konzepte oder teure Ideen werden von den anderen Networks schon seit Jahren nicht mehr umgesetzt, es gibt gerade mal Crime Procedurals und Sitcoms und wie gesagt die neuen sterben sehr schnelle Tode. Selbst Franchise-Abkömmlinge wie "That 90s Show" werden heutzutage lieber auf Netflix untergebracht. Und Fanlieblinge und Erfolgskonzepte wechseln oft Network oder zu Streamern um einen Abschluss finden zu können, das trifft eben auch Sitcoms (wie "Brookyln 99") aber vor allem Genreserien (wie "Manifest" und "Lucifer"). Und selbst die Franchises sind nicht mehr sicher heutzutage, wie die überraschende Absetzung von "NCIS: Los Angeles" zeigt. Jedes Network scheint genau eine Serie zu haben, die verlängert wird, egal was passiert, während alle anderen jeden Moment ohne Vorwarnung dran glauben können.

Und wie gesagt wer sich nach Formaten jenseits von Crime, Reality und einer jetzt schon zum Tode verurteilten Sitcom sehnt, wird nicht mehr wirklich fündig. The CW lässt zwar ein paar Serien weitergehen und hat neue angekündigt, aber wer die Umstände darum weiß - Castverminderung, verkürzte Staffeln, Co-Finanzierung, Kauf von bestehenden Serien von anderen Quellen, Budgetkürzungen etc., der weiß, dass in Wahrheit nichts mehr von dem Sender übrig ist, der uns noch vor kurzem all unsere Lieblingsserien geschenkt hat. Wie glücklich wir uns schätzen konnten ohne es jemals zu realisieren, wissen zumindest diejenigen, die bis vor kurzem noch für das Network gearbeitet haben. Nicht umsonst lautet der Titel der vorletzten "Riverdale"-Folge "The Golden Age of Television" und nicht umsonst dreht sich diese Folge bis zu einem gewissen Grad um die Existenz der Serie "Riverdale" an sich.

Dabei hatte es The CW nie leicht. Männer und Erwachsene so wie Kritiker haben den Sender immer gehasst. Nicht umsonst, denn immerhin hatte er ursprünglich die Hauptausrichtung für weibliches Publikum von 13-35 - also die furchtbarstene lebenden Menschen überhaupt, wenn es nach allen geht, die nicht in diese Zielgruppe fallen. Durch Mark Pedowitz als Präsident änderte sich diese Ausrichtung, da er mehr auf Superheldenserien setzte und dabei von der ursprünglichen Ausrichtung von "Smallville" als Teenager-Romanze mit Superkräften weg ging auf breiter gefächerte Comic-Inhalte mit mehr Crime-, Action-, Fantasy-, Science Fiction -, Comedy- und Heroic-Elementen aufbaute und damit dann verwandte Formate ohne Comic-Label dahinter vermischte. Nicht zu vergessen Dauerbrenner "Supernatural", der 15 Jahre lief, zwei Brüder übernatürliche Fälle aufklären ließ und zwar vornehmlich ein weibliches Publikum hatte, aber trotzdem zumindest auf dem Papier für alle Zuseherschichten zugänglich war (weil ja keine ekeligen Frauen im Mittelpunkt stehen, und Frauen im Gegensatz zu Männern kein Problem damit haben sich Serien anzuehen, in denen das andere Geschlecht im Mittelpunkt steht). Mark Pedowitzs Strategie erwies sich als Segen für den Sender, der nun Serien für alle Zielgruppen hatte - und vor allem auch immer mehr Serien, die sich von Mitgliedern aller Geschlechter und Altersgruppen angesehen wurden. Und klar, der Sender baute sich seine linke-liberale-feministische-LGBT-freundliche Marke auf, aber gerade dadurch wurde er geschätzt. Und so sehr es immer Jammerlappen gab, die sich über die "minderen Effekte" der Arrowverse-Serien beschwerten, verglichen mit skripttechnischen Katastrophen wie "Titans" hatten die Serien des Senders auch mit weniger Geld durch mehr Herz, Spannung, Spaß, Ideen, Ideologien und einfach auch Zahl an Episoden und Staffeln trotz allem immer die Nase vorn. Vor allem auch international, da durch DVD/BR-Verkäufe und den Netflix-Deal mehr Serien dieses Senders in den Rest der Welt importiert wurden als von irgendeinen anderen Network.

