‘Reign,’ ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ ‘Arrow,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Jane the Virgin’ renewed by The CW

Clearly, The CW wanted to avoid all of the great ratings drama and uncertainty that would come in the May sweeps. With that in mind, the network has officially renewed the majority of their lineup for additional seasons.

Let’s start here with the inevitable: “The Vampire Diaries,” “Arrow,” “The Flash,” and “Supernatural” are all coming back. These four are the anchors of the lineup at this point, and they all continue to fare well in the ratings. The Ian Somerhalder series may actually be the most vulnerable of the four right now, and there were questions before the season about whether or not the entire cast of that particular show will return.

With all of this being said, the network also surprisingly went ahead and renewed shows that were facing much more of an uncertain future, and that includes “Reign,” “The Originals,” “The 100,” and “Jane the Virgin.” “Reign” is probably helped by it being a CBS-produced show (The CW likes a balance of this and Warner Bros.), and the latter has the bonus of being a critical darling.

At this point, the only shows that are currently in question are “Hart of Dixie,” which is unlikely to return right now, and shows like “iZombie” and “Beauty and the Beast,” who are waiting still to premiere. We’ll probably have a much better idea of what is going to be coming up there in the spring.

These announcements came from The CW at TCA, and the network has a lot to celebrate right now. It is having its best ratings in a while; not only that, but there are probably better reviews for CW series out there than ever before.

What do you think about this mass decision to renew shows? Share with a comment, and head over here to get some further updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: The CW.)