CW president Mark Pedowitz says ‘no intention’ for more DC spinoffs

The CW has no intention of becoming the DC network.

Mark Pedowitz, the network’s president, took his turn Tuesday before reporters during the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills -- and took on the unofficial superpower of fielding questions regarding the network’s fruitful relationship with DC Comics.

The network has achieved one of its intended missions -- bring in more male viewers -- with its DC superhero dramas, “Arrow” and “The Flash,” both of which are top performers for the network. Those shows, as well as the network’s other genre-centric series, made it seem like the more logical home for the forthcoming youth-oriented series “Supergirl” -- but that show ultimately flew over to sister network CBS. (CBS Corp. and Warner Bros co-own the CW.)

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Asked why the CW didn’t land the project, Pedowitz said the network didn’t want to commit to another superhero series because it would detract from its overall mission to broaden out. Warner Bros. presented him with the project last summer -- months before “The Flash” was in gearing up for its debut.

“Sometimes you lose great projects,” he said. The network does have another upcoming DC project, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” rolling out midseason.

But Pedowitz said that’s it for now for the DC universe on the CW: “There is no intention, at this point, to spin anything else off,” Pedowitz said. OK, sure.

Pedowitz noted, as CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler did on Monday, that there would be cross-promotion of its current DC properties with CBS’ “Supergirl.” But as far as story-line crossovers, Pedowitz said he’s leaving that up to “Arrow”/”The Flash” executive producer Greg Berlanti.

“We’re open to crossovers,” Pedowitz said. “It’s Greg’s call because he understands his shows.”

Full coverage: Television Crtitics Association press tour 2015

Here are other notable moments from the CW’s executive session:

-- The network is said to be developing a TV series based on Nicholas Sparks’ “The Notebook.” The series would be set after World War II and would follow couple Allie and Noah, who were played by Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in the big-screen adaptation, at the beginning of their courtship.

“I don’t believe we’re going to see the older couple — what they become. But things change in development,” Pedowitz told reporters. “I’m thrilled Nick Sparks wanted to do it at the CW.”

-- “Jane the Virgin” might have been overlooked by the Television Academy this year -- which Pedowitz acknowledged he was “disappointed” about -- but the CW president is optimistic, given what he’s seen of the second season, that the show and its stars will earn some recognition next year.

-- When word leaked that the CW was developing a gritty, dystopian version of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” people were confused. People were outraged. People were intrigued. Pedowitz didn’t reveal much about the reasoning behind thinking it’d be a good idea, but he did say: “You’ve got to take shots ... we’ll see what happens when the script comes in.”

-- What’s are the prospects for more seasons of the long-running “Supernatural” on the network? “If the numbers hold, [and] the guys [Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki] want to do it, we’re in,” Pedowitz said.

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