”We really wanted to give our studios and producers time to adapt to the unprecedented situation,“ the CW’s Kevin Levy says
When the pandemic forced TV productions to shut down in March, networks were faced with a dilemma — how could they plan their summer and fall TV schedules without knowing when shooting would resume? One clever way some networks have been able to fill out their primetime lineup is by acquiring shows that have already aired overseas, importing fully prepared seasons that would be new to American audiences.
The CW set itself ahead of the curve with an onslaught of international shows, a practice the network had begun back in 2015 with the U.K. program “Penn and Teller: Fool Us.” Well before the pandemic shut down production in March, the network had lined up international productions like “The Outpost” (produced for SyFy’s international channels), “Bulletproof” (from the U.K.) as well as “Burden of Truth” (from Canada). (It’s also worth mentioning that The CW borrowed Season 1 of “Tell Me a Story” to air on broadcast after it was canceled by CBS All Access.)
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“In May, when we did our upfronts, I believe we were the only network that just flat out declared we’re pushing our fall launches to January,” Kevin Levy, the broadcast network’s executive vice president of program planning, scheduling, and acquisitions, told TheWrap. “Now what’s happening is you’re seeing the other networks coming to that point in a lot of ways.”
Also Read: The CW's 'Arrowverse' Rebrands as 'TheCWverse' in New Promo for Superhero Shows (Video)
Since March, the network Levy said The CW has “aggressively” pursued other overseas shows, including the Canadian investigative drama “Coroner,” U.K. docuseries “Being Reuben,” British competition series “Taskmaster,” British horror competition series “Killer Camp,” British comedy “Dead Pixels,” Canadian culinary competition “Fridge Wars” and Italian thriller “Devils” starring Patrick Dempsey, which premieres Oct. 7.
In terms of viewership, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (1.2 million viewers) “Coroner” (836,000 viewers) and “The Outpost” (868,000 viewers) have been The CW’s most successful of the overseas acquisitions bunch. None of the imports have been what you would call a major ratings “hit” — but they have generally performed better than reruns would. (With a few exceptions, like “Being Reuben,” which has averaged a paltry 224,000 viewers. “Taskmaster,” which drew just 216,000 viewers in its CW premiere, was yanked from the schedule after just one episode.)
The imports have helped The CW remain flat among adults 18-49 this summer while the other English-language broadcast networks have each dropped by at least 33% year over year (a lack of sports has certainly presented a challenge there). And in terms of total viewers, The CW is down just -9% from last summer. With the exception of CBS, which is down only 12%, the others have sunk at least -28%.
And while just airing repeats would be cheaper than acquiring additional programming, importing these shows is significantly less expensive than the development of original series and production of brand-new episodes. Plus, decision-makers like Levy were able to view completed seasons of shows, one network insider told TheWrap. That presented an unusual opportunity to vet an entire start-to-finish run for quality and compatibility.
“It really all started in the early stages of the pandemic. We recognized the enormous challenge that our shows would face in resuming production,” Levy said. “We really wanted to give our studios and producers time to adapt to the unprecedented situation and give them the ability to develop strategies and implement safety protocols for when production could resume. And we wanted to be transparent with our advertisers, our affiliates and our audience that it’s gonna take a little while to get these things back on their feet.”
The other broadcast networks have mostly taken different paths to fill their schedules.
NBC went the international trade route at least once, bringing over medical drama “Transplant” from Canada. A person close to that show’s production said that although the series was picked up before COVID-19 hit, the acquisition turned out to be serendipitous move for the network.
At first blush, “Transplant” appears to be at least a modest ratings success for NBC, drawing 4 million viewers for its premiere.
CBS will air the first season of CBS All Access’ “Star Trek: Discovery,” the recently-completed fourth season of Pop’s “One Day at a Time” and Spectrum Originals’ “Manhunt: Deadly Game” in September and October. “Big Brother” and “Love Island” started later and will extend further into the fall, and “Amazing Race” was originally set to debut in May but was pushed to Oct. 14.
Fox is filling its would-be-vacant time slots with “Filthy Rich” and “neXt,” freshman dramas that were ordered during the 2018-2019 season and already in the can pre-pandemic, as well as “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” (which made its cable debut on Nat Geo earlier this year) and Season 1 of “L.A.’s Finest,” a Spectrum Originals series that launched in June 2019.
ABC filled its empty “Bachelorette” slot with its “The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons Ever!” recap show, and aired its limited series “Genetic Detective” in place of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Also Read: Chelsea Handler-Produced Comedies in the Works at Peacock and HBO Max
Because no one knows for sure what the future will bring, networks have to plan for worst-case scenarios.
“As a scheduler, you have to be as pessimistic as you are optimistic because your job is to try to foresee different paths that might occur,” Levy said. “We also don’t want to take for granted that everything is gonna go flawlessly when shows return to production either. We’re hopeful that everything goes smoothly, but nobody has a crystal ball, so I think what we’ve learned is it’s better to have more than less.”
What we wouldn’t have given for that crystal ball pre-2020.
ESPN Stars That Jumped to Fox Sports, From Erin Andrews to Tom Rinaldi (Photos)
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ESPN may be synonymous with sports, but plenty of stars have added Fox Sports to their resume. Have a look at some the big names.
