Following a season that has brought The CW ratings and acclaim never before seen at the network, Mark Pedowitz, president, The CW, had a lot to be positive about during the CW’s executive session at summer TCA.

“We started a few years back with a strategy to find shows with adult appeal, and bring back men to The CW. The 2014-2015 season has been pivotal to us. It changed our perception. Flash was our most-watched and highest rated show in the history of the network. The acclaim and award for Jane the Virgin we have never seen before. This was the third straight season we’ve increased our total audience,” Pedowitz said. “We plan to stay with this strategy that we’ve done these past three years and it all hinges on quality programming.”

Upcoming, that means the lone fall addition to the schedule in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and the midseason shows Legends of Tomorrow and Containment, along with the return of The 100.

Before delving into the Q&A portion, the network announced new cycles of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and a few big guest star turns: Britney Spears will be playing herself in Jane the Virgin, and Matt Ryan’s John Constantine character from the cancelled NBC show Constantine, will be appearing in Arrow for a special one-shot episode (405, entitled “Haunted”). In a release, Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim said, “We are thrilled to have Matt Ryan reprise the role of John Constantine on an upcoming episode of Arrow. Matt is an incredibly talented actor and his portrayal of this beloved character was always something we admired. The introduction of magic and mysticism on the show this season has provided a truly organic opportunity for us to bring John Constantine to Arrow and the CW’s DC universe. It will be a well-deserved tip of the hat to all the Constantine fans who were so incredibly supportive of that series.”

The CW also unveiled the first look at The Flash‘s Jay Garrick (played by Teddy Sears), with an image that pays homage to Flash #123, “Flash of Two Worlds!”, seen below.

It’s rare for a network to only have one new show for the fall, but this was a deliberate strategy for the network. “We spent a number of years building up the programming inventory. It’s important for us to have as much original programming out there,” Pedowitz said. “We only wanted to do one new show to show we’re stable, so we can plan a big push in midseason with Containment and Legends of Tomorrow.”

With only one show to launch in the fall, this allows the network to give greater marketing oomph to their returning shows. “We’re also doing a big marketing push for Jane the Virgin, iZombie and The Flash, something we haven’t had the opportunity to do before,” Pedowitz said.

Considering the success of their DC properties, much of the discussion surrounded the network’s crossover potential with Supergirl. “I leave that to Greg Berlanti and his team. If they can make it work, that’s great. If they cannot, that’s fine. We’re open to crossovers. As you know, we’re going to do some cross-promotion together. That’s Greg’s call, because he understands the show better than I do,” Pedowitz said.

In regards to how big CW can go with its small-screen DC universe, Pedowitz implied caution.

“Last year at this time, we had no intention of doing another DC project. What happened was, as the characters were introduced in Arrow, Brandon Routh’s character, and on Flash, Victor Garber’s character, Wentworth Miller’s, Dominic [Purcell]‘s…this is a great opportunity, and DC agreed, to create the third leg of the stool.” Thus, Legends of Tomorrow was born. Why did CW pass on Supergirl? “Last summer, Flash had not been put on the air yet and we were not planning to do another DC character,” Pedowitz said. “We had no idea how [Flash] would do, or what it would do. You take your time. Sometimes you lose great projects.”

Sometimes you go big, as the network is with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a musical dramedy premiering October 12, and with a couple other projects in the pipeline, like a TV adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook and a dystopian sci-fi Little Women pilot. “The Notebook is a very well received book and motion picture. It is going to be set after WWII. At this point, the pilot’s not done. I don’t believe we’ll see the older couple, but again, things change. I’m thrilled that Nick Sparks wanted to do it with the CW,” Pedowitz said. “It’ll make a little noise, a lot of noise I hope.” In response to the “What the hell?” response to the Little Women pitch, Pedowitz reminded them of the initial reaction to Jane the Virgin. “If you remember when it was announced when we were doing Jane the Virgin, people said, ‘What the hell?’” he said. “If [Little Women] works, great. If it doesn’t, oh well. You gotta be willing to take shots. We’ll see what happens when the script comes in.”

The CW has also begun expanding their streaming services through CW Seed. “We’re beginning to look down that line,” Pedowitz said. “[On CW SEED], you’ll find the 1991 Flash, Almost Human, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a couple more shows.” The network is getting great tracking from it, and Pedowitz is very proud of the venture thus far. But they aren’t finished. “We’re going to get there slowly but surely,” Pedowitz said.

Toward the end of the executive session, Pedowitz summarized what the CW is looking for in a show. “Will it make noise? Will it set itself apart from everything else on the air? Can it sustain itself for 100 episodes? Sometimes you make the right choice, sometimes you make the wrong choice. It is a tough world out there. I think we’ve done a terrific job these last few years as we shifted ourselves and the perception of who we are,” he said.

It’s clear that Pedowitz and the CW know who they are, and like the network’s new slogan, they “Dare to Defy” the traditional network model. “We discovered we’re best suited as a brand to make a very high concept or genre based show that has serialized elements. That’s the best way for us to succeed in our storytelling. If the shows check off the boxes, we have a good chance to succeed. Our audience will not come to us if we’re procedural.”

The ratings have certainly reflected that so far, and with The CW seeking to replicate the success of Jane the Virgin and The Flash with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Legends of Tomorrow, respectively, Pedowitz and company are seeking gains for a fourth consecutive year in 2015-2016.

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