The CW scripted pivot sees ‘The Spencer Sisters’ picked up & ‘Kung Fu’ & ‘The Winchesters’ axed

The Spencer Sisters

The CW’s revamped scripted line-up is taking shape, with a distinctly Canadian flavour, as the Nexstar-owned firm adds The Spencer Sisters to its summer schedule, while cancelling dramas Kung Fu and The Winchesters.

Produced by eOne and Buffalo Gal Pictures for CTV, The Spencer Sisters is a female-led, light-hearted procedural created by Alan McCullough and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels. Starring Lea Thompson and Stacy Farber, it follows a mystery novelist and her daughter, who are mistaken for sisters, as they tackle puzzling cases.

Jocelyn Hamilton and Tecca Crosby serve as executive producers for eOne, while Phyllis Laing and Jennifer Beasley are executive producers for Buffalo Gal Pictures

“We’re delighted to expand upon our long-standing relationship with The CW Network, which has and continues to be a terrific partner and the perfect US home for these compelling series to US audiences,” said Stuart Baxter, president of international distribution at eOne.

The show is the latest Canadian pick-up from The CW this week, following eOne sibling dramedy Moonshine, produced with Six Eleven Media, as well as comedy series Son Of A Critch. Other Canadian acquisitions from The CW this week include family comedy Run The Burbs and the second season of legal drama Family Law.

The second season of Australian comedy series Bump has also been announced to be coming to The CW, while the network’s new unscripted line-up includes docuseries Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982 and cooking show Recipe for Disaster, alongside Down To Earth With Zac Efron and new seasons of Great Chocolate Showdown and Mysteries Decoded.

Meanwhile, last week also saw The CW rescue former HBO Max unscripted series F-Boy Island for a third season, while expanding the franchise to include a spin-off, to be known as F-Girl Island.

The Winchesters

Scripted axes

However, while The CW has been busy picking up titles it has also been making room in the schedule, primarily by letting go its costlier original scripted titles, with Supernatural prequel The Winchesters among the latest to get the axe.

The CW’s scripted strategy under new owners Nexstar has pivoted to cheaper unscripted and lower-cost scripted shows, and the higher budget The WInchesters is being let go after just one season. US reports suggest that Warner Bros. Television is looking to shop the series elsewhere.

Kung Fu will also not be returning to The CW after its third season, due to the same issues of cost. This leaves All American and Walker as the only scripted originals confirmed as returning, after the latter’s spin-off Walker Independence was also cancelled this week.

No word in either direction has yet been given over remaning scripted originals Superman & Lois, All American: Homecoming and Gotham Knights.