Summary
- The CW has renewed the British comedy Everyone Else Burns for season 2 ahead of its US premiere, demonstrating their commitment to acquiring cost-effective programming.
- The CW’s acquisition of Everyone Else Burns as a co-producer aligns with their new direction of creating programming for a wider audience through older casts and sitcoms.
- The early renewal of Everyone Else Burns allows The CW to account for potential delays caused by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and adjust their programming schedule accordingly.
Amid cutbacks on scripted programming and a change in direction, The CW has renewed British comedy Everyone Else Burns for season 2 ahead of its US premiere. The series stars The Inbetweeners‘ Simon Bird, Kate O’Flynn, Harry Connor, and Amy James-Kelly as the incredibly devout and strict Lewis family. James-Kelly’s Rachel attempts to find her own way outside of her family’s lifestyle without damning her soul. Everyone Else Burns premiered on Channel 4 and its streaming service All4 in January in the UK, but will have its US debut on October 26.
The CW has taken new steps to further mitigate the impact of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes through further acquisitions. Ahead of Everyone Else Burns‘ US premiere, Variety reports that the network has picked it up for season 2. While season 2 was already ordered by Channel 4 in May, The CW’s renewal will see the network join the production as a co-producer. Below, The CW’s president of entertainment Brad Schwartz states his excitement about working alongside the British broadcaster on the new episodes:
Everyone Else Burns’ is a brilliant and bitingly funny series that is as much about family as it is about the end of days. There is truly no other comedy on television like it, and we are thrilled to work alongside the immensely talented writers and producers to bring the uniquely hilarious Lewis family to The CW for another season.
The CW Was Already In The Midst Of An Incredible Change In Direction
Even before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA’s strike actions for better conditions, The CW was in a state of flux following Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale of their stake in the network. The CW began to controversially cancel many shows that had been programming mainstays, including Riverdale, a majority of their DC Comics programming, and Supernatural prequel The Winchesters. While some cancelations can be attributed to factors including the shifting directions of DC under its parent company, it was also an active priority under Nexstar for The CW to shift its focus to smaller cost-effective productions and acquisitions.
While a handful of scripted shows have survived The CW’s restructuring, changes are still ongoing. As part of Nexstar’s intentions for the network, The CW will veer away from its previous focus on younger viewers to create programming for a wider audience through older casts, police procedurals, sitcoms, and live sports coverage. However, with actors still striking following negotiations breaking down, production on scripted programming has further been delayed, leaving the network to make additional changes.
With The CW’s previous intentions for acquiring cost-effective programming, the network’s early renewal of Everyone Else Burns may come as no surprise. The series had already been well-received upon its UK debut on Channel 4, proving that it had the potential to find a US audience. With the SAG-AFTRA strike continuing indefinitely, The CW‘s Everyone Else Burns renewal has allowed the network to further account for potential delays to 2024’s programming schedule.
Source: Variety
