The Bad: Nobody’s watching! Which is to say that with the exception of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and one perfectly timed MUPPET special, the first half of the CW’s season saw the majority of the its schedule stalled between the 1 to 2 million viewer mark. And while actual audience levels of the youth oriented Network are undoubtedly more when you incorporate DVR numbers, legal and dare-we-say-it, illegal online alternatives — the simple fact of the matter is that based on the traditional method in which audiences are measured and advertising is sold — the CW Network remains a virtual non-factor from a pure ratings point of view. Which brings us to…

The Future: Despite Mark Pedowitz’s increasingly-crowded development slate that includes exciting new projects from J.J. Abrams, Mark Schwann, Sara Rue, Eric Kripke among others, the future of the CW Network looks downright depressing if for no other treason than we don’t expect those responsible for holding the purse strings (Read: Parent Companies CBS and WBTV) to loosen their grip anytime soon. Which is why we thought we’d take this opportunity to offer up the perennial fifth place network a little unsolicited advice: Since your Parent Companies have taken it upon themselves to quietly transform your little operation into a loss leader for boosting foreign sales and selling DVDs, the time for change is now: Stop clinging to an antiquated ratings system that does little more than hurt your otherwise entertaining brand and publicly endorse a new method of measuring success based on factors such as online streams and foreign sales. Either that or turn the cast of GOSSIP GIRL into a gang of bloodthirsty vampires.

Grade: C-

In Case You Missed It:
• FOX Gets its Mid-Season Report Card
• ABC Gets its Mid-Season Report Card
• CBS Gets its Mid-Season Report Card\
• NBC Gets its Mid-Season Report Card

Joining the CW in ringing in the New Year — well, aside that is from Quinn, Clay, Alex, Chase and a plethora of other characters we aren’t familiar with having stopped watching ONE TREE HILL in season three — is yet another CW reality series that has imminent cancelation written all over it. REMODELED centers around modelling industry veteran Paul Fisher as he tries to bring together hundreds of small agencies in an attempt to change the industry from the inside out.

Thursday, January 5
8PM: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (original episodes return)
9PM: THE SECRET CIRCLE (original episodes return)
 
Friday, January 6
8PM: NIKITA (original episodes return)
9PM: SUPERNATURAL (original episodes return)
 
Tuesday, January 10
8PM: 90210 (original episodes return)
9PM: RINGER (original episodes return)
 
Wednesday, January 11
8PM: ONE TREE HILL (season premiere)
9PM: ONE TREE HILL (season premiere encore)
 
Monday, January 16
8PM: GOSSIP GIRL (original episodes return)
9PM: HART OF DIXIE (encore episode)
 
Wednesday, January 18
8PM: ONE TREE HILL
9PM: REMODELED (series premiere)
 
Monday, January 23
8PM: GOSSIP GIRL
9PM: HART OF DIXIE (original episodes return)

Direct from this past weekend’s CW Fall launch party in Hollywood comes 13 more reasons why we wish we lived in Los Angeles. See for yourself, after the jump.

Shelley Hennig of THE SECRET CIRCLE

Wilson Bethel and Rachel Bilson from HART OF DIXIE

Britt Robertson, Phoebe Tonkin, Thomas Dekker, Jessica Parker Kennedy from THE SECRET CIRCLE with Executive Producer Kevin Williamson

Britt Robertson and Phoebe Tonkin from THE SECRET CIRCLE

Tristan Wilds from 90210 and Nina Dobrev from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

Britt Robertson from THE SECRET CIRCLE with Nina Dobrev and Steven R. McQueen from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

Paul Wesley (center) from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES with Lyndsy Fonseca (left) and Melinda Clarke from NIKITA

Nina Dobrev from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES with Kristoffer Polaha, Ioan Gruffudd and Mike Colter from RINGER

Britt Robertson and Phoebe Tonkin from THE SECRET CIRCLE and Jessica Stroup from 90210

Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES with Mark Pedowtiz (President, The CW Network)

Thomas Dekker, Phoebe Tonkin, Louis Hunter, and Britt Robertson from THE SECRET CIRCLE

Shane West and Melinda Clarke from NIKITA

Are you ready for an Extreme Makeover: CW Network Edition? Considering your very own TV Addict is inching uncomfortably closer and closer to the top end of the Network’s 18-to-34 demographic is, we sure as heck are! Which is why, in addition to applauding newly-minted CW President Mark Pedowitz on his attempt to broaden the Network’s appeal with more adult-driven fare such as RINGER and NIKITA, we thought we’d — as we are wont to do — go one step further by offering up a little unsolicited advice in the form of our latest instalment of Advertising Anarchy (Also known as our take on how networks might wish to consider promoting some of our favorite new and returning shows ). Because let’s face it, our little CW Network is finally growing up! See for yourself, after the jump.

