The CW Renews The Flash, Riverdale, All American Plus 4 Others — Which Series Are Still On The Bubble?

The CW's traditional early-renewal blitz has finally arrived, although the volume of pickups is down from previous years.

The network on Tuesday renewed seven series for the 2022-23 TV season, including All American (for Season 5), The Flash (for Season 9), Superman & Lois (for Season 3), Riverdale (for Season 7), Walker (for Season 3), Kung Fu (for Season 3) and Nancy Drew (for Season 4).

This marks the first time in four years that The CW has waited until spring to issue its first wave of scripted renewals. (By comparison, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the network had already handed early pickups by February.)

The "delay" — coupled with the more modest number of renewals — comes as The CW's corporate parents, Paramount and WarnerMedia, are exploring a sale of the network. (Local-TV behemoth Nexstar is said to be among the suitors.)

If and when a deal goes through, the new owners are expected to implement a new programming strategy, potentially leaving many current CW series vulnerable to cancellation or, in a rosier scenario, primed for relocation to ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia's respecting streaming outlets, Paramount+ and HBO Max.

In announcing Tuesday's renewals, CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz (not surprisingly) did not address the sale chatter.

"As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, these scripted series, along with the alternative series we renewed earlier, will serve as the start of a solid foundation utilizing some of our most-watched series for us to build on for next year and beyond," the exec said in a statement. "These dramas are also important to our overall digital strategy, as they are some of our most-streamed and socially-engaged programming, and we look forward to adding more new and returning series to help strengthen and expand our multiplatform footprint."

Where does all of this leave The CW's 12 remaining bubble shows? Scroll down for our "gut check" on all of the network's in-limbo series.

STATUS: Season 1 ended Feb. 14

PROS: The reboot of USA Network's The 4400 enjoys the third-largest Live+7 DVR boosts (+97 percent in total audience) of any CW series. TVLine readers gave Season 1 an average grade of (barely a) "B+."

CONS: That audience is still piddly in the scheme of things (732,000 viewers with the DVR bump), and in fact is the smallest of any freshman broadcast drama.

STATUS: Season 1 is currently airing.

PROS: This is a franchise on the rise.

CONS: For some reason, Homecoming's been fumbling a full third of its lead-in audience — provided by the OG All American.

STATUS: Season 3 ended March 2

PROS: In an era of free-falling live numbers, the Arrowverse drama's audience was down just 7 percent from Season 2.

CONS: Its audience gets one of the smaller DVR bumps (just 65 percent) of any CW drama.

STATUS: Season 4 is currently airing

PROS: Two episodes in (as of this publishing), Season 4 is drawing a larger crowd than last year  — with its March 18 outing delivering the supernatural series' best audience since its Season 3 premiere.

CONS: The reboot has gone through a lot of showrunners, sending each season in wildly different creative directions (and testing viewers' patience in the process).

STATUS: Season 5 is currently airing.

PROS: It's a solid performer internationally...

CONS: .. but barely causes a ratings blip stateside. In Live+7 ratings, it musters 400,000 total viewers, and its audience gets the smallest DVR bump (56 percent) of any CW drama.

STATUS: Season 3 ended Oct. 6, 2021. Season 4 is still awaiting a premiere date.

PROS: Its third season audience was larger than what Nancy Drew, Legacies and Dynasty have most recently done...?

CONS: See "status" above.

STATUS: Season 4 is currently airing.

PROS: The TVD-verse series enjoys the largest Live+7 DVR bump (+113 percent) of any CW drama.

CONS: Nonetheless, its total audience lands not quite in the middle of the CW pack, ranking No. 11 out of 19 dramas that have aired this season.

STATUS: Season 7 ended March 2.

PROS: In the overnights, Season 7 slightly improved on both last season's total audience and its demo number. And in this day and age, "slightly up" is "way up"!

CONS: Storyline-wise, the Legends seem to be running out of... time. The first half of Season 7 was stuck in the year 1925, while a potential eighth season is poised to be some sort of "prison break" drama. It also gets one of the smaller DVR bumps (+63 percent) of any CW drama.

STATUS: Season 1 is currently airing.

PROS: In total audience (1.02 million viewers with Live+7 DVR playback), it ranks No. 6 out of the 19 dramas that The CW has aired this TV season.

CONS: After a solid premiere, its audience declined in each of the following six weeks.

STATUS: Season 3 ended Oct. 11, 2021; Season 4 is awaiting a premiere date.

PROS: Its Season 3 audience would almost crack The CW's current Top 5. Almost.

CONS: It's one of the few CW series that isn't tied to a major franchise or has yet to spawn a spinoff. Also: See "status" above.

STATUS: Season 2 ended Nov. 2, 2021; Season 3 is awaiting a premiere date.

PROS: Its sophomore run put up a larger total audience than, for example, Supergirl's swan song, or Legends' latest run. Plus, it still reaps critical raves, while TVLine readers gave Season 2 an average grade of "A-."

CONS: Airing mostly in-season (meaning, in the fall vs. Season 1's summertime run), the numbers for Season 2 were down sharply.

STATUS: Season 1, which was greenlit back in August, is awaiting a premiere date.

PROS: Surely the Powers That Be will want to see how the Nancy Drew offshoot performs before making a decision about Season 2... right?

CONS: Is the Nancy Drew franchise really durable enough to sustain two series simultaneously?

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