Although it’s early in the year, the CW has already given renewals to seven of its series.
Variety notes that the first to be renewed were obviously the comic book franchises that draws in a fairly respectable audience: D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow. Admittedly, the comic book set has experienced a loss in audience recently, but the superhuman are still a major draw to the channel.
Another surefire renewal is Supernatural, which has been renewed for its staggering thirteenth season on the air. The dark yet quirky series has retained a loyal audience and fans have shown that the only way they’ll stop watching is when the actors hang up their leather jackets for good.
Jane the Virgin has also been renewed, following its critical success. The only slightly risky decision was to renew Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; while the show is a refreshing revival of the TV musical that maintains an intelligence and humor throughout, it fails to draw a massive audience to appreciate it. However, it does draw critical attention, as Rachel Bloom (who created and stars in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) won a Golden Globe for their first season and earned another nomination this year.
Variety attributes these “riskier” renewal to the success of CW’s streaming deal with Netflix in July of last year. Because of that deal, Netflix is free to air the entire season only eight days after their respective finales, earning them a sizable amount of money they can use in whatever manner they choose–including by renewing shows.