The CW gave green lights to five new series that will debut this fall and join recently renewed The Vampire Diaries on the roster, three of which are based on existing properties. The new hour long pick-ups include Beauty and the Beast, Arrow, The Carrie Diaries, Cult and First Cut.
Beauty and the Beast is a re-imagining of the classic tale set in modern times. It stars The CW vet Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) as the beast, a detective who witnessed the murder of her parents as a teenager but was saved by… something. That something is Vincent aka the Beast, played by Jay Ryan (Terra Nova).
The Carrie Diaries is a prequel to HBO’s Sex and the City that chronicles the teenage years of Carrie Bradshaw (AnnaSophia Robb) and her first years in Manhattan. The series co-stars Austin Butler (Life Unexpected) and Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).
The CW is hoping Arrow will fill the comic book hero void that Smallville left behind. Arrow is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and stars Stephen Amell as a former billionaire playboy who returns from being presumed dead to right the wrongs in Starling City as the vigilante Arrow.
Cult revolves around a television show whose violent plot twists and rabid fans and extend much further than the television screen. An investigative journalist delves into the deadly world of Cult when his brother vanishes into it. The show stars Matt Davis (The Vampire Diaries) and Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield).
Last but not least is First Cut, a new medical drama that aims at the younger demographic. It follows first-year medical intern Emily Barnes (Mamie Gummer) as she cuts her teeth on her job and life at Denver Memorial Hospital. Co-starring are Justin Hartley as her med-school crush Will and Michael Rady as Micah, one of Emily’s new friends.
Seemingly not making the cut is The Selection, a The Hunger Games-like series. The CW has yet to comment on its fate, but its exclusion alongside Beauty and the Beast, Arrow, The Carrie Diaries, Cult and First Cut is not a good sign.
