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Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal

13 May 2016 05:44 - 13 May 2016 05:45 #47809 by shadar
That was fast... show has been announced as moving to Vancouver, and Calista has signed on to work in Vancouver (despite her earlier voiced resistance to working outside LA).

Also, at CW, the show avoids roughly $3M of licensing fees to WB -- per episode. Apparently you don't have to pay licensing fees to yourself. So with that savings, and other Vancouver savings, the CGI work might be able to continue as before. Here's hoping.

And the pool of writers under Berlanti is now concentrated in one place. Maybe that'll help too.

Oh, almost forgot... the order was for a full 22 episodes.

Not a bad day for SG...

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Last edit: 13 May 2016 05:45 by shadar.

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13 May 2016 07:04 #47812 by Brad2
Actually, I think that having the same team of writers working on at least three shows (Supergirl, Arrow, and Flash) is a bad thing, not a good thing. Means there's too much juggling going on. If things get busy, there's always the chance that the writers will opt to neglect one of them. Also, since the writers are working on several shows, they might not see it as a big loss if one of them gets canned. Means weak storylines are more likely on at least one of the shows. Again, I'd strongly suggest bringing it at least one writer who works exclusively on Supergirl.

I hope you're right about the special effects, though. That, plus Melissa Benoist, is a big reason I watch the show.

Oh, and fats should send in my letters to the producer now. I want to be sure that the writers actually get a chance to read what I (and everyone else) thinks of the show, both good and bad.

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13 May 2016 15:55 - 13 May 2016 15:57 #47817 by andyf
Mixed feelings about the move to CW and Vancouver. Still glad the show is coming back, but it's still it's a little disappointing it couldn't stay with CBS and film in SoCal.
Last edit: 13 May 2016 15:57 by andyf.

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15 May 2016 18:37 #47864 by shadar
Vancouver, BC isn't all that far from my house. If there's advance notice of shooting locations and dates/times, I might mosey up and check it out.

Anybody know of a website or Twitter feed or whatever that reports on TV and movie shooting in Vancouver area?

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17 May 2016 21:24 #47926 by andyf
Why have so many superwomen related shows over the years switched networks? Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman back in the 1970s, Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the early 2000s and Supergirl from CBS to CW.

Does Supergirl going to CW prove that superhero drams don't work on the Big 4 networks?

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17 May 2016 21:40 #47927 by jdrock24
Replied by jdrock24 on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal

andyf wrote: Why have so many superwomen related shows over the years switched networks? Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman back in the 1970s, Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the early 2000s and Supergirl from CBS to CW.

Does Supergirl going to CW prove that superhero drams don't work on the Big 4 networks?


Wow, never noticed that trend before. Wonder what is up with that?

Although wasn't Buffy on Fox (I think it was Fox, correct me if I am wrong...) for like 7 years before switching to the CW for the 8th? And Wonder Woman went from ABC to CBS, didn't it? Both major networks but there really wasn't anything else at the time, was there?

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18 May 2016 02:01 #47930 by inactive
Replied by inactive on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal

jdrock24 wrote:

andyf wrote: Why have so many superwomen related shows over the years switched networks? Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman back in the 1970s, Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the early 2000s and Supergirl from CBS to CW.

Does Supergirl going to CW prove that superhero drams don't work on the Big 4 networks?


Wow, never noticed that trend before. Wonder what is up with that?

Although wasn't Buffy on Fox (I think it was Fox, correct me if I am wrong...) for like 7 years before switching to the CW for the 8th? And Wonder Woman went from ABC to CBS, didn't it? Both major networks but there really wasn't anything else at the time, was there?


Buffy was on the WB for 5 years, then made a big money switch to UPN. The WB and UPN merged to become the CW later.

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18 May 2016 04:37 #47931 by TwiceOnThursdays
Replied by TwiceOnThursdays on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal

geekseven wrote:

jdrock24 wrote:

andyf wrote: Why have so many superwomen related shows over the years switched networks? Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman back in the 1970s, Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the early 2000s and Supergirl from CBS to CW.

