Yes, the CW understands television premieres happen in September. But the CW plays by its own rules, mom! Again, the network has decided to launch its fall lineup in October, avoiding the oversaturated madness of the Big 4’s premiere week earlier in the season. But for the first time ever, this year the CW will create a quasi-premiere week of its own, keeping its programming rollout more compact than in past years.
On Tuesday, October 6, The Flash returns for a second season in the 8 p.m. timeslot, followed by iZombie at 9 p.m. Arrow returns to Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on October 7, followed by Supernatural at 9 p.m. On Thursday, October 8, The Vampire Diaries will embark on its first season without Nina Dobrev at 8 p.m., followed by sister series The Originals at 9 p.m. Reign returns Friday, October 9 at 8 p.m. for its third season, followed by cycle 22 of America’s Next Top Model at 9 p.m.
The CW’s Monday lineup won’t return until the following week, on October 19, when Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—which was originally developed as a half-hour Showtime series and has to go through significant retooling to become CW-ready—debuts at 8 p.m. The network’s darling, Jane The Virgin, returns October 19 at 9 p.m., meaning we only have to wait 117 more days to find out where in the world is Mateo Gloriano Rogelio Solano Villanueva.
For the fourth year in a row, The CW will also air an exclusive telecast of the two-night iHeartradio Music Festival on September 29 and September 30 starting at 8 p.m.