The CW’s Mark Pedowitz Addresses All of Those Cancellations

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, the network boss tackled why so many shows aren’t coming back

"Batwoman" (The CW)
"Batwoman" (The CW)

The CW opted to not renew almost a dozen scripted series ahead of the 2022-2023 season, and on Thursday morning, the network’s chairman and CEO, Mark Pedowitz, addressed why.

Pedowitz preemptively answered the question about all the cancellations before any journalist on the call had time to ask.

“Look, none of these  were easy decisions,” he told reporters. “We have long conversations about studios and parent companies, and everyone recognized that this was a time of transition for The CW. So unfortunately, some difficult financial and strategic decisions needed to be made at every level. 

“And despite some of the rumors out there, I want to be very clear here: Content was never a factor in deciding not to move forward with a show,” he continued. “We’re very proud of the stories we told, the producers and writers who created those shows and all the talent that we’re fortunate to have had on this network.”

As Pedowitz continued, he revealed that the team suggested to show creators and writers that they treat their season finales like series finales.

“The other group I want to address is the fans. Most of you in the press know, who know me, know I’ve always been the best to give a long running series a proper ending so creators could finish telling the stories on their terms and the fans [who] invested all the time and hopefully satisfied,” he said. 

“We also tried to do that this year. We had a general idea early on which shows could be bubble shows, so we did not know 100% of what was going to happen. So we encourage all of those producers to try to treat their finales as if they could be series finales,” he said. “We wanted to do the right thing by the series and by the fans. Ultimately, the producers are stewards of their own creative visions. They are the storytellers.”

Pedowitz went on to note that his team tries to provide guidance and direction.

Among the shows The CW canceled were “Legacies,” “Batwoman,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Naomi,” “Charmed” and “Roswell: New Mexico.”

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