CW: The Television Channel of Our Dreams

The CW was just given the award for “Best Network Television Channel!” It became popular for its many great shows like Gossip Girl, All American, Supernatural, and many more exceptionally amazing shows. Most recently, it’s been known for its wonderful adaptations of popular licensed properties such as The Flash, Arrow, Batgirl, and their most remarkable work, Riverdale. Although it’s been known for its great additions to television, there’s still an alarming amount of criticism for the network. All the criticisms that all lead to one key point; that they’re supposedly “trash!”

I wholeheartedly believe that this sentiment is wrong. The first major criticism is the CW’s quality of their character writing. This to me is very invalid. So what if their characters don’t have progressive arcs even though the shows last multiple seasons? Let them act the same because that’s why we adore them! They can continue being our favorite lovable quirky characters just with no character development. Look at the Flash/Barry Allen as an example. His mom died so many times and Barry went back in time on so many different occasions to fix his obvious horrendous mistake. He still willingly chooses to be the hero that the people need at the end of the day. 

Does he still act brash throughout all eight seasons? Yes. Are there too many characters in the show with nothing to do, so they drag storylines, as well as Barry’s development? YES! But, you can’t expect so much from a show that has so much to introduce. Like, yeah they got eight seasons but having a spectacle is much more important than having a good story.

Time is of the essence with these shows and the CW uses it to their advantage. 20 episodes per season allow them to create such a thrilling experience throughout the season. So what if they use the same old tired tropes. Just because every season there’s a new speedster faster than the self-proclaimed “Fastest Man Alive,” does not mean they’re lacking originality. They have plenty of ideas and plenty of characters to make stories off of. But just because they tread through the same romantic subplots and train a new sidekick every episode, again, does not mean they’re lacking originality!

The CW’s characters will forever remain our favorite loveable characters with no growth. How these characters appropriately represent the time period they were in, in a very respectful manner. There is no offensive portrayal regarding race, class, sexuality, or trauma. There certainly is no unnecessary over exaggerated exploitation of these same groups. These shows hold something very special towards the time they live in and in the future when the children of tomorrow watch these shows. 

You’ll soon realize that these are timeless classics that could go against iconic shows like Daredevil, Breaking Bad, and Euphoria. Get them an Oscar. And, when these shows end, they’ll get the best send-offs television could offer and totally won’t get done dirty like Arrow did.