The CW may be the mini-network little cousin of CBS, but that won't prevent it from joining the retro revolution next season and reclaiming Sunday nights from local affiliates.
The network is also adding three new series to the fall lineup and two at midseason.
But first, a moment of silence for the three series that were canned by The CW: Life Sentence, The Originals and Valor.
In re-establishing itself on Sundays (a night the network gave up to local affiliates nine years ago), The CW plans to pair its popular Supergirl with a reboot of Charmed.
Yes, the same Charmed that aired from 1998 to 2006 on The WB and starred Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano as witches. Rose McGowan joined the Halliwell sisters in Season 4, replacing perennial "bad girl" Doherty.
The new version is set in the fictional college town of Hilltowne instead of San Francisco and follows the lives of three sisters -- Macy (Madeleine Mantock, Into the Badlands), Mel (Melonie Diaz, Nip/Tuck) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery, Shades of Blue) -- who discover they are three of the most powerful witches of all time.
I've see the pilot and all the above changes are nicely handled. Fans of the original should not be disappointed, especially with the addition of Rupert Evans (The Man in the High Castle) as Harry Greenwood, their "Whitelighter" (adviser and guide).
Here's The CW fall schedule. New programs are in bold.
Sunday: Supergirl, Charmed.
Monday: DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow.
Tuesday: The Flash, Black Lightning.
Wednesday: Riverdale, All American. Note: All American is a drama starring Daniel Ezra (The Missing) as a black star high-school football player straight out of Compton recruited to play for the affluent Beverly Hills high school team by its coach, played by Taye Diggs(Private Practice). Drama ensues.
Thursday: Supernatural, Legacies. Note: Legacies, a spin-off of The CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, follows the next generation of supernatural teens at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted.
Friday: Dynasty, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Note: This will be the final season for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Saved for midseason are The 100, Jane the Virgin, iZombie, a reboot of the WB/UPN 1999-2002 series Roswell, New Mexico and the new drama In the Dark. Note: This will also be the final seasons for Jane and iZombie.
OTHER STUFF
• The Bachelorette. I know. I know. It's hard to believe that it's already time once again for this most frivolous and vapid of guilty pleasures, but Season 14 debuts with a two-hour episode at 7 p.m. Monday on ABC.
Oh, the drama.
Anyone who follows the series already knows "the gut-wrenching finish to Becca Kufrin's romance with Arie Luyendyk Jr." on the last Bachelor.
ABC reminds us, "Arie broke up with America's sweetheart just weeks after proposing to her, stealing her fairytale ending and her future. Now, the humble fan favorite and girl next door from Minnesota returns for a second shot at love, starring on The Bachelorette."
Now Becca holds all the cards and will have her chance "to find love again -- this time, forever!" Right.
The 28 bachelors allegedly trying to win Becca's heart are Alex, Blake, Chase, Chris, Christian, Christon, Clay, Colton, Connor, Darius, David, Grant, Garrett, Jake, Jason, Jean Blanc, Joe, John, Jordan, Kamil, Leo, Lincoln, Mike, Nick, Ricky, Ryan, Trent and Wills.
They all seem very hygienic and photogenic and range in age from 25 to 31, with jobs that include everything from male model and stuntman to former Harlem Globetrotter and social media participant (whatever that is).
There's even one listed as a colognoisseur. Dude collects cologne.
• The Fourth Estate airs at 7 p.m. today on Showtime, which says the four-episode documentary focuses on a year in the life of The New York Times "in the Trump era and illuminates critical issues facing journalism today."
From Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus, the series "chronicles the tenacious men and women in the trenches who are fighting for the freedom of the press and America's right to know" while attempting "to find the best way to accurately and honestly cover this unconventional president, even as he tries to undermine them."
It's well known that Trump rarely refers to the paper without labeling it "the failing New York Times" and saying it's full of "fake news."
Garbus says, "Once you undermine the truth, if you're in power, you can get away with anything."
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 05/27/2018