Und ironischerweise wurde genau dieser Aspekt - der großte internationale Erfolg - dem Sender zum Verhängnis, als zuerst Warner und dann auch Paramount beschlossen, dass sie ihre eigenen Streaming Dienste wollten (die aber anders als Netflix niemals im Ausland erfolgreich Fuß fassen konnten) und die neuen Serien nicht mehr an Netflix übergeben wollten. Kombiniert mit Covid führte das dazu, dass sich die beiden Studios entschlossen ihre Mehrheitsanteile am Sender zu verkaufen. Käufer Nextstar war solange sehr interessiert bis man dahinter kam, dass sich der Sender an sich in den USA nicht rentierte, man machte man ihm keinen Profit, doch das war immer schon der Fall gewesen, wie gesagt der Verkauf der Inhalte war das Erfolgskonzept gewesen, doch diese gehörten nun Paramount und Warner und nicht Nextstar. Also wurden schon vor dem Kauf mehr als die Hälfte von ihnen gestrichen und seit dem so ungefähr alles andere auch.

Zwar wird es, sollten die Streiks jemals enden, nächstes Jahr neue Seasons und Serien am Sender geben, doch es wird nur noch eine Handvoll sein. Insofern endet nicht nur das Leben The CW mit der finalen Folge von "Riverdale" nächste Woche, sondern eben auch das wahre Goldene Zeitalter des Fernsehens: Das von dem wir hier auch etwas hatten. Es gibt noch ein paar verschollene Staffeln und Serien des Senders, die sich zeitverzögert zu uns verirren können, aber die Zeiten, in denen Fans von Fantasy, Sciene Fiction, Helden jeder Art und Romanzen im Zeitgeist Frauen und Männer jeder Hautfarbe und jeder sexuellen Orientierung und Identität wöchentlich über das ganze Jahr hinweg auf sixx und ProSiebenMax Abenteuer bestehen sehen konnten sind definitiv vorbei. Im Grunde steht hinter der Serienflaute der Pro7-Gruppe wohl auch das Problem, dass eben keine CW-Serien mehr da sind, die sie neu spielen können, und die verliebenen Staffeln entweder schon verpulvert wurden oder in den Giftschrank gestellt wurden.

Die fetten Jahre sind also vorbei.

Zu Schade. Aber zumindest kann man jetzt mit seinen Leben was anderes anfangen als vor der Glotze zu sitzen. Nur: Wer von uns will das in Wahrheit schon? Nun, das werden wir herausfinden müssen.

Variety- “Jared Padalecki Talks Transitioning From ‘Supernatural’s’ Sam Winchester Into ‘Walker’”

In the spring of 2019, while Jared Padalecki was finishing shooting what would become the penultimate season of “Supernatural,” he began to sketch out an idea for his next project. After starring in the WB Network/CW drama alongside Jensen Ackles since 2005, Padalecki’s first thought was of continuing their partnership beyond that one show.

“I was tired of being on camera for 20 years straight,” he says. “I wanted to produce a show called ‘Walker’ starring Jensen Ackles.” (...) The idea came to Padalecki in his Vancouver trailer after reading an op-ed by a law enforcement official who walked away from duty rather than submit to separating migrant kids from their parents and putting them in cages, as was being asked of him. “I thought, ‘What an interesting person who struggles with what they are bound to do by duty and what they think they should do by their own moral compass,’” he explains.

From the beginning Padalecki knew he wanted his show to be about such an officer, and he knew he wanted to film in Austin, Texas, which is not only the headquarters of the Texas Rangers, but also where he and his family reside. It wasn’t until the extended producing team of Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore and showrunner Anna Fricke were in place that he realized he should star in it, too, because it was his “passion project.” Then “Walker” was truly born.

“The original [series] was this lawman who abides by his own rules, and he would just do head-spinning kicks on people, and obviously we can’t do that now; that would be laughably bad,” Padalecki says. “We don’t want the audience to ever know whether Walker is quote conservative or quote liberal, or quote Republican or quote Democrat. This version of ‘Walker,’ we play with the gray area: This is not a show about a martial artist kicking minorities in the face; this is a show about a legit Texan saying, ‘Hey, I need to hear the whole story before I make a decision.’ So this version is less about what goes through somebody’s fists and feet, and more about what goes through somebody’s head and heart.