Click on the image for a larger version!

Direct from last night’s Television Critics Association Press Tour party thrown by CBS/CW/Showtime comes 8 reasons why CW President Mark Pedowitz’s job (Pictured above with RINGER star Sarah Michelle Gellar) is — as the title of this post suggests — waaaaaaaay cooler than yours (and ours!).

Mark Pedowitz with Thomas Dekker (THE SECRET CIRCLE) and Kat Graham (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES)

Mark Pedowitz with Natasha Henstridge (THE SECRET CIRCLE)

Mark Pedowitz with THE HART OF DIXIE’s Cress Williams, Jaime King, Rachel Bilson, Wilson Bethel, and Scott Porter

Mark Pedowitz with Ioan Gruffudd and Sarah Michelle Gellar (RINGER)

Mark Pedowitz with Trevor Donovan, Tristan Wilds, Gillian Zinser, Jessica Stroup and Michael Steger (90210)

Mark Pedowitz with Mario Lopez (H8R)

Mark Pedowitz with Jaime King and Rachel Bilson (HART OF DIXIE)

Catch up on past episodes of GOSSIP GIRL, ONE TREE HILL and SUPERNATURAL that you may have missed for free at clicktowatch.tv

SUPERNATURAL
For those fans worried that this upcoming seventh season might mark the end of the road for your beloved Winchester Bros. well, you can stop worrying now. “It’s not intended to be the last season,” said newly-minted CW President Mark Pedowitz during this morning’s executive session from the 2011 Television Critics Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton. “We’ll see where the ratings go. We hope the show keeps going.” Adding, when asked what he credits the longevity of the show too, “the love between two brothers, two really good looking guys that transcend the supernatural elements at the end of the day.”

ONE TREE HILL
For those fans worried that this upcoming ninth (!) season really will mark the end of the road for the town that responsibility parenting forgot, well, we’ve got some bad news for you. “At this point, it’s the final 13,” said Pedowitz. “Again you never want to say never, because you don’t know what happens, but n our conversations with [creator] Mark Schwahn we have said it’s the final 13.”

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s…
… not Superman. That said, fans of the superhero genre will be happy to learn that the network — thanks to their parent company (Time Warner’s) ownership of DC Comics is actively looking to a superhero series next season, if the right superhero comes to be. Cooler still, Pedowitz was quick to point out that Tom Welling would be welcome back into the fold with open arms should he ever wish to return to series television.

Calling All Cars
Are you ready for LAW & ORDER: COLLEGE CAMPUS EDITION or CSI: WILMINGTON? The CW sure as heck is! After-all, procedurals not only are easier for viewers to jump in and out of, they repeat well. Said Pedowitz of his plan to put a procedural at the top of his Network priority list. “Our focus is to find that great closed-ended show that has a CW feel to it. We need those shows.”

Pay Attention Upper East Siders
Does the lure of the big screen for the likes of stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester spell the end of GOSSIP GIRL? Not if Mark Pedowitz has anything to say about it. “I’m a big believer in casts staying together. We hope they stay together as long as possible. When we have to cross that bridge… we’ll see [what happens].”

Catch up on past episodes of GOSSIP GIRL, ONE TREE HILL and SUPERNATURAL that you may have missed for free at clicktowatch.tv

You’ve seen the commercials. You’ve heard the hype. Now there’s only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we give you the scoop on some of the most highly-anticipated shows of the season, with today’s subject being Sarah Michelle Gellar’s much-anticipated return to the small screen in RINGER.

The Boilerplate: Since these pilot presentations may go through numerous rewrites and casting changes prior to premiere, this by no means should be considered an official review. Rather a preview of what one can expect come Fall.