Does Supergirl going to CW prove that superhero drams don't work on the Big 4 networks?


Wow, never noticed that trend before. Wonder what is up with that?

Although wasn't Buffy on Fox (I think it was Fox, correct me if I am wrong...) for like 7 years before switching to the CW for the 8th? And Wonder Woman went from ABC to CBS, didn't it? Both major networks but there really wasn't anything else at the time, was there?


Buffy was on the WB for 5 years, then made a big money switch to UPN. The WB and UPN merged to become the CW later.


This is something I completely forgot. And I was alive and watching Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman at the time (I guess I didn't care about the network).

Switching networks is not totally uncommon, but it's weird that all those shows hopped networks. Great observation. I thought Buffy switched on the merger, but it didn't.

For those who care, here's a nice list I found (with dates/network):

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_change

It also could be weirdly a positive thing. People cared so much about those shows, they got another chance to go somewhere else instead of just being canceled. I think WW and Bionic Woman fit that bill -- they were saved by the network move.

The Supergirl move is really a 1/2 move, as it's jaunting from one network owned by CBS to a network that is 1/2 owned by CBS. It's also a chance to cut some costs in the move. (They did this for WW too, switching up the time period to make it cheaper to film)

(I'm still mad SyFy didn't pick up Constantine since NBC Universal owns them.)
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18 May 2016 13:39 #47934 by andyf
You have to wonder, if the change in management at CBS had something to do with Supergirl leaving for the CW. Nina Tassler left 5 months ago and was replaced by Glenn Geller.
One of CBS most talked about pilots for this year was a new dram based around an adult Nancy Drew as an NYPD detective, played by Sarah Shahi.

It did not go to series, but an all new Macuyver series, that tested poorly with test screenings, is.
Drew tested better, but was said to be too female aimed for CBS.

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18 May 2016 15:09 #47935 by andyf
Now CBS Leslie Monvees say s CBS would have picked have picked up Supergirl for season 2 if it had not gone to CW.

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18 May 2016 16:00 #47937 by Markiehoe

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18 May 2016 16:08 #47938 by lfan

Markiehoe wrote: My head hurts now.

deadline.com/2016/05/supergirl-stay-cbs-...p-the-cw-1201758715/


Looks like it wasn't on "life support", as much as some people wanted to believe....

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19 May 2016 00:33 #47963 by Brad2
No, that'll be if and when season 2 sucks as hard as season 1 did. The writers (especially that idiot Kreisberg) seem oblivious to the idea that it needs to get A LOT better in terms of storylines and character development (especially Supergirl's).

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19 May 2016 01:46 - 19 May 2016 02:07 #47965 by shadar

Brad2 wrote: No, that'll be if and when season 2 sucks as hard as season 1 did. The writers (especially that idiot Kreisberg) seem oblivious to the idea that it needs to get A LOT better in terms of storylines and character development (especially Supergirl's).


Shows like Supergirl, where a portion of the audience has been waiting forever to see, has a built-in tolerance in Season 1. Some people (like me) are just happy its on TV at all. Special effects are, well, Special. This allows the show to muddle around a bit in Season 1 and survive.

In Season 2, however, viewers are familiar with the characters and all their strengths, limitations, personality twists, relationship opportunities, etc. They've gotten used to the special effects, etc. Now they want to see the themes that have been intorduce explored with greater detail and competence. Season 2 should focus on the internal stories of the now familiar characters.

Season 2 can't just hammer a different supervillain into the scene every weak and have them beat up on Supergirl until she decides to fight back (with help) to kick their asses.

Now the writing has to go inside, and be interlinked, with an extended story line.

Season 1 started with Fort Rozz villains running amok, and it ended with the destruction and death of (presumably) everyone in Fort Rozz. All tied up in a bow, but far too crudely. They lost their way several times during the season.

But, at the end, relationships are moving forward, Kara and Alexa's parents are going to feature heavily in the story, and then there's the new Pod. This time they have to keep a central plot line running from end to end. Have as many subplots as they want, but move the main plot line forward every week. Essential.

