TCA 2013: CW President talks new shows and potential renewals

CW President Mark Pedowitz took the stage Sunday morning at the Television Critics Association winter press tour to talk about the state of the network, what’s they’re working on pilot wise and the chances of current shows being renewed.

Pedowitz confirmed that he was the one who brought up the idea of potential “Vampire Diaries” spinoff “The Originals” backdoor pilot to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. The pilot will be Plec’s vision and Pedowitz said that it will focus on Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and hopefully some of his siblings will follow. He called them, “a great dysfunctional family.”

He also confirmed that Phoebe Tonkin was on board for the pilot and shot down reporters suggestions that she should play the lead in the potential Wonder Woman origin story, “Amazon.” As for as that pilot goes, Pedowitz explained they were waiting on a script and are in the process of casting Diana.

“The Selection” is still a contender for next season. The show, which is described as a cross between “The Hunger Games” and “The Bachelor” just received a new script that Pedowitz said was, “very well done.”

Pedowitz once again confirmed that the network will air all 13 episodes of canceled“Emily Owens, M.D.” He said the network was proud of the show, but it never connected. He was also surprised that it skewed toward older viewers.

The CW plans to continue expanding its web series. In addition to Wilson Bethel’s current series, “Stupid Hype,” the network is currently developing an animated series, “Gallery Mallory,” which will feature Justin Hartley and Misha Collins doing the voice work.

As for the current lineup, Pedowitz praised the creators and producers of “Arrow” for making the show a success and admitted he was happy with Wednesday night’s lineup, but stopped short of confirming “Supernatural” would be renewed for another season. He did promise that shows like “90210” that are on the bubble will receive a proper ending if the network decides not to renew. Decisions have not been made any official renewals or cancellations at this time.