US TV Upfronts 2022

 Some reflections on the recent spate of renewals, cancellations and orders etc.

• The CW, a network that usually gives its shows a final season order to allow them to wrap up their stories, is now up for sale - and decided to go on a show-killing spree, cancelling no less than nine shows, with only Riverdale getting a final season order. Among these was Legends of Tomorrow, the only Arrowverse show I watched regularly and managed to reinvent itself multiple times, which has gone on a cliffhanger ending, which seems very unwise. There is a fan campaign for a renewal, but I don't place too much hope in these things.
• I've yet to see CSI: Vegas, which I expect will get an airing on Paramount Plus when it starts here in June, but that got renewed.
• Blue Bloods is still going, although with a black female NYPD commissioner in real life, is looking rather unrealistic now...
• The Blacklist is still going too; I've yet to see Season 9, so I can't comment.
• Yet to see Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (no UK release until June) but Star Trek: Picard after a very good start, really failed to stick the landing. The third season looks very much a TNG reunion and a send-off for Picard. I will be watching that along with Season 5 of Discovery. The best show in the franchise is frankly Lower Decks.
• The bloom has come very much off the rose with Netflix. They had an expensive flop with Cowboy Bebop (and with that, a lot of pressure will on One Piece to be good), Stranger Things is ending and the tent pole shows are not enough now. With the economic downturn and inflation, many people are cutting back. Netflix will likely have to go for advertising to survive.
• Advertising, though, will be a problem due to the likely global recession we're heading towards.
• Apple TV have become a big name in the streaming world with a lot of highly talked about shows. I intend to watch For All Mankind at some point once I've finished French series Missions on BBC4.
• None of the US network orders have really inspired me; I've not even watched any trailers. They will need to up their game to survive.