As part of the TCA Press Tour presentation for The CW, Network President Mark Pedowitz took some time to talk about the network’s current and upcoming line-up, as well as series that are in possible contention for the future. During the interview, he talked about the upcoming Veronica Mars digital spin-off series for CW Seed, the possibility of Beauty and the Beast and Reign getting another season, how much life is left in Supernatural, why they decided to make a full pilot for The Flash, instead of a back-door pilot, whether Fox's potential Batman origin series Gotham could affect the chances of an Amazon series ever making it on the air, and the status of the Wizard of Oz project. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Question: Was it the Veronica Mars movie that made it possible to do a digital spin-off series?
MARK PEDOWITZ: Well, Rob [Thomas] and I spoke yesterday, late in the afternoon. He’s very excited about doing this for CW Seed. It may not appear before the Veronica Mars movie comes out. He’s very busy right now, particularly with one of our pilots – a script that he’s writing, called I, Zombie. But, we’re very excited. I don’t have a whole lot of details yet, but Rob is very excited to try to do something for CW Seed.
How did you get this Veronica Mars spin-off? Did you go to Rob Thomas, or did he come to you?
PEDOWITZ: It came about by circumstance. We heard from the Warner digital people first. They went to Rick Haskins, who oversees CW Seed for us. And then, once that occurred, I picked up the phone and called Rob. He happened to be in Vegas. And then, Rob and I spoke last night, and he told me about his schedule. I said, “We’ll take it whenever you’re ready.” So, we left it at that. Rob is thrilled about doing it with us. He was very thrilled about working with CW Seed and Rick because he’s liked the quality of the material we put on the air.
Did he talk about concept with you?
PEDOWITZ: He talked a little bit, but he wasn’t locked in. And he talked about potential people being involved, but he didn’t commit to anybody.
Will Beauty and the Beast get another season?
PEDOWITZ: We’ve made no decisions, whatsoever. We had to change something on the schedule so that we could launch Star-Crossed and The 100, so Beauty and the Beast will come on at end of May and finish its run through the season. And then, we’ll make a decision come May, whether or not it gets renewed. But, I’m very happy with the creative. I think Brad Kern has done a really good job.
How do you feel Reign has done creatively, how do you feel about the ratings, and what do you think its chances are of continuing?
PEDOWITZ: I’m very bullish on Reign. Laurie McCarthy has really delivered. She’s a terrific showrunner. Adelaide [Kane] is really very regal and queen-like. The storylines have worked. The numbers for Reign, which started a little slowly, are increasing. It’s now bettering what last year’s predecessor did, which was Beauty and the Beast. I’m looking forward to it returning.
What can you say about The Vampire Diaries?
PEDOWITZ: I’m not allowed to discuss plot points for Julie Plec. Julie would stake me. But, you might be surprised. The 100th episode is quite interesting, and that airs in about a week or so.
How much life do you still see in Supernatural?
PEDOWITZ: As a fan of the show, who’s seen every episode, as long as I’m here and those numbers still hold, may it go as long as it wants.
Do you think Nikita was finished off in a satisfying way?
PEDOWITZ: Yes. Craig Silverstein did a great job giving the fans a great send-off. I give him great credit. I thank Maggie Q and the entire cast. They were great troupers, and they did a great job for The CW.
The decision not to make The Flash as a back-door pilot and instead make a stand-alone pilot seems a very positive one for the potential future. Is there a very good chance that show will end up on the network?
PEDOWITZ: I’m very bullish on the show. I think that what Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns and Marc Guggenheim did, introducing the character of The Flash in those two episodes was great. So, because of that, we felt that rather than try to squeeze in a spin-off, we should make it into a bigger pilot. If we do launch the series, we’ll launch it with a bang like we launched Arrow.
What is the status of the Lauren Graham project that you have in development?
PEDOWITZ: The script is in. We’re looking at it. It’s under consideration. The script is excellent. But, we have only so many slots. We’re going to probably do the same amount of pilots we did last year, so we’re going to have to determine whether or not it fits within any of those slots.
Is Hourman still in contention for this coming season, or beyond that?
PEDOWITZ: We’re still waiting for the script. A lot of scripts have not come in yet. We’re waiting for the writers to deliver the scripts. As soon as I can get a rough script, with our development team, we’ll start making recommendations for pilots.
Are you still developing an Amazon series? Does Fox’s Gotham series impact that?
PEDOWITZ: Well, Gotham is the origination show of Chief Gordon. They do not impact us. We all live in our separate universes. Gotham is one universe. Starling City is another universe. Should The Flash go, Central City would be another universe. Characters, if they cross over, will cross over. If characters can’t cross over, they won’t. Remember, it’s an origination story in Gotham. We’re much more in a different time. So, we’ll see what happens.
Can you tell us the status of the Oz project, Dorothy Must Die?
PEDOWITZ: The script has not yet come to me for reading, so I can’t give you any indication, one way or the other, where it sits.