TCA: The CW on Supernatural Season 9; More about The Originals, The Selection, Cult, and Battle Royale
Steve Barton
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It was The CW’s turn to shine at the Television Critics Association’s winter 2013 session today, and president Mark Pedowitz touched on all the network’s shows that are of interest to genre fans, including a possible ninth season of “Supernatural.” Read on for the highlights.
We weren’t able to attend Pedowitz’s panel, but luckily for us – and you, The Futon Critic, HitFix, TV Guide, and ZAP2it all brought back the following info:
How did “Cult,” which had been in development for a long time, finally make it to the air? Pedowitz said he walked into the development office, asked for the piece of material they wished they’d moved forward with, and was given “Cult.” With its show-within-a-show concept, any concern it’s too confusing? “We are aware we have a complex, multifaceted show going on and are trying to keep it as clear as possible,” executive producer Rockne O’Bannon said . “I have a great deal of faith and trust in the audience to hook into what’s going on.”
How will they incorporate having a fictional show that uses social media and the idea of group viewings as a character of its own? “What’s interesting to CW marketing is that it isn’t just social media being used to promote a show but that the show is about social media and that connection,” O’Bannon said. “The marketing will be the same within the show as the marketing the appears on the side of buses and such.”
Where did the idea of “The Originals” come from? “We have a lot of characters on ‘Vampire Diaries,’ and they’re all rich, rich characters. Klaus and the Original family gives us an opportunity to do something where we can get more bang for the buck, so to speak.” He elaborates on the characters and setting: “We’re basically going to go and focus on the Original family. The [main] character will be Klaus (Joseph Morgan), [and] at the moment Phoebe [Tonkin] will be coming on board the spin-off [as well]. Hopefully some of his siblings will join along. Klaus was one of the founding fathers of New Orleans, and the show will be set in that venue. Klaus is a great character, and the Original family has this great dysfunctional family dynamic. We thought that was a great way to go to take the show.”
Speaking of Phoebe, Pedowitz said specifically that the network hasn’t considered Tonkin for the “Wonder Woman” pilot, disappointing a lot of her fans.
What’s the status of “The Selection”? “[The new] script just came in, very well done; we have not made our pilot choices, and yes, it’s still in contention.”
It looks like preliminary reports the network was considering a “Battle Royale” series were blown a bit out of proportion: “It’s taken on a life of its own. There was one phone call last summer before the press tour to see if the books were available. They were not so we were not able to do anything. At this time we are not planning to do anything with ‘Battle Royale’.”
Now, finally, what’s the status of “Supernatural”? Will we see seasons nine and ten, considering Warner Bros. has finalized deals with series stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki for the next two potential seasons? “Nothing’s been announced yet, no determination’s been made,” says Pedowitz of a possible ninth season specifically. “We are pleased with how Wednesday night has worked out, with ‘Arrow’ being a bona fide hit and ‘Supernatural’ actually gaining viewers… Creatively the show is in a good place… There’s always a good shot that could happen.”
With “The Vampire Diaries” prepping its “Originals” spin-off, any chance of “Supernatural” spawning a sister series of its own surrounding fan favorite Castiel? Pedowitz thinks “Supernatural” may not be the best launchpad for another series. “You look at [whether the] audience is engaged. You look at that universe — can it actually launch something? [With] ‘Supernatural,’ if you decide to do a spin-off off of that, you [question] does it work? Does it incubate the show really well?”
And that should be a wrap of our winter 2013 TCA coverage, but if other odds and ends come in, you can be sure we’ll pass them on!
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