An article for Variety magazine is spouting Mark Pedowitz as Dawn Ostroff's possible replacement at the CW. According to the article, which is linked below, he's known mostly for his work at ABC during the "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty" years. He also worked with JJ Abrams' Bad Robot production company and is currently working for Warner Brothers. He was also involved with the CW's "Reaper".
No one knows yet what the power pyramid will look like at the CW in the post-Dawn years. If hired, he may share power with the CW's Thom Sherman, Exec VP of drama. Regardless, the CW is bound and determined to have the position filled by their May 19 upfront. That's when they reveal their line-up to potential advertisers, and for fans, the last possible date to learn whether their shows are being renewed or not. Since the CW has not made any renewals official yet, it's likely they are waiting to get the new CW leadership in place before releasing that information.
Want more info, read the Variety article.
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Not a big fan of Dawn Ostroff so I hope whoever takes her place will create a more balanced schedule. They haven't done very well as a niche network so let's add more adult-skewing shows. Variety is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm of the belief that you really can't do any worse that DO, so anyone else, will either be the same old OR an improvement...
ReplyDeleteAnd to add, this guy seems to have some good credentials, so that's good.
Surely whoever gets the job will do better than Dawn Ostroff. And yeah, what Dahne said: move into more mainstream programming cw and you'll get more viewers.
ReplyDeleteHis background at ABC would make him a great addition - since part of Dawn Ostroff's problem was more administrative than personnel. She had to answer to two masters: CBS (Moonves) and Warner Bros. That set-up, in and of itself, is a cluster.
ReplyDeleteI'm very hopeful! I've heard good things about him and the shows that he has been involved with.
ReplyDeleteI also think it was a good move to wait on the next season announcements because I could see how a new person could end up resenting the choices of a predecessor and end up with a negative impression of certain shows, and then feel the desire to change things purely for the sake of change... I worked for many years at a major amusement park, and in my area they rotated the management, so we saw new managers frequently (on the order of a new team every 6 months). They almost always changed things, often without much thought to the consequences, just to 'make their mark.' I really don't want to see good shows (like Supernatural) fall victim to this.
YES PLEASE!! FINALLY, A MALE LEADER IN THE CW OFFICES!
ReplyDeleteTo all women,
Please do not take this statement in a negative light. It is nothing against you but purely against Dawn Ostroff.. I mean let's face it, it's time for some male leadership!
Again, i love you, women of the world, please don't hate me!
Just renew SPN already and put us out of our misery!!
ReplyDeleteDude, it's not time for male leadership but simply for somebody for competent than Dawn Ostroff, I don't see how her gender got anything to do with their taste in programming. Your pretty offensive. You should think a little bit before you post man.
ReplyDeleteI really hope he got a different plan than Dawn Ostroff, the whole women demo thing doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteJust a point to ponder... If you have to add a disclaimer to your post, perhaps you should re-think the post...
ReplyDeleteIf you knew me, you'd never say that,, but whatever.
ReplyDeleteAnd i wrote what i wrote because the CW has fed us all these shallow teen dramas mainly aimed at women for years now.
I agree, anyone who is better that Ostroff will do, but being a man, i would enjoy a drastic change of scenery, especially after good shows like SN and SV have suffered under that horrible Ostroff's reign. If i have offended you in anyway, then i am sorry, this was not aimed at women in genera,, as i've mentioned before. Simply at the fact that a change of scenery would be nice. And if it happens to be a man or a woman who sits the CW throne, whatever!
So forgive me, for hating that bitch of an Ostroff, for destroying two series that i grew up with.
Enough thinking before posting for you?
Yeah, that's what i thought
It's difficult.
ReplyDeleteOstroff has had a bad rep for a while, but if it wasn't for her, we likely would have never seen a second season of Veronica Mars on UPN. Or a third on CW. I'll always credit her for that.
And I do think The CW has improved in the last year or so. Not so much in the overnights, but in terms of the quality of programming. Nikita and The Vampire Diaries are arguably the strongest shows on the network right now. Supernatural is on a heavy creative decline, but it has it's fanbase, and Smallville has probably been a better show over the last few seasons than it was in it's last couple at The WB.
and no, i don't hate Ostroff because she's a woman, i hate her because she is her.
ReplyDeleteI hate her because she puts on a fake smile at interviews and events regarding SV and SN when in the back of her mind she is plotting another move to destroy those series.
But of course, i anticipated this whole argument from the get go.
Oh well.......
I don't know you and Dawn Ostroff didn't choose those teen dramas alone. You seem to forget that she had to answer to male bosses at CBS and WB. As a woman, I would enjoy seeing a PERSON who would simply change the network's strategy, it doesn't have to be a guy but simply somebody who isn't so obsessed with teen shows like her. That's all. Dude, I hate Dawn too, I love to call her by her nickname Demon Dawn but saying her work sucked because she was a woman and now a guy will instantly make everything better is sexist.
ReplyDeleteActually, i enjoyed seasons 1-5 of SMallville slightly more than the latter ones....I guess it's the kid in me that got used to the High School aspect of it and didn't want to see it all change
ReplyDeleteBBut that's what you don't understand!!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't saying that she sucked because she was a woman but because she was her!
Yes, she had to answer to other MALE executives, but eventually, she's the one who had a very big say in the whole process of it.
And i agree, it could and should be anyone who has the capability of doing a better job.
But i think that the whole female demographic isn't working for the show and in order to succeed they have to broaden their gaze.
Hopefully this results in better programming in the future. The only two shows I watch on the CW are Nikita and Supernatural, and that's cause they're consistent and don't shy away from the dark side of things. Almost everything else apart from maybe Smallville is just teen/relationship drama in slightly different packaging.
