The coronavirus pandemic has truly upended Hollywood and sent networks and studios into complete chaos. We know that nearly all productions have shut down until the crisis is over and that will impact everyone’s release schedule for a long, long time. But don’t think of just the far future and the years ahead, think of the near future too. We are now reaching the point where content is starting to run dry and that is going to have an effect on the TV landscape very soon. The fall television season is quickly approaching and COVID-19 has left almost all networks completely devoid of anything to show. So what are they going to do? Not every channel can fill their schedules with Disney sing-a-longs and Zoom cast reunions.
The CW has a good idea: why not take older and canceled shows and give them new life, at least for the time being? That’s exactly what they’re doing, as Variety reports that the superhero-friendly network has acquired the rights to four completed or canceled shows: Canadian series Coroner, British drama Dead Pixels, CBS All Access show Tell Me A Story and DC Universe’s ill-fated Swamp Thing. The CW hasn’t announced their fall line-up yet but it seems very likely that the shows will air sometime in late summer or early fall when the channel has completely run out of new content.
Let’s make one thing clear: none of these shows are being revived. They are being brought to The CW after completing their runs on other networks or services. The CW isn’t pulling a Netflix here, they aren’t bringing shows back to life. Instead, they are filling their schedules with shows that are done and ready to air. It’s a really smart move and you can bet other networks will follow in their footsteps.
Their acquisition of Swamp Thing sure is interesting though. The show originally aired on DC Universe and was abruptly canceled. It was a tad bit surprising because the show was well-received and DC Universe seemed initially really committed to the show. Swamp Thing, a lower-tier (but still great) DC character, was the perfect hero for a growing streaming service. But it wasn’t meant to be on DC Universe and the show was tossed back in the swamp.
The CW is already home to multiple DC shows, including The Flash and Supergirl. So, is it possible that this Swamp Thing re-run does really well on The CW and the network decides to take a chance and actually restart the series? Yes, that is possible. No, it is not very likely. But who knows, maybe it will happen. Maybe enough DC fans will tune into the show and The CW will give the series the chance it deserves. It’s happened before: Supergirl originally debuted on CBS before it made the leap over to The CW. So maybe — juuuuuuuuuuuust maybe — Swamp Thing could live again.