The Plot: Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister – only to learn that her sister’s seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she’s trying to leave behind. Bridget is six months sober and starting to turn her life around when she is the sole witness to a professional hit. Despite the assurances of her FBI protector, Agent Victor Machado, Bridget knows her life is on the line. She flees to New York, telling no one, not even her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm. In New York, Bridget reunites with her estranged twin, Siobhan. Wealthy, pampered and married to the strikingly handsome Andrew Martin, Siobhan lives what appears to be a fairy tale life – a life where no one knows that Bridget exists. The sisters seem to be mending their frayed relationship, until Siobhan disappears overboard during a boat trip, and Bridget makes the split decision to take on her sister’s identity. She discovers shocking secrets, not only about her sister and her marriage, but also about Siobhan’s best friend, Gemma, and Gemma’s husband, Henry. And when someone tries to kill Bridget in her sister’s penthouse, she realizes she is no safer as Siobhan than she is as herself.

The First Impression: Is cautiously optimistic. On the one hand, despite a slew of storylines that fit perfectly within the confines of the network that gave us GOSSIP GIRL, ONE TREE HILL and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (Read: love triangles, betrayals and murders oh my!), RINGER is unequivocally unlike anything the CW has ever aired. Suffice it to say, dark and twisty doesn’t even begin to describe the almost Hitchcockian manner in which the pilot unravels as it begins to peel back the surprising and plentiful layers of twin sisters Bridget and Siobhan convincingly played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Adding to the intrigue are supporting roles for LOST alum Nestor Carbonell as an FBI agent on the hunt for Bridget, unsuspecting best friend Gemma played by Tara Summers and obligatory eye-candy courtesy of Ioan Gruffudd, THE GOOD WIFE’s Mike Colter and LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Kristoffer Polaha.

The Concern: Did we mention RINGER is unequivocally unlike anything the CW has ever aired? Because honestly, it bares repeating. In fact, with the exception of one teenage character (Bridget’s not-so-welcome step daughter from hell), the show, which was originally developed for CBS, has an incredibly grown-up vibe to it. One that demands audiences pay close attention or risk losing track of who-did-what-to-whom-where! Which bring us to…

The Verdict: Having already re-watched the pilot on three different occasions to ensure we caught every piercing character gaze and ominous reaction, paying close attention to this daring attempt by the CW to redefine itself as a network shouldn’t be a problem.

RINGER premieres on Tuesday September 13th at 9PM on the CW (GlobalTV in Canada).

You’ve seen the commercials. You’ve heard the hype. Now there’s only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we give you the scoop on some of the most highly-anticipated shows of the season, with today’s focus being the CW’s perfect companion piece to THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE SECRET CIRCLE

The Boilerplate: Since these pilot presentations may go through numerous rewrites and casting changes prior to premiere, this by no means should be considered an official review. Rather a preview of what one can expect come Fall.

The Plot: Cassie Blake was a happy, normal teenage girl – until her mother Amelia dies in what appears to be a tragic accidental fire.  Orphaned and deeply saddened, Cassie moves in with her warm and loving grandmother Jane in the beautiful small town of Chance Harbor, Washington – the town her mother left so many years before – where the residents seem to know more about Cassie than she does about herself.  As Cassie gets to know her high school classmates, including sweet-natured Diana and her handsome boyfriend Adam, brooding loner Nick, mean-girl Faye and her sidekick Melissa, strange and frightening things begin to happen.  When her new friends explain that they are all descended from powerful witches, and they’ve been waiting for Cassie to join them and complete a new generation of the Secret Circle, Cassie refuses to believe them – until Adam shows her how to unlock her incredible magical powers.  But it’s not until Cassie discovers a message from her mother in an old leather-bound book of spells hidden in her mother’s childhood bedroom, that she understands her true and dangerous destiny.  What Cassie and the others don’t yet know is that darker powers are at play, powers that might be linked to the adults in the town, including Diana’s father and Faye’s mother – and that Cassie’s mother’s death might not have been an accident. 

