The CW allegedly withheld news of Nancy Drew‘s cancellation from the production crew, almost preventing the show from receiving a proper conclusion. Nancy Drew was one of many shows on The CW that were canceled following the network’s acquisition by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. The CW cut the majority of its original scripted series as it put a new emphasis on acquired series and other cost-cutting measures. In addition to Nancy Drew, The CW also chose not to renew Riverdale, The Flash, Stargirl, Gotham Knights, The Winchesters, or Kung Fu.
Not every cancellation occurred at the same time or under the same circumstances. Some shows, like The Winchesters, fought hard for a renewal, while others, like The Flash and Riverdale, had already largely run their course and wrapped up satisfactorily. Nancy Drew was also among the few canceled shows that actually received a conclusion rather than being abruptly cut off. However, this reportedly almost wasn’t the case due to the actions of the network.
Nancy Drew EP slams CW for handling of cancelation
After Nancy Drew‘s series finale aired on August 24, the show’s executive producer, Larry Teng, took to Twitter/X to share what went down behind the scenes. As Teng noted, the finale received generally positive reception from fans, but apparently there almost wasn’t a proper finale. That’s because, according to Teng, the show’s crew wasn’t even told that the show was being canceled. They only had four episodes left to shoot when their studio, CBS Studios, called The CW to inquire what their future schedule would look like. That’s when The CW unceremoniously told them, “Oh, we’re not picking you up…” Of course, that led Teng to question if they ever would’ve found out about the cancellation if the studio hadn’t called.
Fortunately, because the studio made that call, Nancy Drew‘s incredible writers were able to hurriedly pull together a proper conclusion. However, Teng was furious about The CW’s blatant disregard for Nancy Drew. The network clearly knew that Nancy Drew wasn’t being renewed but didn’t care to give it enough notice to conclude properly, despite it boasting four seasons and a dedicated cast, crew, and fanbase. Again, the problem here wasn’t that the show was canceled. Cancellations were to be expected with the change of ownership and direction from The CW. The problem, though, is that the company apparently can’t offer basic respect to the workers on the shows that were still in production when cancelations hit.
Unfortunately, The CW has always been riddled with problems. It reportedly never turned a profit since its formation in 2006 and was largely just used for broadcast syndication and streaming deals. Hence, Forbes has posited that The CW really doesn’t even care about live views on its shows, which might be responsible for some of the lackluster treatment of its programs and failure to tailor shows to the demographics that are watching them. Now, with Nexstar taking over, The CW is rushing in the opposite direction, with a hyperfocus on profits that means many shows are reporting further poor treatment with cancelations and lack of communication due to not being profitable, though it’s not really the shows’ fault that they were made this way.
Regardless of The CW’s strategies and problems, there’s no reason why it can’t still show basic decency by simply notifying a show of its cancelation.
(featured image: The CW)
