Television
This time, the CW network gets it right
By Kevin Downey
Sep 28, 2007 - 8:39:18 AM

Looking back, the first season on the CW was something of a trainwreck in which anything that could go wrong did.

But it appears the CW learned loads from it, judging by how it's made itself over for its second season, which began this week.

Its lineup is a lot stronger, say media buyers, including high-rated returning shows like "America’s Next Top Model" and some of the best-reviewed new programs of any broadcast network, including sitcom "Aliens in America" and the drama "Reaper."

It has also finally developed a coherent CW brand as the lone broadcast network targeting young adults.

"They’ve made a lot of smart moves," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media. "They are really reading what’s on the radar of their core viewer and supplying them with shows that aren’t on any other broadcast network."

Considering how the CW's first season went, it's a most promising recovery. The network launched with just two new shows, one of which bombed immediately, and it was little more than a slapping together of the old WB and UPN, without any real center and certainly no identity. The new network had also done a poor job of alerting UPN and WB viewers of the new stations it would be airing on for its fall launch.

It all translated into pretty poor ratings, the CW ending the season negligibly above ratings of the old WB and far below the combined audience of the WB and UPN.

What the CW has accomplished with its new schedule is a programming mix that expands on the old WB model of targeting young women by targeting young men as well with shows like "Aliens in America" and "Reaper," which both have male leads. That promises that much bigger an audience for the network.

The CW's ratings aren't expected to soar this season, probably coming in flat. But that's better than another tailspin, and it will build to better ratings in the following season.

On Mondays, the CW is mostly intact from last season with the major exception of "Aliens" at 8:30 p.m., following the highly regarded but not so highly rated "Everybody Hates Chris."

"Aliens" is "quite possibly the funniest new series," writes Shari Anne Brill, senior vice president and director of programming at Carat, in her fall preview.

On Tuesdays, it has modest reality hit "Beauty and the Geek," followed by "Reaper," which in its premiere this week built on its lead-in. The show is about a guy whose parents sold his soul to the devil.

"Top Model" is back on Wednesdays at 8 p.m., followed by "Gossip Girl," a show that critics mostly like and that media people love. It premiered two weeks ago to decent ratings but got whacked this week by a slew of season premieres.

"Smallville" and "Supernatural," both with mediocre ratings, are back on Thursdays. "WWE Smackdown" accounts for its entire Friday and the CW doesn’t program Saturday nights.

Its Sunday lineup consists of new throwaway entertainment news show "CW Now" and "Online Nation," which has YouTube-type user-generated content. That’s followed by the new feel-good family drama "Life is Wild," which is expected to struggle. A rerun of "Top Model" closes the night.

WEAKNESSES
The CW still faces challenges, not the least of which is strong competition from all four major networks most nights of the week. And it’s competing with young-skewing cable outlets like MTV and ABC Family.

Perhaps most problematic, it’s targeting an audience that has a multitude of entertainment choices, meaning it’ll be tough for the CW to post significant ratings increases over last season.

Its lineup also has holes. Its entire Sunday looks iffy and its Thursday dramas are past their prime.

Moreover, some of its hits are slipping, including "Geek."

STRENGTHS
The WB in its best years had a reputation for launching each season with some of the strongest new series on network TV. The CW’s lineup this fall is moving it in that direction.

The network knows its audience and is delivering returning and new shows that will attract young viewers, making it somewhat immune to the other networks as they battle for older viewers, again much the way the old WB did.

RATINGS OUTLOOK
The CW last season pulled a 1.5 rating among its core audience, adults 18-34. But that rating was lopsided, with a 1.9 rating for women and a 1.1 among men.

This season, the CW’s rating should be more balanced with male-skewing shows like "Aliens" and "Reaper," and that should help ratings.

"They have superior content versus what they launched their network with," says Brill. "I think their ratings will be at least flat to better."