They didn't live by that rule in Season 1, but that won't be tolerable going forward if they want a Season 3.

I'm putting on all my money on the Pod containing either a young Kryptonian male (who will be James's competitor for Kara affections, and won't be infringing on movie and TV licensing agreements), or it'll be Kara Zor El from the Earth 2 universe. Could be fun either way, but I lean strongly toward hoping Cat gets to invent a name for another superheroine. Powergirl.

Or so I see it...
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Last edit: 19 May 2016 02:07 by shadar.

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19 May 2016 01:58 #47968 by shadar
One other point on Season 2... I wonder if they can save money on special effects scenes by doing fewer of them, but doing at least one per week at very high quality. I'd consider that a good tradeoff for saving a few bucks.

Presumably the show will need to reduce its costs to that of other CW shows unless they really feel it will bring in more viewers (ad revenue) than Flash, et.al.

Does anyone have easy access to numbers comparing the number of Flash viewers to Supergirl viewers?

I presume in general CBS has many more viewers than CW, but they also have a lot more shows, but none of them in the same genre as Supergirl. That's not what CBS is normally all about.

In contrast, CW has broad offerings in the genre. So we've got a dedicated genre viewership on CW, but its much smaller than the overall viewing audience on CBS. Dedication versus mass audience. Not sure how that plays out.

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19 May 2016 03:23 #47972 by Brad2
I agree for the most part, but I feel compelled to point out that Supergirl is the main character. All others (James, Winn, Alex, Hank) are DISTANT supporting characters. I also feel compelled to point out that there's often a reason people wanted to see a Supergirl show: to see a girl power show with a capable heroine. This WAS NOT shown for the most part in season 1. This is important to plotline because, if it gets out that Supergirl couldn't save the day without Hank or Alex helping and saving her, then people might lose faith in her ability to keep them safe.

As for extended storyline, I have to wonder. Many two part story arcs (episodes 6 and 7 or 8 and 9) could easily have been done in one episode. Having 22 episodes in a season seems like it would give them more room to take three or four episodes to tell a story that should take one. In that I think that having a variety of villains (and not focusing an entire season on only one storyline) was a strength, not a weakness of season 1. A lot of the stronger stories of season 1 had the heroine facing and defeating a villain over the course of one episode. The weak points came in character development over the course of a season (why was Supergirl able to defeat Livewire in episode 5, but not in episode 18, for instance).

I would also note that I DO NOT WANT to see another "We're a team" show that features Supergirl mostly as part of the DEO team rather than as one able to work either with the DEO or by herself. This was why I reacted so strongly against the Kreisberg interviews in another thread.

I do have to wonder if people would support the show if the content often shown(heroine getting her ass kicked and bailed out by others) were featured by someone else (such as on a peril Supergirl video). Hate to think people are supporting the show because its a Supergirl show and don't care about the content.

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19 May 2016 11:39 #47981 by shadar

Brad2 wrote: Hate to think people are supporting the show because its a Supergirl show and don't care about the content.


I think there was some of that in Season 1. I know I bounced off the walls a few times with the poor writing, but the fact that is was Supergirl held me as a viewer. And I've come to really like Melissa as the actress in the role. But any other show would have lost me.

But here's hoping the writing can stand on its own two feet in Season 2. They have enough of a restart on everything in season two that, with the right talent, it can.

Also, some of us are going to get some vicarious thrills from James' (likely) physical relationship with Kara in Season 2. I mean, how many of us have imagined, either in stories or in private, what it would be like to have Supergirl as a girlfriend. The possibilities. The challenges. The rewards. The dangers. All in the context of the dynamics of family and friends who circle Kara now.

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19 May 2016 11:54 #47983 by Markiehoe
Replied by Markiehoe on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal
Star Trek: The Next Generation and Babylon 5 are two examples of shows with rough, uneven first seasons that grew into something special.
With a smaller budget I am hoping that talent will win out and we can get a great show.

