The CW has announced its 2009-10 schedule. Last season the big movers in the CW schedule were the loss (or abandonment, take your pick) of Friday Night Smackdown! and the decision to sublet their Sunday night line up to MRC Capital for their programming. Oh yeah, three new shows were introduced by the CW themselves, but they had less influence on the overall numbers for the network than the other two decisions.
Here we are a year later and the Sunday night deal with MRC Capital blew up, and now CW has abandoned programming Sunday nights altogether. Except for Smallville and Supernatural, which stubbornly remain the CW’s top draws in the adults 18-49 demos (we don’t get season to date averages for women 18-34, which is the CW target avowed target), are the only shows left that don’t fit the women 18-34 target demo focus.
Compared to 2008 The CW has fewer new shows and new show time, although the same number (3 shows, 3 hours) programmed by the CW, and one fewer unscripted show. Note that even with only 5 days of programming, the CW has as many hours of new scripted programming in the fall as NBC.
Here is a look at CW’s Fall 2009 Schedule vs. its Fall 2008 Schedule by the Numbers.
New Shows
2009 (3 shows, 3 hours): Melrose Place (1 hour), The Beautiful Life (1 hour), The Vampire Diaries (1 hour)
2008 (6 shows, 6 hours): 90210 (1 hour), Privileged (1 hour), Stylista (1 hour), In Harm’s Way (MRC) (1 hour), Valentine (MRC) (1 hour), Easy Money (1 hour)
Unscripted Shows
2009 (3 hours): America’s Next Top Model + Encore (2 hours), Stylista (1 hour)
2008 (2 hours): America’s Next Top Model + Encore (2 hours)
My Ratings Forecast
With the other networks, most of my forecasts are just finger in the wind guessing. I know nothing about the new pilots, and even if I did, I wouldn’t pretend to be able to judge their chances. However, next season for the CW I can guarantee two things about their ratings:
- Getting rid of Sunday night programming will increase CW’s weekly ratings averages across the board in all demos. However that’s like saying if we don’t have the pitcher bat, our team batting average will go up. Obvious, but hardly an achievement.
- In contrast to this season, when weeklyseasonal averages were almost never mentioned by CW PR, next season they will be heavily emphasized. This season CW PR was all night by night or show by show comparisons, next year I will wager whatever you’ll take that it will all be about week vs. week (or season vs. season) average comparisons.
On a night by night basis, just like with all the other networks, its all guesswork for me, but obviously Monday looks to be even, Tuesday and Wednesday could go either way, Thursday looks to be down, and Friday looks to be up. Overall, discounting Sunday, my guess is that the CW is about even with this season minus the general downward drift in all broadcast TV audiences.
For information on other broadcast TV Fall 2009 schedules click here.
| Day/ Time | 2008 | 2009 |
| Monday | ||
| 8-9p | Gossip Girl | Gossip Girl |
| 9-10p | One Tree Hill | One Tree Hill |
| Tuesday | ||
| 8-9p | 90210 | 90210 |
| 9-10p | Privileged | Melrose Place |
| Wednesday | ||
| 8-9p | America’s Next Top Model | America’s Next Top Model |
| 9-10p | Stylista | The Beautiful Life |
| Thursday | ||
| 8-9p | Smallville | The Vampire Diaries |
| 9-10p | Supernatural | Supernatural |
| Friday | ||
| 8-8:30p | Everybody Hates Chris | Smallville (8-9p) |
| 8:30-9p | The Game | |
| 9-10p | America’s Next Top Model (encore) | America’s Next Top Model (encore) |
| Sunday | ||
| 7-8p | In Harm’s Way | |
| 8-9p | Valentine | |
| 9-10p | Easy Money | |
Shows in BOLD are/were new, shows in italics are unscripted, 2008 shows in strikethrough did not return.
The show scheduled to premiere in mid-season or later is: Parental Discretion Advised.
It’s not worth the time to compare mid-season schedules. Changes are almost certain between now and January.
Considering the downward turn 90210 has taken, I think this fall will be much worse than last fall for it, so Tuesday should be down. Wednesday should be up considering just how horribly Stylista performed.
Why on earth would they move Smallville, their best rated show, to Friday Night…..They should keep the thursday night Smallville/Supernatural Back to back programming alone, as it has worked well for them over the years.
Tuesday through Wednesday should be an improvement. Monday is a question of “will they ever take off, or are they going to sputter out?” The entire success of next season hinges on VAMPIRE DIARIES and SMALLVILLE.
Smallville will get its ratings even low on Fridays!
Monday will go down because Lucas and Peyton will leave. Tuesday is even. Wednesday is up. Thursday is down. Friday is up.
It’s going to be worst than last season. Thank god Supernatural and Smallville are ending. I like Gossip Girl, but I just hope CW gets crushed so they can bring back WB again. That channel had good shows aimed for everyone.
I know it’s Friday, but it seems like a real waste to put a repeat behind one of their highest rated shows.
Tuesday will be up, because there is almost no way that Melrose Place will do worse than Privileged. It looks better than the New 90210 and i think some of the old MP fans will Return I know i will.
“i just hope CW gets crushed so they can bring back WB again”
I’d give up all my property just to see that happen. But I won’t hold my breathe.