”Padalecki’s character will therefore challenge some antiquated notions of what it takes to be tough. “I’m sure there are some MAGA hats who may be pissed off,” he notes, but he was “just in no way interested” in doing a show that leaned into toxically masculine tropes.

Even though CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz acknowledges the show is “a different flavor” for the network, he wanted it on his schedule because of “a five-letter word,” namely, Jared. “Jared had a desire to do this; we had a desire to support Jared — it was a good mix,” Pedowitz says. “If we’re going to expand what the brand is, it’s good to expand with a person who has represented the brand so well through his career.” (...) “I want [Jared] associated in some form with The CW, no matter how it goes. So if it went with this as he only wanted to be a producer, that would have been fine,” Pedowitz says.

For Padalecki, earning the privilege to help shepherd a show from inception to air — behind the scenes in addition to on-screen — has been a singular experience. “I can protect that original idea, but furthermore I get to try and make sure our cast and crew are treated correctly and that some of the habits that can happen on a TV show that end up hurting people don’t materialize,” he says. (...) The CW put “Walker” on its development slate in the fall of 2019, when filming was underway on the final season of “Supernatural.” The plan was to shoot a pilot in April, but when the pandemic hit, Pedowitz pivoted strategy quickly and ordered the show straight to series in January. “I think we would have wasted people’s time trying to do a pilot in COVID,” he says, adding that if a production is going to run the risk of shooting, the network should be prepared for a series greenlight. (...) In between takes on “Walker,” Padalecki wants to create a family vibe for his fellow cast and crew members, which is taking some figuring out since COVID-safe protocols limit interaction. When they call “Cut!” at the end of a long day of shooting, he gets to hop in his car and head home to his wife, Genevieve Padalecki (who will play Walker’s deceased wife, Emily, in the new show), and his three kids, Thomas, Austin and Odette. Now more than ever, he can be a part of setting that routine at work and at home.

“For so long I didn’t know what my life was outside of ‘Supernatural.’ I’m starting to figure it out now,” he says.

[source]

Mark Pedowitz Saved The CW. As He Exits the Network, Greg Berlanti and Jared Padalecki Reflect on the Exec’s Legacy

When Mark Pedowitz first joined The CW as head of the network in 2011, he told “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki that he was a fan of the series (which was then in its sixth season) and had seen every episode. At first, Padalecki assumed that Pedowitz’s comments were the kind of niceties that an incoming network president is supposed to say to their series stars.

“I didn’t think he was lying,” Padalecki said. “But I thought he was at least being kind. Maybe he hadn’t caught up yet or had seen two episodes. He was certainly supportive and friendly. But I came to find out, as the months and years progressed, that he actually was a big fan of Supernatural and had seen every single episode… When we talked this weekend, he said that he has seen every single episode of every show that he was president of, and will continue to watch every episode of every show.  And I believe him. He hasn’t lied to me ever.”

As Pedowitz prepares to depart The CW after more than a decade at the helm (and following Nexstar’s acquisition of the network from longtime joint partners CBS and Warner Bros.), producers, stars and execs are all repeating the same four words: “End of an era.”

“He is a fan of great television and stories,” said megaproducer Greg Berlanti, whose tremendous CW output has included “The Flash,” “All-American” and “Riverdale.” “He’ll watch every episode, he’ll give you know every kind of note, and he wants to argue and debate things. He represents to me that legacy of network heads that love TV. He was always having to do more with less and navigate two different boards. And he still figured out a way to connect with the audience. A whole generation have now grown up watching all of these CW shows.”

Pedowitz wasn’t there at the birth of the CW, but he kept the network alive and thriving over the past 11 years thanks to the kind of crafty dealmaking that has been a hallmark of his career — including during his lengthy tenure at Disney/ABC.

At ABC, he was created business templates that helped evolve the way deals were made between networks and studios. He did the same at the CW, starting with the network’s landmark digital streaming deal in 2011 — in which the network, in concert with parents CBS and Warner Bros., struck a pact with Netflix for post-season access to The CW shows. That helped give The CW a new lease on life, by making it even more worthwhile for CBS’ and Warner Bros.’ studios to produce series for the network.

