A new era is dawning at The CW, which conducted a cancelation bloodbath earlier this year. As Nexstar Media Group seeks to cut costs and make the network profitable, various changes have been made. In addition to axing most of the original content that was being produced, the corporation has also been brokering deals to acquire content. The latest may be the most surprising yet, as it’ll see ABC’s The Conners being rerun on the channel. Not only that, but a since-canceled series from Hallmark is also set to make its way onto the broadcast schedule.
The Conners presence on The CW’s roster of small-screen offerings comes by way of a deal that was worked out with Lionsgate. According to Deadline, the network has acquired the rights to the five seasons of the sitcom that have aired thus far. The show is set to air on Thursdays back-to-back from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET, starting on January 4. With this, the ensemble comedy will sit between Canadian comedies Son of a Critch and Children Ruin Everything. The trade also reports that the Roseanne spinoff will be plugged into other parts of the schedule as needed. To be clear, this is not a broadcast syndication deal for Nexstar but is instead part of a distribution deal between Werner Entertainment and Lionsgate.
Another series that the network has managed to pick up is Hallmark’s Ride, which was canceled after one season in November. Only 10 episodes of the show aired before the plug was pulled on the production. Those installments will reportedly begin airing on The CW on January 22 and will be followed by repeats of the original series Wild Cards. One might wonder whether this pick-up means that new episodes of the axed show might be produced, but Deadline reports that a new-season order isn’t planned, at this time.
These are interesting programming moves to say the least, especially when it comes to The Conners. As the trade points out, it’s not often that reruns of a currently airing show are aired in primetime on another network. Still, one can understand why the entertainment conglomerate would want to get its hands on the sitcom, which premiered in 2018. It’s been a solid ratings earner over the years, and reruns could draw some eyes.
As for the series’ first-run broadcast status, it’s been a little while since viewers have been able to feast their eyes on new installments. This is, of course, due to the Hollywood strikes that persisted for months. It was confirmed in August that The Conners wouldn’t return this fall, but it was at that same time that it was confirmed that the show would be able to hit syndication due to Wener Entertainment’s licensing deal. ABC also just confirmed that the series will return for its sixth season at 8 p.m. ET on February 7 as part of the 2024 TV schedule.
Fans are sure to be happy about its return, while faithful CW watchers are probably still lamenting the bevy of series that have met their demise this year. Among the shows to be canned just earlier this year were The Winchesters, Gotham Knights, Walker: Independence and Kung-Fu. The only four scripted original programs left in the fray are Superman & Lois (which is returning for its final season), Walker, All American and All American: Homecoming. And even those renewals were bittersweet, as all of the programs have been hit with budget cuts.
The future of this network is hard to predict, but the powers that be seem incredibly confident that these content acquisitions will be beneficial in the long run. Time will tell whether the sitcom featuring the blue-collar family from Lanford, Illinois as well as other sitcoms can help boost viewership – and by extension, revenue.
Those who’d like to check out The Conners now ahead of its debut on The CW and return to ABC can stream episodes using a Hulu subscription.
