Each tired of waiting for the other to surrender, UPN and the WB have agreed to join forces. Take one half-baked network struggling to find an audience for anything that doesn’t star Tyra Banks or a large man in tights, mix it with an only slightly more baked network struggling to broaden its audience beyond its core fan base of teens and young adults…and what do you get? The CW, a new joint venture between CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment that is poised (both companies hope) to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of its parent networks.
The new network will schedule 13 hours of primetime programming each week, which means that less successful shows on both UPN and the WB can be sent packing. Who will go, and who gets to stay? No word yet, but smart money says Veronica Mars and Superman needn’t worry about packing up their trailers…but Fran Drescher might want to dust off her resume and practice charming casting directors with that godawful laugh of hers.
