The CW has set premiere dates for the final seasons of Riverdale and Nancy Drew. Season seven of Riverdale starts March 29, while season four of Nancy Drew kicks off May 31. Both shows conclude August 23.

“Riverdale and Nancy Drew are two beloved CW series with some of the most passionate and dedicated fans in all of television, and these final seasons are true gifts to them,” said Brad Schwartz, president, entertainment, The CW. “As we prepare to say farewell to these iconic characters, there are still plenty of surprises and shocking twists packed into both series as they conclude at the top of their game.”

Riverdale ventures back to the ‘50s in its final season. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) finds himself trapped in that decade, with no idea how he got there, and no idea how to get back to the present time.

KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart are also in the cast.

Also: 'All American' Gets Early Season Renewal From CW

Riverdale is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater.

Nancy Drew is about the legendary teen detective. Kennedy McMann stars. Leah Lewis and Tunji Kasim are also in the cast.

Season four sees Nancy launch an investigation to find a group of missing bodies from Horseshoe Bay’s cemetery that have been dug up and stolen — or have possibly risen.

Nancy Drew is a production of CBS Studios in association with Fake Empire, with executive producers Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Lis Rowinski, Alex Taub, Larry Teng and S. Lily Hui. ■

Season eight of The Flash and season six of Riverdale begin on The CW Tuesday, Nov. 16. Both shows start with five-episode “events”, in The CW’s words. The Flash’s event will feature different heroes from The CW. Riverdale’s will have a horror theme and goes under the title Riverdale. 

The Flash is based on characters from DC. Grant Gustin plays Barry Allen, a crime scene investigator who picks up super-human speed after being struck by lightning. Candace Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Danielle Nicolet and Kayla Compton are also in the cast. Bonanza Productions produces the show in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Greg Berlanti, Eric Wallace and Sarah Schechter executive produce. 

Riverdale comes from Archie Comics. KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes and Cole Sprouse are in the cast. 

Berlanti Productions produces the show in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater executive produce. 

The CW has pulled off a tricky act across the last several years — airing programming that appeals to a wide audience, as befits a broadcast network, while also serving the LBGTQ+ community with a range of relevant, colorful characters. Fully 80% of the network’s scripted shows in 2021-2022 feature characters representing the LGBTQ+ community. 

It’s a mission The CW takes very seriously. “As a network, The CW is in the business of inclusive storytelling which begins with acknowledging that our audience and society-at-large is diverse and filled with a wide range of lifestyles and cultural values,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO, The CW. 

The mission goes back at least a decade for The CW. The network had the first transgender superhero, in Nia Nal/Dreamer from Supergirl, portrayed by Nicole Maines; the first Black lesbian superhero in Anissa Pierce/Thunder from Black Lightning, played by Nafessa Williams; and the first lesbian superhero to headline a series, as was the case with Kate Kane of Batwoman, who was played by Ruby Rose. 

After Rose departed the series, Javicia Leslie was cast as Ryan Wilder, a skilled-but-undisciplined fighter who becomes the new Batwoman after finding the Batsuit in an airplane crash. Wilder gave The CW its first Black lesbian superhero to headline her own show. 

In April, The CW launched the My CW Story campaign, which celebrates viewers who have been empowered by CW characters to live their true lives. As part of Pride Month, The CW rolled out the stories of James, a transgender man inspired by Supergirl’s Nia Nal, and Julia, a bisexual woman inspired by Riverdale’s Cheryl Blossom (played by Madelaine Petsch). 

Gaye Hirsch heads development for The CW, Michael Roberts oversees programming, and Dana Theodoratos heads up casting. Network executives have said that showcasing characters who represent a diverse America helps combat ignorance and injustice, and inspires positive change in the nation and beyond. Diverse characters also make for more authentic storytelling.

“On every level at The CW and in partnership with our incredibly passionate creative talent on both sides of the camera, we continue to work to ensure the LGBTQ community is seen and heard,” Pedowitz said, “as we continue to focus on telling genuine and credible stories that not only reflect the world we live in, but also the world we all want it to be.”

The CW’s efforts to represent the LGBTQ+ community will be recognized on Wednesday, July 23, at The Pride Leadership Awards, a virtual event from B+C, Multichannel News and Next TV for outstanding leadership or extraordinary courage displayed in the efforts to present LGBTQ+-themed television content. To watch the Pride TV Leadership Awards, register for the Pride TV Summit at pridetvsummit.com. 

The CW has shared its seven-night schedule for the 2021-2022 season. New fall shows are 4400, The Legends of the Hidden Temple remake and Killer Camp. 

Sundays will have Legends of the Hidden Temple, an adult-focused remake of the Nickelodeon competition classic, and a U.S. edition of Killer Camp, a competition series that sees 13 campers navigate through deadly twists with their eye on a cash prize. 

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Mondays have season four of All American and 4400, about 4,400 people who fell off the face of the planet. 

On Tuesdays it’s season eight of The Flash and season six of Riverdale. 

Wednesdays have Legends of Tomorrow season seven and Batwoman season three. 

Thursdays offer the sophomore season of Walker and season four of Legacies. 

On Fridays it’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us and season three of Nancy Drew. 

Saturdays have two episodes apiece of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals. 

Also Read: The CW To Program Saturday Nights Next Season

The CW is adding Saturdays to its lineup, three years after it added Sundays. The Saturday schedule starts with iHeartRadio Music Festival Oct. 2. 

“This year, as we begin to return to more normalized production schedules, The CW is firing on all cylinders," said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW Network. "The CW dares to defy by expanding our primetime schedule to include Saturday night and becoming a full 14 hour, seven-day-a-week broadcast network for the first time in its history, offering more original series on both our linear and digital platforms, providing more opportunities for our advertisers and affiliates. We are rolling out an exciting lineup of our signature returning series which will be joined this upcoming season by the new, reimagined 4400 and the highly anticipated, brand new revival of Legends of the Hidden Temple along with new series slated for mid season, All American: Homecoming and Naomi.” 

