CW Network 2009-2010 Primetime Schedule

It was a year of highs and lows for The CW. Let's face it, Sundays were a disaster. Their agreement to lease Sunday primetime to an indpendent company ended quickly and the network chose to air movies and reruns. But, 90210 was a bona fide hit, America's Next Top Model continued to titilate and inspire, Gossip Girls gained ground and, surprisingly, One Tree Hill is hangin' in there.

It was not a good year for CW's comedies. The acclaimed Everybody Hates Chris and The Game went from low ratings on Mondays to dismal on Friday nights. They have both been canceled. So has the Reaper.

But, the schedule seems more focused than before, clearly targeting teen girls and young women. Themed nights exist, but they're basically for that targeted demo, rather than a night for guys, nights for teens, nights for families...you get the picture. The oddman out is Smallville, which moves to Friday nights as it enters its ninth season (wow!)

The CW added a new Ashton Kutcher drama series, The Beautiful Life, teaming it with Next Top Model. Raina Collins (Sara Paxton, Darcy's Wild Life, Last House on the Left), "...a stunning beauty with a secret past," and Chris Andrews (Benjamin Hollingsworth, "The Line"), an Iowa farm boy (hmmm...sounds a tad like Kutcher, star as a young models who quickly learn that the fashion world is cutthroat and insecure. Mischa Barton (The O.C.) returns to television as Raina's friend, Sonja, who has made a mysterious journey to Europe...

Captializing on the current fascination with all things vampires and vampire love, The CW will pair The Vampire Diaries with Supernatural. A teen is drawn to a handsome guy, who just happens to be an ancient vampire trying to live quietly and uneventfully amongst humans.

And, the success of the updated 90210 (that even one of my sisters-in-law watches along with her teen daughter) has inspired CW to bring back Melrose Place. A group of 20-somethings live together as a family in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles. Sydney Andrews, who portrayed Laura Leighton in the original series, returns as the gang's 40ish landlady.

Midseason features Parental Discretion. An adopted teen finds her biological parents, which changes all their lives.

CW will add an hour of The Tyra Banks Show to its afternoon schedule. An encore episode will air weekdays at 3:00 PM ET, with an original one at 4:00 PM ET.

The CW Fall 2009 Primetime Schedule

All times are ET/PT and subject to change. Premiere dates will be announced this summer.

Monday
8:00 PM - Gossip Girl
9:00 PM - One Tree Hill

Tuesday
8:00 PM - 90210
9:00 PM - Melrose Place (new)

Wednesday
8:00 PM - America's Next Top Model
9:00 PM - The Beautiful Life

Thursday
8:00 PM - The Vampire Diaries
9:00 PM - Supernatural

Friday
8:00 PM - Smallville (new day)
9:00 PM - America's Next Top Model (Encores)

Broadcast Network Upfronts

'Tis the season...for 2008-2009 programming announcements by ABC, CBS, CW and FOX. This year, there were no shocking cancelations, no schedules for a new network, and, really, nothing terribly notable. Anything that would set fans on their ears was leaked in advance, preparing them for bad news.

The CW did announce it would lease its Sunday evening programming block, but they already announced doing the same with their Saturday morning cartoons. That means more to advertisers and production companies than to the average viewer, except, as the network noted, the Sunday programming block will now have more original programming than the previous two years. The change is really a sign that things are not going all that well at the fledgling network. That's too bad for some of it programs. Smallville continues to be one of the most underated dramas on television. Life is Wild was not all that bad, either. We do wish CW more success in the coming year.

The most notable announcements were made in April when NBC courted potential advertisers a good six weeks early. Although NBC is barely ahead of The CW in ratings, it pitched its upcoming year with an emphasis on mobile and Internet content in a way that sounded unusually exciting.

The rundown for each network:

* ABC

* CBS

* CW

* FOX

* NBC

* Broadcast Network Fall Programming Grid