But it was also a tremendous factor in the growth and success of Netflix. When that deal came up for renewal in 2016, Netflix was willing to pay even more to maintain domestic SVOD rights to the CW’s output, which at that time had become even more successful under Pedowitz, growing to include a lineup of DC Comics-branded superhero shows, notably “The Flash” and “Arrow,” and buzzy critical darlings “Jane the Virgin” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”

The deal was ultimately valued at more than $1 billion, and that digital strategy helped turn series like “All American” and “Riverdale” into hits, thanks to their exposure on Netflix. The CW’s then-parents ended the deal in 2019 as they launched their own streaming services.

With the end of the Netflix arrangement (and a previous pact with Hulu), Pedowitz also eventually secured full in-season digital rights to all new CW scripted series for its The CW app and CWTV.com website.

In growing the CW, Pedowitz increased the network’s programming output, including more original scripted series, international acquisitions and unscripted series and specials. That led to finally programming a full seven nights a week, restoring Sunday in 2018 and adding Saturday for the first time in 2021. And although Pedowitz remained frustrated at the Television Academy’s lack of Emmy attention for the CW, the network was honored elsewhere, including an AFI Award, Peabody and Golden Globe (via star Gina Rodriguez) for “Jane the Virgin,” and Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star Rachel Bloom.

The CW under Pedowitz also earned high marks for its embrace of inclusive fare that represented people of color, the LGBTQ community and more. According to the network, last season around two-thirds of showrunners, writers and directors on The CW’s original scripted series were women and/or people of color, while nearly 50% of the series regulars were women and 57% were people of color. And according to GLAAD, The CW held the highest percentage of LGBTQ series regular characters among broadcasters for the fifth year in a row.

“If it was about a storyline or person’s life experience, or someone’s point of view, [Pedowitz] would say, ‘this is all I can bring to the table, please bring what you bring to the table,’” Berlanti said. “And he was encouraging that people be themselves, as long as they were hardworking and passionate. That was his goal to tell different kinds of stories. It was a great part of this character and a great part of the success.”

Pedowitz elicits fierce loyalty from his producers and stars, most of whom have a story similar to Padalecki’s of being wowed by how well exec kept close tabs of their shows and their lives. That’s a task for his underlings, they’d think — but Pedowitz not only watched every episode of every series on his network, but he’d spend several weeks every year visiting the shows’ sets (mostly in Vancouver).

“It goes a long way,” Berlanti said. “I can’t make a lot of sports analogies, because I don’t know a lot about sports. But I think of ‘Moneyball,’ and doing more with less, and figuring out ways to be just as successful with less. Great stories first, believing in younger showrunners or less experienced showrunners, diverse voices. He did that and built a real library of hits.”

Berlanti credited Pedowitz with saving “Supergirl,” which had originally premiered on CBS but couldn’t find an audience there, as well as “Black Lightning,” which had first been developed at Fox. And Berlanti said it was Pedowitz who inspired the creation of “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” by pointing out how that some of the other DC series’ ancillary characters deserved more time in the spotlight.

“The whole DC world that we had to build, really took a lot of trust and faith,” Berlanti said. “In a landscape where it was pretty much all about movies. I think the audience really could tell they treated them with the kind of support and sensibility of as important as any feature film stories are getting told in the same kind of universe.”

Padalecki said he knows, without a doubt, that “Supernatural” wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did — 15 seasons and 327 episodes — if it wasn’t for Pedowitz. “If we didn’t know that we had Mark, driving the winds that blew the sails on our little boat called ‘Supernatural,’ we would have been canceled [long before then],” he said. “But we knew that [Pedowitz] really believed in us and because he believed in us, it was the rocket fuel to whatever spark we had.

“We knew that one way or the other, he cared about us as human beings,” he added. “That was even more important. I’ve been public about my relationship with depression and anxiety. And whenever I talked to Mark, he was always more concerned about that than he was about the show. He was always more eager to hear if I was willing to talk about, was I ok?”

Ironically, The CW’s success in building hits that succeeded in streaming helped lay the foundation for CBS and Warner Bros. to fully embrace their own full-fledged streaming services — which, in turn, eventually led to their decision  to pull their majority stakes in the network and sell it to Nexstar (which owns most of The CW’s key affiliates, including WPIX New York and KTLA Los Angeles). Nexstar, which has a very different business model than CBS and Warner Bros., seeks to evolve the CW to make it a better fit for its station group, which will make it a different kind of network than it was under Pedowitz.  