Joining All American spinoff All American: Homecoming and Ava DuVernay drama Naomi in the mid season are Charmed, DC’s Stargirl, Dynasty, In the Dark, Kung Fu, Roswell, New Mexico and Superman & Lois. 

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Every episode of 4400; All American: Homecoming; Batwoman; DC’s Stargirl; Kung Fu; Naomi; Nancy Drew; Superman & Lois and Walker, as well as Killer Camp; Legends of the Hidden Temple; Penn & Teller: Fool Us; Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World’s Funniest Animals on this season will be available to stream on The CW’s free digital platforms. 

The CW has three original specials lined up for the fourth quarter of 2021: movie The Waltons’ Homecoming, set in 1933 and told from John Boy’s perspective; The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special, which sees the Scooby gang reunite at Warner Bros. Studios to reminisce about their favorite cases; and animated holiday special Beebo Saves Christmas, about a fuzzy toy turned furry god. Ben Diskin voices Beebo. 

Pedowitz said The Waltons' Homecoming offers "a touch of Americana and a touch of Middle America."

Programming Saturdays gives viewers and advertisers another night to connect with The CW, Pedowitz said, and another night for the network to promote its content. 

“The CW continues to grow and innovate on a multiplatform basis with more original programming and more ways for advertisers to connect with our audience,” summed up Pedowitz. 

The CW has renewed 12 scripted series for the 2021-2022 season. That includes rookie drama Walker, which also got an order for five additional episodes this season, bringing its total to 18. There was also an order for two more episodes of Superman & Lois, which premieres Feb. 23. That brings that show’s season one total to 15.  

The renewals include season three of Batwoman and Nancy Drew, season four of All American, Charmed, Legacies, Roswell, New Mexico and In the Dark, season five of Dynasty, season six of Riverdale, season seven of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and season eight of The Flash.

The CW kicked off its season last month. 

“Though we’re just a few weeks into the new season, we wanted to get a strategic head start on next season with these early renewals, which allows our production teams to start laying out story arcs and hiring staff, and at the same time, continues to provide us with a strong, stable schedule to build on for next season,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW.  “As The CW’s 2020-2021 season kicks into high gear, we are thrilled creatively with the direction of our first new shows out of the gate, Walker and Superman & Lois, that we wanted to order the additional episodes to complete their first seasons, and we are particularly pleased with the huge success of the launch of Walker, which debuted as our most watched series premiere in five years.” 

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, In The Dark, Dynasty and Roswell, New Mexico premiere in The CW’s mid season. 

Season five of Riverdale premieres on The CW Jan. 20, leading into season two of Nancy Drew. Based on the characters from Archie Comics, Riverdale has KJ Apa playing Archie. 

Season four saw a tribute to Archie’s late father Fred, who was played by the late Luke Perry. Archie tried to live up to his father’s memory by mentoring kids at the community center. Fred’s brother Frank turned up and brought some complications with him. 

Season five sees the characters’ finale days at Riverdale High, including an epic prom. 

Lili Reinhart, Charles Melton, Molly Ringwald, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes and Madchen Amick are also in the cast. 

Berlanti Productions produces Riverdale alongside Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater are executive producers. 

Nancy Drew debuted in October 2019. Kennedy McMann plays Nancy, a teen detective solving crimes in Horseshoe Bay, Maine. Her mother’s untimely death throws Nancy’s life upside down. 

Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Tunji Kasim, Scott Wolf and Alex Saxon are also in the cast. 

Nancy Drew is a production of CBS Television Studios in association with Fake Empire. Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Lis Rowinski are the executive producers. 

The CW has shared premiere dates for its new season, which begins in January. Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Penn & Teller: Fool Us shift to Fridays starting Jan. 8. On Jan. 10, it’s the Critics Choice Super Awards. 

Jan. 12 marks the return of Two Sentence Horror Stories, season two, followed by the U.S. premiere of Canadian supernatural drama Trickster. Based on the novel Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson, the show stars Joel Oulette as Jared, an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family above water, but when he starts seeing strange things, his already chaotic life is turned upside down. Trickster is a CBC original series. 

Batwoman returns Sunday, Jan. 17 and All American kicks off season three Jan. 18. 

Jan. 20 is the start of season five of Riverdale, followed by season two of Nancy Drew. 

Walker, starring Jared Padalecki, premieres Jan. 21, followed by Legacies.  

Charmed takes off Jan. 24.  

Feb. 8, it’s Black Lightning. 

The Flash is back Feb. 23, followed by Superman & Lois.

Amidst the challenges the pandemic has laid on production, The CW has had a mix of original and acquired programming in the fall while holding its marquee programming until early 2021.

The WWE’s two primetime franchises WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown! pinned down the most social media interactions of any television shows last week, according to Nielsen.

The pro wrestling outfit’s Jan. 14 WWE Monday Night Raw telecast drew 2.6 million combined Facebook, Twitter and Instagram interactions during the week of Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, according to Nielsen’s weekly Social Content Ratings report. The WWE’s Jan. 15 SmackDown! episode finished second for the week with 1.4 million interactions.

NBC’s America’s Got Talent was third with 1.2 million interactions, followed by The CW’s Riverdale and NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, according to Nielsen.

Sunday’s two NFL Championship playoff telecasts dominated social media chatter for live sports events during the week. CBS’s New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs AFC championship game garnered a whopping 10 million social media interactions, while Fox’s Los Angeles Rams-New Orleans Saints game pulled in some 7.1 million Facebook, Instagram and Twitter interactions, according to Nielsen.