How Shadowhunters, The Fosters, others could benefit from Freeform schedule change
How much so? According to The Hollywood Reporter the cable network is expanding outward and offering two more nights of original programming moving forward — this could mean a substantial increase of hours, and in turn more new shows. From Monday to Thursday starting in the years to come, you could have a much more intensive lineup of shows.
Is this an interesting move for the network, especially considering that they recently lost one of their highest-rated shows in Pretty Little Liars? Definitely, but we like the boldness of it. This is Freeform showing that they recognize the value of original programming and if something sticks with their lineup, it could help them out tremendously in the future. We also figure that they are working hard to develop more in-house projects that they can monetize without any money going elsewhere. Think also about some of their additional revenue streams — with Famous in Love the network worked to establish more of a streaming presence, and that is something that they are likely going to do more of with their existing library. We do also wonder down the road if they would consider an over-the-top option to help ensure more viewers find them even without cable packages.
Let’s get back now to the subject of the title — how does this increase help shows like The Fosters and Shadowhunters? We see this as a sign that neither show should be going anywhere in the near future. With so many more hours the network is going to be banking on some of their existing properties and there are few out there who hold the monetary and social impact on Freeform than these two. They’re valuable lead-ins and can be used to promote some of their new shows. It also just means that there is more real estate; because of that, there may be more willingness to keep shows on the air longer since they aren’t taking up so many spots on the schedule.
Both Shadowhunters and The Fosters are currently in the process of filming new episodes — we know that the former has already been greenlit for a 20-episode third season whereas The Fosters is right now wrapping up their current batch of episodes. We have reported already that there is no official order for more out there just yet, but we do think as though one will be coming.
What do you think about The Fosters and Shadowhunters getting helped by the Freeform schedule change?
Meanwhile, be sure to head over here in the event you want to see some of the latest Shadowhunters news from New York Comic-Con recently. Also, like us on Facebook to get even more news on this show and others we cover at CarterMatt. (Photo: Freeform.)