The CW is adding to its series orders. It has been announced that the Kung Fu reboot and The Republic Of Sarah, have been given straight-to-series orders at the network.
Kung Fu, starring Olivia Liang, is a reboot of the 1970s David Carradine-starring TV series and the pilot was in the middle of production when the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to shut down. Like most networks during this unprecedented pilot season, ordered additional scripts for Kung Fu and they were impressed enough to approve the show for a series order. The reboot will follow Liang as a quarter-life crisis causes the young Chinese-American woman to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice…all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her. The series also stars Kheng Hua Tan, Shannon Dang, Jon Prasida, Eddie Liu, Gavin Stenhouse, Gwendoline Yeo, and Tzi Ma.
The Republic of Sarah, starring Stella Baker, follows rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper who, when faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch. The series also stars Nia Holloway, Luke Mitchell, Izabella Alvarez, Hope Lauren, Ian Duff, Forrest Goodluck, Landry Bender, and Megan Follows.
Kung Fu and The Republic of Sarah join previous new entries that received series orders, Superman & Lois and the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot starring Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki. There are other pilots that remain in contention but I’m hearing the cursed reboot of The Lost Boys, which started during the 2016-17 development season and has included several incarnations and two pilot orders, is likely getting rolled again. A decision on the two CW planted spinoffs, the Arrow offshoot Canaries, which already aired, and The 100 prequel, which has been filmed and will air as an episode of the series’ upcoming final season, is still being made. They’re not out of play just yet and we should hear news on them soon.
Assuming live-action series will be able to shoot new seasons in the foreseeable future, the four newly picked up series will join the CW’s 13 current series, which were renewed for the 2020-21 season back in January. Riverdale spinoff, Katy Keene, is the lone current series airing that hasn’t learned its fate. Live numbers aren’t stellar but it’s a solid digital performer, an area that The CW pays close attention to.
