The CW Announces iZOMBIE Renewal; New Series CHARMED, LEGACIES & ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, But No WAYWARD SISTERS
Well, the TV gods have both smiled and frowned on us today. Hot on the heels of Fox canceling two of our favorite shows (more on that here), The CW has blessed us with a renewal of iZombie and the announcement of several new series that should scratch our horror itch, including two “reboots” and the rumored offshoot of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, titled Legacies. Sadly, however, the long hoped-for Supernatural spin-off has been thwarted yet again.
First things first… iZombie will be getting a well-deserved fifth season, which we expect to kick off mid-season much like the currently airing Season 4 (its finale, “And He Shall Be a Good Man,” arrives on Monday, May 28th).
As for Wayward Sisters, the well-received backdoor pilot that aired earlier this year during Supernatural‘s 13th season, exec producer Andrew Dabb broke the bad news on Twitter:
It breaks my heart to say this, but CW has chosen to pass on Wayward Sisters. We love these characters, and have spent almost two years trying to make this show a reality on the network… but there are some fights, sometimes, you can’t win.
— Andrew Dabb (@andrewdabb) May 11, 2018
I want to thank everyone involved in this entire process, from our fantastic crew, to our amazing cast, and, most of all you. Your passion for this idea fueled us, and we wanted so much to make this happen for you. I’m so sorry we couldn’t.
— Andrew Dabb (@andrewdabb) May 11, 2018
But know that these characters will live on. We owe them, and you, and us that.
Thank you.
— Andrew Dabb (@andrewdabb) May 11, 2018
But there’s lots more horror ahead; here’s the scoop on the three new series that should be of interest to the genre crowd courtesy of Deadline:
LEGACIES
Continuing the tradition of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Legacies is the story of the next generation of supernatural beings at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson; Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman; and other young adults come of age in the most unconventional way possible, nurtured to be their best selves… in spite of their worst impulses. Will these young witches, vampires, and werewolves become the heroes they want to be — or the villains they were born to be?
Executive Producer/Writer: Julie Plec, Brett Matthews
Executive Producers: Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo
Auspices: Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, in association with My So-Called Television and Alloy Entertainment
CHARMED
After the tragic death of their mother, three sisters in a college town are stunned to discover they are witches. Soon this powerful threesome must stand together to fight the everyday and supernatural battles that all modern witches must face: from vanquishing powerful demons to toppling the patriarchy.
Executive Producers/Writers: Jessica O’Toole & Amy Rardin
Executive Producer/Story by: Jennie Urman
Executive Producers: Brad Silberling (director), Ben Silverman, Carter Covington
Auspices: CBS Television Studios in association with Propagate Content
ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO
After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer: He’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.
Executive Producer/Writer: Carina Adly MacKenzie
Executive Producers: Brett Matthews, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank (Amblin Television); Lawrence Bender, Kevin Kelly Brown
Executive Producer/Director: Julie Plec
Based on the Roswell High book series, by Melinda Metz
Auspices: Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios in association with Amblin Television and Bender Brown Productions