The WIT Analysis: The CW

NEW YORK: Riverdale generated the greatest amount of Twitter buzz among The CW’s crop of new shows, according to The WIT, while Frequency was the network’s most talked-about trailer.

The network unveiled just three new series for the upcoming season—plus season two of Supergirl (previously on CBS). While the network does skew younger than the big four, the general level of buzz generated by its new offerings was significantly lower than its competitors.

In the absence of an official trailer released online, the conversation around Riverdale was largely driven by those who attended the Upfronts—or watched the leaked trailer before it was quickly taken down. The modern-day take on the Archie Comics characters inspired 7,400 tweets in the last week.

“The tweets—essentially a critics’ point of view—reflect some high expectations, and a feel that the series is quite on-brand for The CW, with first comparisons pointing at a darker version of One Tree Hill or Pretty Little Liars, or also at a young-skewing version of Twin Peaks,” observes The WIT’s Caroline Servy. “A possible lack of an authentic Archie vibe is the main concern.”

The sci-fi thriller Frequency—yet another film-to-TV adaptation—is the second most commented-on among The CW’s pickups for next season. (It is also among the crop of time-travel-themed shows on the grid.) It stars Peyton List as an NYPD detective who connects with her father in the past to solve a murder case. The official hashtag was featured in 2,900 tweets, but has just 1,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter. On YouTube it logged 234,000 views of the extended trailer, which got an overwhelming “Thumbs Up” rating.

“Aside from a part of the audience that is getting increasingly allergic to remakes, a majority of social media users were sold on the trailer and see a real potential in the series, notwithstanding the plot similarity with the original movie,” Servy says. “They approve of Peyton List finally getting a lead role, and are quite thrilled by the combination of time traveling and family bonding.”

Rounding out The CW’s new series is the rom-com No Tomorrow, adapted from Globo’s Brazilian hit How to Enjoy the End of the World. The series stars Tori Anderson as a risk-averse quality-control assessor who falls for a free-spirited thrill seeker—only to find out he lives his life that way because he believes the apocalypse is coming. The extended trailer on YouTube had about 200,000 views as of May 27, and there are fewer than 1,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter. There were 1,800 tweets with the official hashtag.

“The reactions to the trailer are not very enthusiastic so far,” Servy says. “Many fans from other CW fantasy shows (The Originals, The 100) are not happy with the network pushing this comedy forward instead of their beloved shows, and many others are skeptical about the show’s ability to last a season (or a second season, with heroes endlessly waiting for the apocalypse). On the other hand, the most positive users found the trailer charming and have faith in the channel’s programming bets. If The CW surprised its audience with Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, why couldn’t they do it again?”