Padalecki now stars in and executive produces “Walker” (now entering its third season on the CW) and is also an EP on the new prequel series “Walker: Independence.” Despite the ownership change and Pedowitz’s departure, he remains optimistic: “I am aware that the only constant in this life is change,” he said. “My only job is to do the best damn job I can do. And so let the chips fall where they may. If I do the best work I can do, and it doesn’t work out, then I can sleep soundly at night going, ‘well, I gave it my all.’”

Berlanti said he believed The CW remains “oceanfront property” because of the unique status of being a broadcast network. “It takes people longer times to find shows now, no matter where you are. It’s a valuable place to be one of those pit stops along the way,” he said.

Meanwhile, as Pedowitz dusts off his Pine Street Entertainment production shingle, Berlanti said that it was “my sincere hope is that I can keep working with him, wherever he goes and whatever he does next. Because he’s such an important part of my life. He’s been such a mentor to me.”

Variety

Deadline Article

Jared was interviewed in this article

(An old news, but I’m trying to decipher the meaning and the reason behind this rejection 😏)

The decision added yet another chapter in the long journey to the screen for Rob Thomas’ The Lost Boys reboot. The Lost Boys pilot had already been in production when the pandemic shut down all filming in mid-March, so the CW brass had seen some footage before opting to roll it and proceed with Kung Fu instead. (Because of parity between the CW’s affiliated studios, Warner Bros TV and CBS TV Studios, the two WBTV-produced pilots were vying for one slot).

On a press call Thursday, the CW president Mark Pedowitz said he has spoken with Thomas and the rest of the pilot’s creative team about the decision.

“Lost Boys is a passion of mine personally, having Rob attached to it,” Pedowitz said. “Once we get through this climate, we will make a determination on how best to proceed with Lost Boys. I’m hoping to keep it going.”

The Lost Boys has been a passion for Pedowitz and a labor of love for Thomas.

The Veronica Mars creator first took a stab at conceiving and writing a series adaptation of the iconic 1987 Warner Bros horror comedy movie during the 2016-17 development season. While the project didn’t go to pilot, CW execs remained high on the title.

Last season, a new version written by Heather Mitchell went to pilot, which also did not make the cut. It was then retooled this season, with Thomas and Mitchell co-writing.

In The Lost Boys TV adaptation, when a mother and her Gen Z sons move to the seaside town where she grew up, they discover there’s a sinister reason the local cool kids sleep all day, party all night, never grow up and never get old. Family bonds are tested as the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a mythological struggle. It’s based on the 1987 cult classic movie that revolutionized how we think about vampires.

Mitchell and the pilot’s director Marcos Siega executive produce alongside Thomas and Dan Etheridge of Spondoolie Productions; as well as Mike Karz and Bill Bindley of Gulfstream Television. Spondoolie’s Rebecca Franko and Gulfstream’s Juliana Janes serve as producers.

M has lost his plot the 2024 edition

Guys there is so much happening but this one especially caught my eye coz even some of the hellers think he went way overboard with the CW is homophobic comment especially after working on Gotham Knights on the same network.

Like he used to praise Mark Pedowitz so much for bringing him back but now he is calling him homophobic. I think he is either already blacklisted or this will be the last straw for everyone in the industry.

While I really, no really, do not care about the CW Network's goings on any further, the misguided takes still going on at the most popular CW Network stan account on twitter are just too much. I can't.

I find it so hard to relate to stanning a corporation and a platform this hard. I'm with the fans who are fans of the shows, and hurt because of losing the shows, that part I relate to, but I don't relate to this stanning of CW as an entity. I'm a fandom old and have been through 3 CEO's at the CW. I watched shows on UPN and The WB. I remember when The CW was formed. There is no era of The CW that hasn't made me feel like this was a dumpster fire of a platform, to greater or lesser degrees. When The CW was formed it wiped out a bunch of Black-led series on UPN. The CW was the evil network that people now think CW Nexstar is.

There was a brief period where I rethought my perceptions of it--at the height of the Arrowverse, back when Arrow was on the rise and spun off into The Flash and it was a very exciting time to me as a DC fan to have that. But it was short-lived and I quit the Arrowverse only a few seasons later.

