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The CW extended a lifeline to two “on the bubble” show, giving new season orders to the low-rated Nikita and The Carrie Diaries yesterday.
With its pickup, McG’s action-spy drama Nikita will enter its fifth season in the fall. The series expected to receive a limited order between 6-10 episodes. The format, if successful, could pave way additional season orders and the possibility of more short-run seasons on the young skewing network. Nikita averaged 1.14 million viewers over 20 episodes this season.
Carrie Diaries averaged 1.14 million viewers during its mid-season run. Nothing to scream home about for sure, but certainly better than the soon-to-depart 90210, which averaged a paltry .78 million viewers this season.
It should be noted that medical drama, Emily Owens M.D., unfairly prematurely canceled by The CW last November, averaged 1.27 million viewers and a 0.36 in the key 18-49 demo over the course of its 13 episode season. Its replacement, the poorly received and dismally rated Cult was an epic failure, banished to Friday nights after only two episodes, with the cancellation bear ending its fate for good a few weeks later with 6 episodes remaining.
The CW has now officially renewed most of its lineup, including Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Supernatural, Beauty and the Beast. The network also announced four new series in addition to The Vampire Diaries spinoff, The Originals for its 2013-2014 season.
Arrow and Nikita are the only two shows that I watch on the CW, so I am sad that the new season of Nikita will be her last. I hope that the new shows that the CW is picking up will be as good or better, and from what I heard as I was leaving my office at DISH yesterday, they may be as good as Arrow. I’m glad that my DISH Hopper can record up to six different things at the same time during primetime because I want to be able to check out all of the CW’s new shows, and still be able to follow my existing favorites on other networks.