The CW network will look like the sum of its parts when the successor of the soon-to-be-defunct UPN and WB launches in the fall with a mix of holdovers and just two new offerings. UPN's Veronica Mars and the WB's One Tree Hill made the cut at the CW, but the WB's family drama Everwood, from gay creator Greg Berlanti, did not.
CW's pickups, in addition to new drama Runaway and Girlfriends spin-off The Game, include the soap Palm Springs, which was given a mid-season order Tuesday. Also moving to the new network are UPN comedies Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, and All of Us, and WB dramas Smallville, Supernatural, and Gilmore Girls, with veteran 7th Heaven expected to join the group pending the completion of new deals with the cast.
On the reality side, UPN's hit America's Next Top Model and WB's Beauty and the Geek are rumored for a possible pairing on the schedule, with Wednesday considered a logical place. Chris, brainchild of comedian Chris Rock; All of Us, from another famous actor, Will Smith; Girlfriends, from Kelsey Grammer's production company; and The Game could form a Monday comedy block that has been a staple on UPN. Also looking compatible are Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, and 7th Heaven and Runaway.
Runaway stars Donnie Wahlberg as a father who goes on the run with his family after he is wrongly convicted of murder. The Game revolves around women in the lives of professional football players. Palm Springs, from out Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson, is an ensemble soap set in the California desert city. (Nellie Andreeva, Reuters)