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Fox Sports
Skip Bayless
The outspoken sports columnist and "First Take" analyst still ranks as ESPN's highest-profile defection when he bailed in 2016. He co-hosts "Skip and Shannon" with Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports 1. -
ESPN
Chris Broussard
The longtime NBA analyst joined Fox Sports in 2016. He's a regular panelist on "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" and co-hosts "The Odd Couple" with Rob Parker for Fox Sports radio. -
ESPN
Colin Cowherd
The sports anchor fled ESPN in 2015 and now hosts "The Herd" on FS1. He also co-hosted "Speak for Yourself" alongside Jason Whitlock for a short period. -
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Chris Spielman
A former NFL All-Pro, Spielman worked at ESPN for years but now has a gig as a game analyst for Fox NFL. -
Shannon Spake
An experienced sidelines reporter, Spake hustled for ESPN for 10 years but switched to Fox in 2016 where she covers NASCAR, college football and basketball. -
Rob Parker
The former member of ESPN's "First Take" followed Bayless to his new show, "Undisputed," where he appears as a regular panelist, along with co-hosting "The Odd Couple" with Broussard. -
Emmanuel Acho
After serving as a college football analyst for ESPN's Longhorn Network and ESPN2 for a couple of years, Acho joined FS1 in 2020 to co-host "Speak for Yourself." -
Adam Amin
Amin, who moonlights as the Chicago Bulls' play-by-play announcer, left ESPN for Fox Sports in May 2020. Amin will call NFL games with fellow former ESPN-er Mark Schlereth this season. -
Erin Andrews
Andrews has been with Fox Sports since 2012, following eight years with ESPN. She often gets the most high-profile sideline reporting gigs, including the Super Bowl and World Series. -
Lindsay Czarniak
Czarniak left ESPN in 2017 and resurfaced at Fox two years later, where she hosts studio coverage for NASCAR and does sideline reporting duty for NFL games as part of the Amin-Schlereth broadcast team. -
JP Dellacamera
Dellacamera followed soccer when World Cup rights moved from ESPN to Fox starting in 2018. -
Mike Hill
Hill left ESPN for Fox in 2013 during the early days of FS1, where he guest-hosted "Fox Sports Live" and "Fox Football Daily." He currently hosts "The Mike and Donny Show" for Fox Soul. -
Alexi Lalas
As with Dellacamera, Lalas followed the World Cup from ESPN to Fox. -
Rob Stone
Another soccer defector, Stone also hosts college football and Professional Bowlers' Association coverage. -
Charissa Thompson
Thompson was among FS1's debut hosts in 2013 with the short-lived "Fox Sports Live." She currently hosts' Fox pre pre-game NFL show "Fox NFL Kickoff." -
Sara Walsh
Walsh left ESPN in 2017 and joined Fox a year later, where she serves as an NFL reporter and a studio host for NASCAR coverage. -
Kevin Wildes
A longtime producer for ESPN, Wildes stepped in front of the camera when he moved to Fox in early 2020. He appears on FS1's morning show, "First Things First." -
Marcellus Wiley
Wiley joined “Speak for Yourself” in September 2018 following years as part of ESPN's NFL coverage. -
Joe Davis
Known as "the guy who had to replace Vin Scully" calling Los Angeles Dodgers games, Davis had a brief two-year run with ESPN and now does play-by-play work for MLB and NFL games on Fox. -
Mark Schlereth
Schlereth was a mainstay on ESPN's "NFL Live" but will now get to show his broadcasting chops on Fox this season. -
Brock Huard
Huard had a variety of TV and radio gigs with ESPN, and joined Fox's College Football team in 2019. -
Jonathan Vilma
The former New Orleans Saints linebacker joined Fox in June 2020 to work on its NFL games after a few years as part of ESPN's college football crew. -
CBS Sports
Cris Carter
Carter first joined Fox Sports in 2016 and had hosted "First Things First," alongside Nick Wright since 2017, but it was a short tenure. He left Fox Sports in late 2019, reportedly after he had an outburst with higher-ups over not being part of the network's "Thursday Night Football" coverage. -
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Jamie Horowitz
Initially a splashy hire that might have been responsible for many of these talent defections, his Fox tenure came to an unglamorous end when he was fired in 2017 over claims of sexual harassment. He has since landed at DAZN, which is led by former ESPN boss John Skipper. -
YouTube
Jason Whitlock
Speaking of Whitlock, the ex-ESPN sportswriter's tenure with FS1 came to end in 2020 when the two couldn't agree on a new contract. He has since resurfaced at Clay Travis' Outkick The Coverage. -
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Tom Rinaldi
Tom Rinaldi, who has won 16 Sports Emmy Awards and seven Edward R. Murrow Awards, has covered every major sporting event in his impressive career. Rinaldi is perhaps best known as the storyteller and interviewer at golf major The Masters.
Many big names have bailed for an archrival in the battle for TV sports supremacy
ESPN may be synonymous with sports, but plenty of stars have added Fox Sports to their resume. Have a look at some the big names.
Margeaux Sippell
TV Reporter • margeaux.sippell@thewrap.com • @margeauxsippell