ReplyDeleteI just want to see Supernatural get better treatment and more respect.
ReplyDeleteYou're preaching to the choir
ReplyDeleteI've certainly loved season 8-10 smallville, especially 10.
ReplyDeleteYou see, I think Ostroff has been a nice go-to scapegoat for the general frustration with the programming problem at the CW. I think she has been ineffective, to a certain degree, but there are more moving parts than just her to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI disagree about Supernatural (but I'm biased) and Nikita (again bias because I'm still not over my Peta Wilson/Roy Dupuis love). However, I think that the singular focus on the teen demographic, combined with a lack of vision in storytelling, contributes to the mediocrity in the CW lineup.
Life Unexpected, for example, could've been a nice Gilmore Girls throwback, even if I was not a huge fan of that show (GG). And the pilots that are coming down the pipe just don't seem to do anything new...It's heh to me.
Actually based on 2011 A18-49 ratings it goes TVD, SUPERNATURAL, SMALLVILLE, OTH, NIKITA, 90210/GOSSIP GIRL, HELLCATS, LUX
ReplyDeleteIf you look at overall for this season I believe it goes...
TVD, SV, SPN, NIKITA (and then the rest who are pretty much neck and neck)
If you focus on W18-49 then I believe only Smallville is lower than Nikita
Overall viewers don't matter but my guess is second or third on the network, I think Smallville may have pushed Nikita to third
If you're referring to show strength in terms of quality of storyline then I wouldn't know
Thank God. I've been waiting for Dawn to get the boot ever since the CW's inception. Good riddance!
ReplyDeleteI was speaking to the quality of the programming, not the ratings. I knew that Nikita was challenged in the W18-49, and in spite of the fact that it's drawing more total viewers than the Friday and Monday programming, it's more of a bubble show than something like Gossip Girl, which is practically guaranteed to be renewed.
ReplyDeleteIf this change shifts the focus away from the W18-49, perhaps it will help Nikita find more stable ground.
Though it will practically kill 90210 and Gossip Girl, which... not a huge loss at this point.
I just want spn renewal ....it's driving me crazy !
ReplyDeleteCw is mostly teen drama that lots of girl like.... Maybe it will help to get a guy.... LIKE KRIPKE haahah llol. :P sorry had to talk ahahah
ReplyDeleteMy prediction - we get the season seven renewal late April at the earliest, but probably closer to mid-May. Unless, the new president completely overhauls the entire CW line-up, which would be financially impossible for the CW as of now, then Supernatural being renewed is one of the safest bets on TV right now.
ReplyDeleteI might have been too skeptical. According to this site, the Exec Prod of Vampire Diaries believes they will get the renewal sometime in April. That would be the same time for SPN then. Article here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/news-and-announcements.html
Not a big fan of Dawn, but at least Supernatural kept getting renewed... Waiting for a renewal confirmation is nerve racking enough without the added confusion about what the new leader is going to do...
ReplyDeleteYour prediction made me feel better lol :) I do feel positive and everyone including cast and crew is saying it all points to a season 7 but i just don't feel safe untill we have the official word, i'm hoping we get the news april sometime because May feels so far away at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claudia, for all your "Oh, I love women, don't hate on me" by putting "it's time for some male leadership!" in your post really ruins your argument. Even though you can argue that we don't know you and if we did, we would know that you never hate on women in person, that statement was completely offensive. It doesn't matter if Dawn's replacement is man or woman. And besides, despite this new guy's record, he could be a complete dickhead anyway and not because he's a MAN, but because he's a person in power.
ReplyDeleteI just hope we find out something soon about CW shows being renewed. I have not seen or heard about any shows being renewed yet on the CW, so that gives me hope about Supernatural. But, I just hope we get some good news soon!
ReplyDeleteAt least we'll still have fun with their names, lol. Dawn Hoe to Mark PEDOwitz, haha.
ReplyDeleteHe better have the balls to focus more of CW's attention on Supernatural. Hell, if he was around during LOST's period, maybe he'll realize the excellence of Supernatural over CW's other shows.
LOL is this where they got the name for the Ostroff Center in Gossip Girl? ;P
ReplyDeleteSmallville will always have a special place in my heart, and I've loved every season (except for Season 4...LOL), but I'm glad that its going to be finishing up this year.
ReplyDeleteAs for Supernatural, I've only seen one episode this season due to that I haven't been able to keep up with all of my shows, but I've enjoyed the first five seasons, and doubt that I won't love the current one.
By far though my two favorite shows on the network right now are The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl.
The Vampire Diaries is the strongest show on the network. The story and mythology is fantastic, and the acting is top notch for The CW. Especially Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder.
Gossip Girl is still entertaining to me and I find the Dan/Blair paring to be refreshing even though I'm an avid shipper of Blair/Chuck. I find Blair to be the best character on any CW show (with the exception of classic characters on Smallville) and think Leighton Meester is the most talented actress the network has.
My hope for the network is that they get some more genre shows and good comedies. Ditch Life Unexpected and Hellcats, Put OTH out of its misery and someone kill Nakita, please.
Geez, sounds like the anti-Dawn Ostroff: and by that I mean someone with a brain between those ears.
ReplyDeleteI liked your argument until the "Supernatural is on creative decline". That show is actually doing some of its best work yet! And to all the other haters, though Ostroff wasn't perfect and made some mistakes, she also has made some good decisions for the fledgling network. for a network that was pieced together from the remains of two other netlets, that says something.
ReplyDelete