Mention The WB or The CW to a more casual millennial fan and you’ll immediately be regaled with warm fuzzies of shows like DAWSON’S CREEK, THE GILMORE GIRLS, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, SUPERNATURAL and just about every classic DC comic book character you could remember. By the mid-2010s that particular niche had mushroomed to include the likes of ARROW, THE FLASH and SUPERGIRL. And at that point the de facto head of that network could have been arguably been Greg Berlanti. Per his Wikipedia entry:
In the 2017–18 television season, Berlanti tied Jerry Bruckheimer‘s 2005–06 record in having 10 different live-action scripted television series airing on various networks and digital platforms[1] and took sole possession of the record, with 14 airing in the 2018–19 television season, having signed the most expensive producer deal at that time (June 2018) with Warner Bros.[2][3] In the 2019–20 television season, with one cancellation and two new series, Berlanti increased the record to 18.
Funny thing though–while that was all well and good for Berlanti and his studio, the network’s performance was deteriorating. Moreover, its value to its affiliates–most notably the top-market ones taken over by Nexstar in the wake of Tribune’s collapse–was plummeting at an ever faster rate. Those shows may have had rabid niche fan bases among young adults that translated well overseas but scant few of them were inclined to stick around and watch local news. And with Nexstar’s outsized financial success direclty as a result of that sort of commitment on the hundreds of stations they owned that were affiliated elsewhere they wisely chose to focus on broader-appeal and financially less risky scripted productions. In doing so they turned to a couple of friends of mine who have been churning those kind of shows out for the likes of USA, Syfy, ABC Family and Ion for more than two decades, with the help of Canadian network and streaming partners to further minimize the downside risk.
A couple of years we mused about Shawn Piller and Lloyd Segan, a pair of talented mensches who not only have great ideas but also a keen understanding of the North American TV landscape. At that time they were seeking a renewal of their then-freshman procedural WILD CARDS from the CW after it had already established itself north of the border. They afforded me the opportunity to help them craft a story based upon real data and context for what translates to actual success–not just pure spin and hype. I’m happy to report that that effort was not only successful; they have now become a staple for the network, having just completed their third season, with a fourth already in the can in time for mid-season and a fifth that will commence production shortly after that. It will then tie them with a series that featured its star that utilized a similar formula for Ion that was also a Canadian hit. And yesterday DEADLINE’s Peter White “exclusively” reported that just like the likes of SUITS and BREAKING BAD it’s getting a new life that will provide said star with a chance to double dip:
Jason Priestley is staying on The CW. Priestley, who stars in Wild Cards for the network, is the star and exec producer of Private Eyes West Coast, which has just been picked up by the Nexstar-owned broadcaster. Private Eyes West Coast is a spinoff of Canadian detective comedy drama that ran for five seasons. Priestley and Supernatural’s Cindy Sampson have reprised their roles as private investigators Matt Shade and Angie Everett in the series, which was originally greenlit by Canada’s Corus Entertainment.
Shade (Priestley) and Angie (Sampson) have left behind their P.I. firm and settled into a new life on the west coast, but their new quiet life is shaken when a night out lands them at the scene of a murder. A woman stands over her dead boyfriend with a bloody steak knife in hand. Believing in her innocence, Shade and Angie dive headfirst back into the high-stakes world of investigation.
Over the season, the private eyes juggle the challenges of opening a P.I. firm in a new city. Without their friendly Toronto network of sources, Shade and Angie work to build a new community. From tracking down a missing student in the wilderness of British Columbia to extracting a murder confession from a surfer in Tofino, Shade and Angie prove life on the west coast is packed with heart-pounding thrills.
The ten-part series will air later this year on The CW. It has already been renewed for a second season by Corus.
All signs point to PRIVATE EYES WEST COAST airing a seasonal compliment to WILD CARDS to create a more consistent arc for Priestley. It will also provide a fresh opportunity for the original iteration to be caught up on its streaming platform–while Ion’s intentions with it were noble, having had a vision of buttressing it with similarly lower-risk collaborative efforts, when it aired it was the sole original series in a lineup otherwise dominated by reruns of Dick Wolf-produced procedurals. The CW and certainly Global up north are providing that sort of supportive infrastructure this time around. The kind that Berlanti used to get, and that Dick Wolf still gets.
Pillar and Segan, with the help of the nimble and savvy Lionsgate sales team, found a streaming partner for WILD CARDS with Prime Video, and they have now been rewarded with a sufficient amount of episodes to provide long-term engagement and value. PRIVATE EYES will soon announce its streaming home which will undoubtedly benefit from the echo effect viewership from the Toronto version. I worked on that show’s pitch as well. I know better than most how relatively successful and shrewd a value that is. It also doesn’t hurt that the CW programming chief is also Canadian and is that much respectful of the potential to successfully export. He didn’t hesitate to share that confidence with White:
“We are thrilled to welcome Private Eyes West Coast to our fall lineup and to continue working with the immensely talented Jason Priestley on another CW series,” said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “We are also excited to expand our partnership with Lionsgate, as well as collaborate once again with the Piller/Segan team, who have made Wild Cards the network’s most-watched scripted series of the year and have created yet another show packed with humor, action and undeniable chemistry between its two leads.”
In a previous life, Schwartz was the lone wolf visionary at the otherwise afterthought Paramount network POP that brought SCHITT’S CREEK to America. He’s also a student of TV in general. He likely knows the math and the lightning in a bottle HBO attracted with HEATED RIVALRIES which had broken through up north before becoming this past winter’s feel-good story. It’s as good a time as ever to be in bed with Canadian partners.
So at least for now Pillar and Segan don’t necessarily need anyone–certainly moi–to abet their efforts to convince people they have established a winning formula. But at least their success is keeping a couple of the tiles on this site’s home page current and relevant. More than I can say for Sony or FX these days. They will therefore always have my unwavering support and should they ever again need it, my door is always open. As it is for anyone who might want to help better tell their story to a fragmented, disenchanted buyer’s market.
Judging by how he’s doing this decade, maybe even Greg Berlanti might want to reach out.
Until next time…