CW’s Mark Pedowitz Talks ‘Supernatural’ Spinoff, ‘Arrow’ and ‘Flash’ Crossovers

Superhero crossovers, failed pilots and cancelled shows were the main topic of the CW Network President’s Mark Pedowitz’s executive session at the annual Television Critics Assn. press tour.

With “Arrow” as an established hit on the net, “The Flash” was introduced as a planted spinoff last spring, and will debut in the fall. “In the world we live in, ‘Flash’ and ‘Arrow’ share a similar universe,” said Pedowitz. “You will see — organically — characters shifting over, villains shifting over back and forth between ‘Flash’ and ‘Arrow.’ We will be introducing more villains that are part of the DC Comics universe.”

Pedowitz also addressed the “Supernatural: Bloodlines” pilot, which did not get picked up. “Creatively it did not quite get where we wanted it to go,” he said. “We have told (the creators) that we are very open to doing another spinoff. I would love to get a ‘Supernatural’ spinoff done. It’s a great franchise with a lot of legs.” After the panel, Pedowitz also expanded on the upcoming “Supernatural” retrospective special, airing Mon., Oct. 6. “It’s a treat for the fans who’ve supported the show for the prior nine years; it’s taking you back all through the nine years; it’s giving you some commentary from the cast and the creator, Eric Kripke, and the executive producers. It’s fun.”

He also faced several questions about the cancellations of popular shows like “Star Crossed.” “I did receive 90 boxes of pasta this week,” he said. “We appreciate the fans and everything they do. There just weren’t enough of them to keep the show going.” As for “Tomorrow People,” he said, “The show just didn’t generate the audience we hoped to generate” on air or digitally.

The recurrent theme of this week’s tour has been diversity in casting, and Pedowitz said diversity has always been a top priority for him. “I believe our shows need to reflect what America looks like, not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera. We’re an immigrant nation. Without that, we have nothing.”

As for The CW’s target audience, Pedowitz said he wants to expand beyond the 18-to-34 year-olds. The goal, he said, is to bring in viewers of any age attracted to good programming. “I’m just happy to have viewers.”

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