There doesn’t seem to be a bad apple in the bunch this year, with all six CW pilots getting favorable reception by the network. I hear the CW brass have given authorization to all six to start making if-come deals with writers. I hear the decision was made partly as a pre-emptive move to get staffing in place in case there is a strike and partly as an attempt to get ahead of the pilots on the Big 4 to try and lock in strong writers early. While if-come offers are not binding — they only come into play if a pilot is picked up to series — the odds at the CW might not be that long this year. I hear that because all six projects are faring well early on, the network might pick up as many as four or five of them to series with shorter orders if the budget allows. Among the six, the Dynasty reboot, from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, continues to be a favorite. Black Lightning, from Greg Berlanti, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, also is going strong, as is the Bill Lawrence-produced hourlong comedy Life Sentence. The second Berlanti-produced CW drama pilot, Searchers, which hit a snag and had to undergo reshoots in South Africa and re-editing, is back is serious contention as I hear the last cut was very well received. Even Insatiable, a quirky, comedic hour considered a dark horse, is a possibility, as is Valor. Mark Pedowitz had long been very interested in launching a military drama series, and I hear Valor came in good.
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