The First Impression: Was one of pleasant surprise. Which is to say, despite a cast featuring a slew of TV Addict favorites including LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Britt Robertson and TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES’ Thomas Dekker, witches have never quite been our cup of tea. So you can imagine our surprise by just how compelling THE SECRET CIRCLE’s first episode was. Far stronger than THE VAMPIRE DIARIES’ initial offering, the CW’s flawlessly constructed companion piece not only sets up a good versus evil world filled complete with mystery, romance and intrigue, but features a welcome spin on the all-too-typical female protagonist thanks to Robertson’s Cassie Blake — who unlike TVD’s somewhat damsel-in-distress-esque Elena — can more than take care of herself. Also working in THE SECRET CIRCLE’s favor, at least for this TV Addict who is quickly aging himself out of the CW’s core demographic, is that the show features some incredibly exciting adult characters, most notably QUEER AS FOLK’s Gale Harold FTW!, who will surely play a far more integral role in the show than your typical CW parent (See: 90210, GOSSIP GIRL, ONE TREE HILL etc.)

The Concern: Is almost nonexistent. But since we’re here to nitpick all things small screen, we suppose it’s somewhat prudent to ask whether or not anyone is the least bit concerned that short of CHARMED and SABRINA, witches haven’t quite found nearly the success that vampires have had on both the big and small screens (See: ABC’s short-lived EASTWICK, Practical Magic, among others.) But that aside…

The Verdict: Has us all but guaranteeing that THE SECRET CIRLCE will be fall’s big breakout hit where the CW is concerned.

THE SECRET CIRCLE is scheduled to premiere Monday September 15th on the CW

You’ve seen the commercials. You’ve heard the hype. Now there’s only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we give you the scoop on some of the most highly-anticipated shows of the season, with today’s focus being HART OF DIXIE, the CW’s version of Sweet Home EVERWOOD Alabama

The Boilerplate: Since these pilot presentations may go through numerous rewrites and casting changes prior to premiere, this by no means should be considered an official review. Rather a preview of what one can expect come Fall.

The Plot: Fast-talking New Yorker and brand new doctor Zoe Hart has it all figured out – after graduating top of her class from medical school, she’ll follow in her father’s footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. But when her dreams fall apart, Zoe decides to accept an offer from a stranger, Dr. Harley Wilkes, to work with him at his small practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Zoe arrives in this small Gulf Coast town only to find that Harley has passed away and left his half of the medical practice to her in his will. She quickly finds that Southern hospitality isn’t always so hospitable – the other doctor in town, Brick Breeland, is less than pleased to be sharing the practice with this young outsider, and his daughter, Lemon, is a Southern belle whose sweet disposition turns sour when she meets Zoe. Zoe’s only allies are the mayor, former football star Lavon Hayes, her bad-boy neighbor Wade Kinsella, and handsome lawyer George Tucker – who just happens to be Lemon’s fiance. Zoe is out of her element and ready to pack her bags, but a surprise visit by her snobby New York mother leads to Zoe’s decision to stay in Bluebell for a while, discovering small-town life and a side of herself she hadn’t known was there.

The First Impression: Is — as you might expect from this WB/CW junkie that grew up on a steady diet of GILMORE GIRLS and EVERWOOD — glowingly positive. No really. Despite a premise that has been recycled over-and-over-and-over-again, what HART OF DIXIE lacks in originality it more than makes up for with a ridiculously likeable cast (including Rachel Bilson in the titular role of Dr. Zoe Hart, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ Scott Porter as not-quite-Bachelor #1 and relative newcomer Wilson Bethel as potential love interest #2) and a handful of promising plot points (Family drama, medical mysteries, rival doctors… Oh My!) that we look forward to seeing played out. What’s more, it’s produced by Josh Schwartz (THE OC, GOSSIP GIRL, CHUCK), Stephanie Savage (GOSSIP GIRL, THE OC) and Leila Gerstein (GOSSIP GIRL, ELI STONE), three talented scribes who know a thing or two about zippy dialogue, romantic entanglements and most importantly of all, maddeningly addictive television drama.

The Concern: Plucky, beautiful and funny, star Rachel Bilson is a lot of things, but believable as a wannabe world class Cardiothoracic Surgeon? Truth be told, that remains to be seen. Luckily for Bilson…

The Verdict: Thanks to her off-the-charts likeability, where Bilson leads… we will follow.

HART OF DIXIE is scheduled to premiere Monday September 26th on the CW

Tuesday September 13
8PM: 90210
9PM: RINGER

Wednesday September 14
8PM: H8R
9PM: AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL

Thursday September 15
8PM: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9PM: THE SECRET CIRCLE

Friday September 23
8PM: NIKITA
9PM: SUPERNATURAL

Monday September 26
8PM: GOSSIP GIRL
9PM: HART OF DIXIE