If this woman thinks people that watched Buffy, Angel, Twilight, and True Blood are going to watch TVD, she’s got another thing comin’. It’s just going to repeat itself.
I just don’t understand why they don’t put Reaper or Body Politic after Smallville.
Ricardo, “I just don’t understand why they don’t put Reaper or Body Politic after Smallville.”
Cost v. Performance may explain why. I typically weed out ratings for scheduled repeats, so these numbers aren’t on our site, but the 9pm ANTM Friday repeat had an 18-49 season avg of 0.817 million. That’s better than Everybody Hates Chris did in the 8pm hour, and in the range that The Game, Privileged and Stylista did for 18-49 averages (which contained both new and repeat episodes).
So, from the CW’s perspective they get almost the audience they’d get from a new episode, at zero cost. Little consolation from fans of dropped (or not picked up) shows, but I can understand it.
I am disappointed about prilvaged not coming back think they should take off america’s top model to make room for prilvaged.
Lisa they really shouldn’t do that.
In terms of The CW schedule I think Tuesday and Wednesday will both be up in the short term vs last season but how well that holds is another question. I do however think its kind of amazing that a good decade+ after Fox did it The CW has a 90210/Melrose Place line-up…
Yeah, expect minor changes. Basically every series will stay where they are, for now. Maybe 1 new series axed and replaced.
I think this fall will be the same. Mondays will be around the 2.5-3 million range. Tuesdays around 2-2.5 range. Wednesdays 3-3.5 range. Thursdays 2.5-3 million range and friday at about 3 million.
Smallville moving to Fridays…? Genius or Stupid…not sure…
Fridays are low rated viewing except CBS…but if CW can get their 4 mill plus viewers to follow – won’t that make it the 2nd or 3rd most watched program of the night…?
…or their trying to kill Smallville to make room for:
“Little Bratty, Spoiled, Pretent To have Real Problems Because I’m A Teenage Girl Who Thinks Their Better Than Anyone In The World” type of show…
amazing the game switches from sunday to monday and from monday back to sunday, then to friday in 3 season. it only lost 130,000 veiwers from first season to season 2, and only 80,000 when it moves to friday but it still gets cancelled
wow lol so Smallville’s by it’s self awwww!!!! Supernatural and Smallville were an awesome dynamic. I know I was on a CW lockdown on Thursday nights haha but anyways Smallville will do good on Fridays just as long as fans will know it changed…the last season will be great and so will Supernatural
I have not seen the numbers on the Game, but I am extremely disappointed by the line through the show. It’s a definite yes for women 18-49 but would get more views on Wenesdays or Thursdays. I seem to be the lone voice hear but a year without a Mara Brock Akil show seems grim.
i see there’s a “white-out” situation occurring on this network. everybody…chris had it run, but the game was really heating up…90210 doesnt get on the level of the original, yes its more geared to the present but kinda lacking…gossip girl needs to step its game back up its falling flat…never watched the others, smallville just reminds me too much of superman–wait thats what it is…
I think CW is more safe with this schedule, no more sitcoms no more reality shows no more sunday.
It’s okay to me! I wish Privilege and Reaper come back.I love them both. Little worried about Smallville’s sake .Fridays is known for shows to die. they have to estimate that they will get low ranks. Network hasn’t been the same when they changed their name to CW. Shows are different to me. I like a couple but I used to like a lot. Wednesday’s maybe are going to be their highest rating night, maybe Monday depending on how many changes in the shows. Scared about new changes in One Tree Hill.
The Game was the only show I watched on the CW. I’ll have to catch the reruns on BET.
i think GG and OTH WILL BE REALLY DOWN! 2 protagonist left the show (oth), and gossip girl stars left high school, where half of GG’s audience goes. 2.5 milion, maybe. tuesday will be down, everyone watched 90210 premiere knoe MP is going to be the same, 2 milion maybe. wednesday will be really up, 3.5 million. thurtsday will be the same, or maybe it will improve, 3.5-4.5 milion. friday will be up, with 2.2 million, and 2.5 in midseason with p.d.a.
I’m STUNNED about The Game… This is such an unjustice !!! Hopefully, another network will pick the show up for a new season, as this is AWFUL….
Considering the show was on Friday nights when most people are going away for the weekend or planning their weekends, I think the show did pretty darned welll….
Baahhhh-Hum-Bug ,,,, :~(( I really wish that other network UPN would come back so it would eliminate struggles, for shows such as The Game, One-on-One, Eve,
All-of-Us, Half n’ Half, Cuts and Love, Inc…. I was a DIE HARD FAN !!!
I can’t believe you are taking off The Game!! This was one of the only shows I watched on this network, everything else is just so BLAH! The Game is a show that everyone can relate to and its just such a shame that good shows like The Game have to be taken away to make room for other teeny-bopper shows that are all about the same thing. I sure hope another network picks up The Game, its a great show! PLEASE someone pick it up where they left off!! Please!
I am like the trillion other fan of “THE GAME”! I am so very upset that it will not be coming on because I really wanted to find out that the baby wasn’t his and so on …i got a lot of new ideas for the show so sad it is not coming on again! I’ll jusst jump off a bridge!!!
gotta say IMO
moving smallville to fridays is a epic fail on CW
I hope someone picks up Reaper…Great cliffhanger