Nexstar has given its first renewal for the 2023-2024 season, and it's to All American for a sixth season. If you’re just looking at ratings, it’s no surprise because it’s one of the most-watched shows on the network. But given everything that Nexstar has said, everyone was worried that none of the shows would be renewed because none of them would make money for the company. According to sources reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Nexstar will have fewer than five U.S. scripted shows. While this still looks bleak for current CW shows, All American’s renewal means there is hope. Instead of there being none of these shows surviving, some of them have a chance. Walker is a big hit on the network, so there’s a chance that the company could renew it. Superman & Lois hasn’t premiered its third season yet, so it could be a while until that show's fate is revealed. While Mark Pedowitz wanted to stay in the Winchester business, there’s no telling if Nexstar will want to do the same. Then there are the other spinoffs, Walker: Independence and All American: Homecoming, both from big original shows. Then there’s Kung Fu as well. Many series still hang in the balance, and not all of them will survive. HBO Max and Paramount + should save these shows, but none of these companies are looking for smaller content. They all want big IPs like Game of Thrones.
Greg Berlanti, who has numerous shows on The CW (and other streamers), including All American, just signed a new overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. It’s not a surprise, given all the content Berlanti Productions delivers to the company. Per the deal, he will stay with the company until at least 2027. Given how much Warner Bros. Discovery wants to be in the Berlanti business, I hope he can save some of his shows from being canceled and have them move to HBO Max.
I may be overly optimistic, given everything WBD is cutting left and right. Snowpiercer is the latest casualty of its cuts. The company has canceled its final season on TNT. The series has already wrapped production, so it’s crazy that it won’t air the last season so fans can get closure. WBD is not in the business of making fans happy. They are in the business of money. It’s going to be hard to get invested in shows when a network can cancel them anytime.
And with all of this, HBO Max has made its first price increase for the streaming network to $15.99. Everything is costing more money, but there’s less content that we want.
What I’m Watching
Gossip Girl had an episode worthy of the name Gossip Girl. While this season has been pretty tame, the antics were much more similar to the original characters in the latest episode. Audrey Hope (Emily Alyn Lind) had a scheme that would be worthy of Blair Waldorf — hopefully, just high school/college Blair and the adult Blair has outgrown her scheming. Though, the adults are worse than the kids in this series. And Gossip Girl has switched to taking down the parents. The final episodes should be exciting, assuming it keeps up with this level.
Walker returned this week with a family-focused episode. It was heartwarming, but it was missing the action of previous episodes. However, secrets are brewing, so it should bring back the action but keep the family moments next week.
Netflix dropped part one of its tennis docuseries, Break Point. I’ve only watched two episodes so far. This series focuses on the up-and-coming stars instead of the big stars. I’ve wanted to find new players to follow. So it’s great to learn about some players who could be the stars when the big three are gone. Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have already stepped down, and there’s no telling how long Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have left. The docuseries focuses on the 2022 season. For someone who watches tennis, it hasn’t told me anything I don’t know so far. But fans new to the sport can learn a lot about the game.
Episode of the Week
Billie Sutton (Jessica Lucas) and Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) are finally a couple! It’s what fans have been waiting for for so long. While there were sweet moments with them, other characters faced ethical dilemmas on what was best to do to save the hospital. Since the beginning of The Resident, its been about fighting the medical system. This season has been about a lack of funding because they are a government hospital instead of a private one. In the last few episodes, it’s come to the breaking point because of that, and it’s coming to a head now.
Performer of the Week
It’s easy to pick Chicago PD for a performer of the week with the one-character focus. It brings out great performances from the actors. This week, LaRoyce Hawkins’s Kevin Atwater found his father right in the middle of a case. We’ve hardly heard anything about his dad because he’s been in prison. His father didn’t even tell Kevin he was out. There were great moments between him and his father. He had to confront his dad for what position he left him in to raise his brother and sister. LaRoyce gave such a heartfelt performance tackling these challenging scenes. It shows that the writers can give him more to work with than just cases that have to do with the color of his skin.
What to Look Forward to Next Week
Things are still a bit slow coming off the holidays, but they are about to pick up again. Tonight, the highly anticipated The Last of Us debuts on HBO and HBO Max at 9 pm ET. It’s based on a video game of the same name. While I have no experience with the video game, I am excited about the show. It reminds me a little of the early days of The Walking Dead. However, I’ve heard it’s a little slow, and episode three is the one that hooks the audience. So we may just have to be patient until that episode.
It’s The Resident’s season finale this week, and sadly it could be the series finale. FOX has not given the show a renewal yet. While this show is nearing its end, it’s not one more episode. It should get one finale season to give it a good send-off. The season finale airs on FOX at 8 pm ET.
What I’m Reading
Streaming Changed TV. Is TV Changing Streaming Back? (The New York Times)
Mother of Dahmer victim says Evan Peters' Golden Globes win 'keeps the obsession going' (Entertainment Weekly)
Welcome to ‘The Last of Us’: How the HBO Cast Brought The Video Game Characters to Life (Variety)
‘Riverdale,’ ‘Nancy Drew’ Final Season Premiere Dates Set at CW (Variety)
ICYMI
Best TV Shows of 2022 (Primetime Addiction)
Will Ruzek Mentor Torres Like Olinsky Did For Him On Chicago PD? (Screen Rant)
Charmed: Every Time The Sisters Dated A Demon (Screen Rant)