The CW shows, the network behind a run of DC superhero series and teen-skewing dramas.
Since Nexstar took majority control from Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount in 2022, the network has systematically shed its signature scripted dramas — All American, Walker, and the DC shows are gone or winding down — in favor of cheaper acquired programming, game shows, and live sports. The biggest swing of the new era landed in 2024 when WWE's NXT moved to The CW, instantly making pro wrestling one of the network's highest-rated weekly properties, alongside expanded college sports coverage.
We think this is a rational but culturally deflating move: Nexstar bought a struggling broadcast network, not a content studio, and NXT delivers predictable live ratings at a fraction of the cost of a serialized drama with a writers' room and an ensemble cast. The CW's old value proposition — being the place where young-adult IP got a weekly home — effectively no longer exists, and nothing has replaced it as a creative identity.
The thing to track is whether sports and wrestling programming becomes The CW's entire personality going forward, or whether Nexstar ever reinvests in even modestly budgeted scripted originals now that the network is stable and profitable again.
The CW is an American broadcast network formed in 2006 from the merger of The WB and UPN, historically known for teen- and young-adult-skewing dramas and a large slate of DC Comics superhero series often referred to collectively as the "Arrowverse." Ownership of the network shifted in 2022 to Nexstar Media Group, which has since adjusted its programming strategy toward more unscripted and sports content alongside scripted holdovers.
Despite the ownership and strategy changes, The CW's legacy catalog of genre and teen dramas remains widely available and influential in shaping 2010s streaming-era superhero television.
The CW forms as a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros., combining the former WB and UPN networks.
Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and related series build a large interconnected DC television universe exclusive to The CW.
Nexstar Media Group becomes majority owner of The CW, shifting programming strategy in subsequent years.
| Title | Debut | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supernatural | 2005 | One of the network's longest-running series |
| Arrow | 2012 | Launched the DC "Arrowverse" of interconnected superhero shows |
| The Flash | 2014 | Became one of the Arrowverse's flagship series |
| Riverdale | 2017 | A dark reimagining of the Archie Comics characters |
| Launched | 2006, as a merger of The WB and UPN |
|---|---|
| Majority owner | Nexstar Media Group (75% stake acquired in 2022) |
| Remaining owners | Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global each retained a minority stake after the 2022 deal |
| Compared To | Key Difference |
|---|---|
| The WB / UPN | The CW was formed in 2006 specifically to combine the two struggling fifth/sixth-place networks into a single, more competitive youth-skewing broadcaster. |
| ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox | As a smaller 'fifth network,' The CW has historically programmed fewer original nights per week and leaned more on acquired and unscripted content than the legacy Big Four. |
'CW' comes from the first initials of its original co-owners, CBS and Warner Bros., which jointly launched the network in 2006.
The CW's interconnected superhero dramas, including Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, became known collectively as the Arrowverse, with multiple series sharing a continuity and crossover events.
Nexstar Media Group, primarily a local-TV station operator, took majority control of The CW in 2022, shifting its programming strategy toward more unscripted and sports content.
The Arrowverse series largely concluded in the early-to-mid 2020s as The CW shifted its programming strategy following its 2022 change in ownership.
The CW originally launched as a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. before Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership in 2022.
No. Nexstar Media Group acquired a 75% majority stake in 2022; Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global retained minority interests.
The CW built its identity on young-adult-skewing dramas like Supernatural, Gossip Girl, Riverdale, and its Arrowverse superhero shows.
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