‘All American’, ‘Homecoming’ & ‘Walker’ Will Continue As Long As They Perform, Says CW Chief: “It’s No Longer A Financial Question”

The CW is hoping to keep its trio of scripted originals – All American, All American: Homecoming and Walker – on the air for some time.

The network scaled back its scripted ambitions after it was acquired by Nexstar in 2022 with a number of shows ending over the last twelve months including The Flash, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, Walker: Independence, The Winchesters and Gotham Knights.

Its fourth scripted original Superman & Lois is heading into its fourth and final season this year.

The CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz said that it’s no longer an “financial” question as to whether it will keep these Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios going past their current seasons.

“CBS and Warner Bros have been so wonderful working with us on those shows and we’ve gotten both of those shows to an economic area, where as long as they keep rating, there’s no reason why we can’t keep them. It’s no longer a financial question, it’s a creative and performance question,” he said at The CW’s TCA press tour.

Deadline understands that The CW was able to keep the license fees low enough for these three shows to a level that was able to work for it.

Given the international sales of All American, All American: Homecoming, which are both produced by Warner Bros. Television, and Walker, which is produced by CBS Studios, it also works for the two previous owners of The CW.

All American, in particular, also has a lucrative streaming deal with Netflix, as part of a wider arrangement between the streamer and The CW that started in 2011 and ended in 2019.

All American is heading into its sixth season. The high school football drama stars Taye Diggs, Monet Mazur, Daniel Ezra, Cody Christian, Samantha Logan, Hunter Clowdus, Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou, Bre-Z, Karimah Westbrook, Jayln Hall and Chelsea Tavares.

It comes from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios, and is exec produced by Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, John A. Norris, Jameal Turner, Mike Herro and David Strauss.

Spinoff All American: Homecoming is set at HBCU college at Bringston University. It is heading into its third season. The series stars Geffri Maya, Cory Hardrict, Sylvester Powell, Camille Hyde, Mitchell Edwards, Netta Walker and Rhoyle Ivy King.

All American: Homecoming is created and executive produced by Nkechi Okoro Carroll who serves as co-showrunner alongside executive producer Marqui Jackson. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robbie Rogers, and Lindsay Dunn also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions, Rock My Soul Productions and CBS Studios in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Walker, starring Jared Padalecki, is heading into its fourth season. The CW’s reimagining of the popular CBS drama Walker, Texas Ranger, Walker centers on Cordell Walker (Padalecki), a widower and father of two with his own moral code who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home.

The cast also includes Ashley Reyes, Keegan Allen, Violet Brinson, Molly Hagan, Kale Culley, Coby Bell, Jeff Pierre, Mitch Pileggi and Odette Annable. 

Walker is written and executive produced by Anna Fricke, and executive produced by Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Padalecki, Steve Robin and Russel Friend. The series is from CBS Studios in association with Rideback.