The CW is a relatively young American television channel, but in its lifespan, it has given a platform to some incredibly popular shows. The CW was first broadcast in 2006 as the successor to UPN, or the United Paramount Network, and The WB. The network was a new home for shows that were founded by its two parent companies, CBS and Warner Bros., which is actually how it derives its name by using the initials of both companies.
The previous companies had established a history of creating TV shows for older teenagers and young adults. However, with mergers between larger corporations and both channels releasing similar content, or at least content aimed at similar audiences, it made sense to merge the two. From then on, the content being created and released became more focused and connected with the audience more strongly, until it became the juggernaut it is today, with an ever-growing list of original titles to its name.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a show that experienced a fair amount of success on The CW. The network has premiered and canceled many shows within a short period in order to find the shows that work best and this is clearly one that made sense for The CW. It originally premiered in 2015, and ran for four seasons before reaching a natural stopping point.
The rom-com musical series never really spiked in ratings, but the series did enjoy a significant amount of critical acclaim during it’s run. The show won Primetime Emmys, Golden Globe Awards, and Critics Choice Awards during its release, validating the quality of the series overall. While it may not be high on everyone’s list, it is certainly a show worth revisiting with a great style of comedy and a talented cast and crew behind it.
One Tree Hill began airing in 2003, just a few years before The WB joined with UPN to become The CW. Despite this, with the show’s nine-season run concluding in 2012, it spent most of it’s time airing on The CW, which earned it a spot on this list. The series was also responsible for launching the careers of celebrities like Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty.
The series is a teenage drama show that follows Lucas (Murray) and Nathan Scott (Lafferty), two brothers from the small town of Tree Hill. There is romance, drama, and plenty of conflict in the show, which made it a huge success among younger viewers, which in turn won the series a Teen Choice Award early in its run. As the series developed, and the characters grew up, the story got deeper and more intriguing, as the characters grew with the audience.
The CW does many things well, but supernatural drama tends to standout on the network for being innovative, clever, and thoroughly entertaining. iZombie, starring Rose McIver, does all of that and more in a witty, and tense procedural drama series. McIver plays Dr. Liv Moore who has the misfortune of becoming a zombie. However, her death is also one of her greatest assets.
Whenever Liv consumes the brain of the deceased, she is able to inherit some of their memories. Of course, this comes in incredibly handy when the bodies are victims of murder mysteries, and Liv becomes an invaluable asset to the local PD in helping solve crimes. The premise is wacky, but the execution is spot on, and it all adds up to a great time.
Of course, considering Warner Bros. ownership of the DC Comics TV and Film rights, The CW is also home to many incredible superhero shows, including the whole Arrowverse. Superman & Lois was the latest entry into the Arrowverse, with much looser connections to previous shows than its predecessors. However, with a fresh new take on a Superman story where Clark Kent is all grown up, the series proved to be incredibly popular.
Despite many of the other DC Comics-based shows being canceled in order to avoid any confusion or overlap with the incoming James Gunn DCU, Superman & Lois managed to hold its ground and was renewed for a fourth and final season in 2023 (via Variety). The show followed Superman as a father, with two teenage boys, and Lois Lane, who married Clark years prior, and has an established career as a famous journalist. The show was a fresh new take on the age old story, and it had a great cast of actors bringing it to life.
Gossip Girl ran for six seasons on The CW between 2007 and 2012. The series features a spectacular and talented cast, including Blake Lively, Penn Badgely, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, and many more, along with narration by Kristen Bell. The series was inspired by a novel by Cecily von Ziegesar which also had the same title.
Another teen drama series, Gossip Girl, focused on the lives of the wealthy upper-class adolescents in the heart of New York City’s Upper East Side. The show is narrated by an omniscient unknown blogger who regularly posts intimate details about the young socialites, much to their dismay. With a pivotal mystery and the explosive relationships that play out on-screen, Gossip Girl is absolutely one of the best executed teen dramas on TV.
Jane the Virgin is a romantic dramedy in the style of a telenovela. Gina Rodriguez plays the leading lady, Jane, who miraculously finds herself pregnant after what should have been a routine check in with her gynecologist. Originally airing between 2014 and 2019, with a total of five increasingly wild seasons. The series is incredibly funny, full of dramatic twists and turns and includes an outstanding cast.
Jane has her whole life turned upside down after a doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her instead of another woman who paid to have the operation. While that premise alone is dramatic and gripping enough to pull in viewers, the drama only goes up from there. Each season, and most episodes, the series ends on intense cliffhangers with wild twists that work perfectly in this satirical format.
Veronica Mars is another series that appeared on UPN just before the network merged. The series originally ran from 2004 to 2007, but due to massive fan engagement and crowdfunding, it eventually got a feature film sequel and another season years after the show ended. The series was a teen noir mystery very much in the same tone as things like Nancy Drew, which the self-aware series acknowledged throughout.
The show starred Kristen Bell as the titular lead. Veronica is a young woman with a passion for solving mysteries and helping others. Throughout the show, she frequently showcases her incredible talents, often succeeding in solving cases before the officials do. However, due to her age, she is rarely taken seriously. Overall, a great series with excellent writing and a dedicated fanbase.
Everybody Hates Chris is a partially autobiographical series based on the life of comedian Chris Rock. The series is narrated by Chris Rock, with a spectacular cast including Tyler James Williams as a younger version of Chris and Terry Crews as his father. Released between 2005 and 2009, the series appeared on both UPN and The CW during its runtime.
The stories contained in the show are obviously hyperbolized in order to make a more entertaining show. However, the sitcom is an outstanding story about a young Black boy growing up in Brooklyn during the 1980s. The series and the performances from the whole cast is outrageously funny, and a show well worth watching again and again.
Smallville is another series that started on UPN in 2001, but having run for 10 seasons until 2011, most of the story played out on The CW. The series follows a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in the opposite position to his Superman & Lois counterpart. Growing up in the small town of Smallville, Clark is desperate to find a balance between the weird alien powers he has, and living a simple and normal life.
Smallville was one of the earliest and best superhero series. The show dived deep into the life of a hero before they don the cape, as they learn to control their abilities, and recognize that their powers require them to live a life apart from their peers. The show did begin to get slower in later seasons, considering Clark didn’t even put on the suit until the finale, and even then it was CGI, but the overall show was one of the best from the network.