The CW Slump

When people think of the CW they think of melodramatic teen dramas that seeming plague teenagers ability to appreciate quality television.  The CW has ratings that would make any advertiser run screaming the other way, but why can’ the CW get decent ratings above 3 million.  The highest ratings score for the dismal network average around 2.3 to 2.5 in millions.  In comparison the Fox Network gets rating around 20 million.  Most would say the CW gets these depressingly low ratings because it’s programming is the worst.  I used to agree but I have recently changed my mind.

The CW is a new network and the ratings that it gets are not related to the quality of the programming. The fact that all of the other networks have been around for so long indicates that they have been able to establish a larger audience.  The fact that it used to be the WB network with Warner Brothers an then merged with CBS to become the CW probably did not help much. There was confusion of the name of the network, which made the current shows lose viewers. Even though I would’ve though that The CW’s affiliation with CBS would have helped, it did not really have an effect.  The WB and changed to The CW and many did not make that connection and thought that it was a whole new network. 

All of the CW shows rating's would guarantee a cancellation if it were on any other network. So does this mean that The CW television shows stupid and low quality? That is a matter of opinion. I don’t think that it can be determined for sure, but many “elite” and “sophisticated” television viewers would argue yes.  The shows “The Secret Circle” and “The Vampire Diaries” are looked at as only playing off of the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” type of hype that are presently around teens.  I do believe that this is true, but I still think the creativity that goes behind each script uses just as much originality and imagination as a CBS crime procedural or one of ABC’s comedies.  Whatever genre you think is better depends on you’re interests.  Maybe you only like Comedies.  Maybe you only like Dramas.  Maybe even, you only like Reality Shows.  Judging by what you like and dislike is not always an accurate interpretation of is what is a high or low quality show.  I know that some shows that I like are not necessarily “quality” programming but that does not mean that I don’t think that they are entertaining.  You have to be very careful about how you define a good and bad Television show, or any aspect of entertainment, because at the end of the day it’s not supposed to be anything else but entertainment.  And if people were to look closer at what The CW has to offer, I think they would see some shows that they would find entertaining.

The CW is known for it's overly dramatic but always playing programing.

The Emmy Award winning  “American Horror Story” is just as ridiculous as “Supernatural.” Critically acclaimed show “The Walking Dead” have disturbingly melodramatic situations similar to that of the drama series “90210.”  Don’t get me wrong, I love “American Horror Story” and “The Walking Dead,” but the styles in television stories can be similar in a lot of ways. The writing of The CW’s programming is often looked at as being poorly written and overly dramatic; and people assume that is the reason that the ratings are so low.  “Pretty Little Liars,” the hit show of ABC Family is written in the same style as many of The CW’s teen dramas.  Clearly the writing quality or the premises of the shows are what is bringing The CW Network down.  I believe that what is keeping The CW does, is promotion.  Promotion and exposure are very important for any Television network, because that is how it gains advertisers, thus funding for there shows.  The CW seems to be realizing that extra advertisement is the best way to stay alive.  The have begun to gain fans through Facebook and Internet competitions.  Teenagers and early twenties is definitely the network’s target demographic.  Because the younger generation is using all of these social networking sites and is so exposed to Internet media and advertisement of all kinds, it makes sense that they should use these tools as major efforts to increase their viewing audience.  Exposure and promotion is The CW’s biggest problem that is causing it’s low ratings, not the quality of it’s shows.  It is on the right track by using the Internet to draw in it’s target demographic to get the ratings it wants.