The CW network has produced some pretty popular TV shows in the past: Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl. Unfortunately, all these shows have ended and the CW has since been moving into a different golden era, one with just as much comedy, action, and drama but displayed in new and different ways. Mind you, this is a highly opinionated list, so feel free to check out the shows for yourself to see if you agree.
Jane the Virgin
This fresh TV show centers on Jane Villanueva, a waitress and aspiring romance novelist living with her mother and grandmother in Miami. As the title suggests, she’s a virgin, and has been taught to only give away her “flower” in marriage. But disaster strikes when she gets mixed up with a different patient at her doctor’s office, and is accidentally artificially inseminated. Drama, comedy, and a host of vibrant characters ensue as Jane deals with this insane twist in her life. Gina Rodriguez is a fabulous actress who shines as caring, vivacious Jane in the starring role. Jane the Virgin very successfully incorporates many different elements of storytelling (a focus on multiple supporting characters, Jane’s vivid and distracting imagination, an interjecting narrator, and a parody on the Spanish TV genre of telenovela) and weaves it all around a young woman just trying to live her life amongst the crazy coincidences that seem to follow her.
Supergirl
One new thing that the CW has recently taken to producing is the superhero show. When their home planet of Krypton was destroyed, both Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) and younger cousin Kal-El (Superman) were shipped off in pods. Both made it to Earth (though at different times) and Kara, like her cousin, was set up with a host family to protect her identity. But unlike Kal-El, Kara chose to live a normal life until she saved her adopted sister using her powers and realized her potential as a superheroine. The rest of the show follows her transformation into a superhero and her life working as an assistant to a radical CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media. Supergirl’s strongest points are probably its resounding positive messages and feminist overtones in each episode. Though its plot is a bit cheesy at times, there’s no doubt that watching powerful Supergirl vanquish foes then look adorable as sunny and kind Kara Danvers makes it worthwhile.
Riverdale
This show is brand-new to the CW, premiering just a few months ago in January. It stars the cast of the Archie comics, a popular franchise following the antics of “regular teen” Archie Andrews and friends beginning in the 1940s. Riverdale is a far darker, more contemporary twist on the beloved comic book characters; the small town is thrown into a shock after the murder of high school quarterback Jason Blossom. Though Archie is the main character, there are many other elements and people (arguably more interesting than Archie) in play, mainly revolving around Jason’s murderer. True, the show is completely unrealistic and the actors that play high school sophomores are older than me, but that’s what dramas are all about. The gossip, secrets, and mysteries that have the town of Riverdale in a chokehold pull you in with a vice grip, and the old-fashioned/contemporary vibes paired with refreshingly progressive messages create a twisted world you just don’t want to (or can’t) escape.
The 100
Based on a book series of the same name, The 100 is set over ninety years after global nuclear war rendered the Earth inhospitable to humans. The only people left reside on the Arc, a space station that, at the start of the show, is running out of supplies to sustain its residents. The adults on board decide to send one hundred delinquent children and teenagers down to Earth to see whether or not it can support human life again. The show is concentrated on Clarke Griffin and many other characters and how they adjust to life on the ground and the challenges they face in building a new society. The 100 has often been praised for its frequent representation of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, having a multitude of characters that reside in both categories. It includes a great deal of action and drama (if you faint at the mere mention of blood and gore, this show isn’t for you) and raises important questions regarding violence, justice, and humanity.