There are good creatives who have done good work at The CW and I appreciate them, I also appreciate the more recent gen of shows that did seem to be course correcting on some systemic things that drove me nuts about many of the shows on The CW previously.

The evangelizing of Mark Pedowitz. Let's start there.

Mark Pedowitz, who showed he had no interest in SPN whatsoever beyond "maybe the franchise is only J2" and "we'll keep making more so long as the boys want to keep going" and that's all he ever had to say about it. He cared only for the draw of #1 and #2 on the call sheet, he never showed any sign he actually cared about the story, and he was immensely disrespectful about the show.

Pedowitz who said maybe SPN doesn't have any characters worthy of a spinoff.

Pedowitz playing to the very J2-only stanning toxics who are currently attacking Jensen Ackles and The Winchesters.

Pedowitz, who dissed Wayward Sisters. And no matter if that decision was actually over his head and out of his hands (it actually had to do with the CBS half of CW), there's no reason for that kind of tactless PR statement. "Not where we want it be creatively."

I find it hard to forgive all that, to this day. So excuse me if I'm not on board the Saint Pedowitz train.

Now, let's talk about this idealization that says that "they destroyed the network," they being Nexstar.

Oh I'm sorry. Excuse me, come again, WHO destroyed the network?

Who was it that operated it in the red?

Who was it that left such a mess where it was bleeding money and got to the point where The CW's owners, WB and CBS, realized that their loss leading, practically a tax shelter, actually never profitable, and making its money from streaming not linear, pseudo network, was no longer worth it and DECIDED TO SELL IT OFF.

To Nexstar. Who clearly love a challenge. Because they bought that mess and are trying to make it profitable, for reals, as a linear broadcast tv network that doesn't need to rely on a massive Netflix streaming deal just to pay the electricity bills. While overspending, over-renewing everything, and not giving a darn how deep in the hole it was making the platform.

And all of that. That era. Has fallen on the creatives and the shows and harmed the shows.

This is the consequences of that era.

This is The CW paying the piper. Oh, Nexstar ruined it? Are you SERIOUS RIGHT NOW??

And try for once, sorting ratings BY DEMO WHICH MATTERS MORE THAN TOTAL VIEWERS. Yeesh.

Paying attention to readily available, public articles of industry commentary is a good idea.

Less time uwu-ing over a corporation that screwed its own shows over for years and left an inherited mess behind for the new owners who then, from a business perspective, had no choice but to burn it all down and basically remake it from scratch. Causing a lot of hurt in the process.

CW Nexstar does not care about The CW's legacy or the shows people loved there from the past. They Need To Make a Profit.

The shows wouldn't have had to be treated like this if The CW, originally, had been managed in a way to make it sustainable.

And that is on everyone not just the previous CEO. That's on WB/CBS who really didn't care so long as they got their streaming revenue. The CW was their neglected child. Something they threw together to make a profit off streaming, and off exploiting the viral fanbases that platform generated.

THE CW WAS NEVER PROFITABLE AS A LINEAR BROADCAST TV NETWORK

THE ONLY REASON IT SUSTAINED AS LONG AS IT DID WAS THE NETFLIX DEAL

WHEN THE NETFLIX DEAL COLLAPSED IT WAS OVER.

The corporation does not love you. The corporation never loved you. The CW was not destroyed by Nexstar. I'm not interested in uwu CW Nexstar, either. CW Nexstar has made it clear that they are ditching genre entirely. Oh, they might keep ONE dc series, as a treat. They don't care about that legacied genre audience from old CW.

CW Nexstar is not evil for having sports. Read the industry news for once I beg of you instead of just spouting off about how evil it is for a platform to have sports. Max is getting into sports. Amazon Prime does sports. Apple TV+ experimented with live coverage of baseball games. Get this through your skulls please.

It pains my brain to see twitter accounts perpetuating the misinformation and stans lining up to unquestioningly absorb it. I don't care about CW, I do follow media news closely, I do know some things about media myself, and what I care about is misconceptions and misperceptions.

I really think it matters, especially now, for fans to use critical thinking and read more media commentary and learn about what's going on in the industry. It's going to be hard on the stories we love for a while. I support the creatives. I don't care about your uwu big corporation that you stuck on a pedestal and insist on repeating misinformation about.