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19 May 2016 12:37 - 19 May 2016 13:29 #47986 by five_red
Replied by five_red on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal
Forbes: The CW Doesn't Care About Live Views Because The CW Doesn't Have Major Stake In Its Programming

On the subject of cost and ratings: because CW owns the shows it screens, it doesn't have to pay a license fee to itself to screen them. But... WB also has the luxury of using its CW network as a shop window to showcase shows that will make future revenue in syndicated or overseas sales once they reach the magic 88 episodes that make them attractive. The economic models are different. For CBS, Supergirl has to get ratings to make money to cover its WB license payment, because CBS has no other major profit stream from Supergirl except ratings. For WB owned CW, however, Supergirl can afford to run at a slight loss while it builds a reputation and episode count that will profit WB in the long-term when the show is sold over coming decades into the re-runs market and on-demand market.

There's been a lot of ideas for season two floating around on this thread. Can I remind people it's not too late to submit a letter to the producers. Also, let me point you in the direction of a little experiment of mine: Experimental ideas crowd sourcer .

EDIT: TVLine is reporting that it's Mondays at 8pm for Supergirl on CW.


R5
Last edit: 19 May 2016 13:29 by five_red.
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19 May 2016 16:45 #47992 by andyf
In a strange twist of fate, Supergirl is still airing on Mon and it serves as a lead in for Jane the Virgin. You know who is one of Jane's exuetive producres? None other than Ben Silverman, who was NBC' former entertainment chief, who played a big role in destroying broadcast TV's last superwoman drama, Bionic Woman back in 2007.

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19 May 2016 16:50 #47993 by lfan
Some outlets reporting that Calista Flockhart's deal is being negotiated, and there's a possibility she may not return.

supergirl.newsaboutanything.com

ElF

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19 May 2016 16:57 #47995 by andyf
Heard that, too. I wonder how all the people who cheered that the show was moving to Vancouver must feel now?

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19 May 2016 16:58 - 19 May 2016 16:59 #47996 by lfan

andyf wrote: In a strange twist of fate, Supergirl is still airing on Mon and it serves as a lead in for Jane the Virgin. You know who is one of Jane's exuetive producres? None other than Ben Silverman, who was NBC' former entertainment chief, who played a big role in destroying broadcast TV's last superwoman drama, Bionic Woman back in 2007.


I would have played this differently. Again, she's in a difficult time slot up against the likes of MNF, WWF Raw, DWTS, Gotham, and the Voice. Granted, her numbers bar won't be set as high at CW as it was for CBS, but still not a great tactical move IMO.

CW seems to like the approach of scattering their DC properties over multiple nights. I would think they'd do 1-2 "superhero nights" and broadcast 2 of them back-to-back. As a comic fan, it's hard to dedicate 4 nights a week to watch these, so DVRing is inevitable. Like Red5 said, live ratings probably isn't as important to CW since they'll make it up when they "strip them" once they hit the 4 season mark.

Still, I think Flash and Supergirl are both ideal lead-ins (and lighter for the kiddies) at the 8:00 slot and could usher in Arrow and LoT at 9:00. I think they'd play off each other well.

Maybe JtheV is a good compliment (I don't know, as I've never seen it), but it doesn't appear at first glance to make me think "Wow, that's a smart choice!"

ElF
Last edit: 19 May 2016 16:59 by lfan.

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19 May 2016 17:03 #47997 by shadar

andyf wrote: Heard that, too. I wonder how all the people who cheered that the show was moving to Vancouver must feel now?


I read somewhere that they delayed the decision/announcement of the move to Vancouver for a few days after the decision to go to CW so they could sort this out with the actors.

That sounded encouraging. This does not.

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19 May 2016 19:36 #48003 by murdough
Replied by murdough on topic Variety: Supergirl may switch to CW on renewal
They're not wasting any time on continuing to connect Supergirl with the other three DC shows the CW already have. This was just announced

www.ew.com/article/2016/05/19/cw-crossov...s-tomorrow-supergirl

It ought to be interesting to see how Kara does in this.
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