Several hours before The CW won its first-ever Golden Globe, becoming the only broadcast network to do so this year, the network had an even bigger drop-the-mic moment: at winter press tour, it renewed eight series, including its entire fall lineup. As I wrote at Adweek,

No broadcaster in recent memory has ever renewed its entire fall lineup before. Pedowitz told reporters that this is part of the network’s transition to year-round scripted programming, with the renewed series returning over next fall, midseason and summer. “This enables us to finally get to the place of providing scripted summer programming,” he said, “and so the summer of ’16 should be a much bigger summer for us than ever before.”

Those hits have helped draw men back to the network. In the 2010-2011 season, the CW’s audience was only 30 percent male, and that percentage has grown to 40 percent this season. Also, “we grew a little older than we used to be,” said Pedowitz. “Our affiliates are happier [with] that.”

Pedowitz also talked about nurturing his low-rated but critically-acclaimed (and now Golden Globe-winning) Jane the Virgin, and why he’s exercising caution when it comes to crossovers and adding other superhero series to his stable.

The CW Takes the Unusual Step of Renewing Its Entire Fall Lineup

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(David Bloomer/SHOWTIME)

Comeback of the Year: Homeland

Just when I thought I was out, Claire Danes and showrunner Alex Gansa pulled me back in! After two frustrating seasons in which the show often seemed even more off the rails than Carrie Mathison without her meds, the drama returned to form in its second half by out 24-ing 24 itself (which Homeland‘s creators made their bones on). And most of the show’s missteps — hundreds of them! — will be forgiven if Sunday’s finale is anywhere as engaging as the last several episodes have been.

(Gilles Mingasson/ABC)

Gone Too Soon: Trophy Wife, Enlisted, The Bridge 

While some low-rated wonders like You’re the Worst and Hannibal eked out renewals, this trio of terrific shows proved to be better than audiences deserved. Viewers who have been decrying the death of the TV comedy obviously weren’t watching Trophy Wife and Enlisted (and shame on ABC and Fox for treating them so shoddily). As for The Bridge, I understand why John Landgraf canceled it, even as I mourn the fact that the show had finally found itself in Season 2. Meanwhile, upstart outlets desperate for eyeballs — I’m looking at you, Amazon, Hulu and Yahoo Screen — have no excuse for passing on these discarded gems as they search for avid viewers.

(ABC)

Scene of the Year: Viola Davis takes off her wig in How to Get Away With Murder

At times early in the ABC freshman drama’s run, it seemed as if producers had forgotten that it had cast the Oscar-nominated powerhouse as Annalise Keating. But they sure remembered in episode four, which closed as Davis removed her makeup, and then her wig, and faced her husband, stripped physically and emotionally bare. It was a stunning revelation, and one that I hope is only the first of many How to Get Away With Murder moments in which Davis leaves us breathless.

(ABC)

Most Welcome Revival: Twin Peaks

It’s happening, again! I’ve been disheartened by Hollywood’s efforts to turn every movie into a TV show next year, but one reboot announcement warmed my heart: Twin Peaks, which Showtime will resurrect in 2016 as a limited series. With David Lynch and Mark Frost returning to the fold for the entire run, and bringing back many of the original characters (Coop!), I’m already jonesing for some damn good coffee and a heavenly slice of cherry pie.

(Danny Feld/The CW)

Sweetest Surprise: Jane the Virgin

When I first heard the premise for Jane the Virgin, I thought I’d stumbled upon an Onion article. A virgin is artificially inseminated — by accident? Ugh, pass. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, the show has been a little slice of perfection each week. It still feels like it could all fall apart at any moment, but what a delightful ride it’s been.

(Erica Parise/FOX)

The Anti-Moonlighting: The Mindy Project

Most shows succumb to the Moonlighting curse and start spiraling when they finally pair up their big couple (cough, New Girl, cough, Suburgatory). But The Mindy Project, which had captivated me even as it churned through plot and supporting characters, finally found its footing this season as it turned Mindy Lahari (Mindy Kaling) and Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) into a committed couple. Their wacky, wonderful relationship has brought out the best in each other, and the show.

(Smarf)

Best Credits Sequence: Too Many Cooks

Please, as if this Adult Swim masterpiece had any real competition. I apologize for putting this into your head again, but…it takes a lot to make a stew!

(Disney XD)

Kids Show of the Year: Phineas and Ferb Star Wars 

I’ve been forced to watch a lot of nauseatingly awful kids shows over the past several years, which is why I keep steering my children back toward Phineas and Ferb, which is equally as entertaining for parents as small fry. But the always-inventive show outdid itself with last summer’s crossover, Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars, which paid homage to the original Star Wars with an ingeniously-crafted parallel story. Bring on Phineas and Ferb: Empire Strikes Back! Okay, greenlight it first, then bring it on!

(Patrick Harbron/FX)

Network of the Year: FX

This boils down to one question: if I were stranded on a deserted island, and could only bring along one network’s lineup of 2014 programs, which one would it be? Of course I would go for the network that airs four of my top 10 shows of the year (The Americans, Fargo, You’re the Worst and Louie), along with The Bridge (RIP), Archer, Justified (which had its first off-year – but like pizza, even bad Justified is pretty terrific), American Horror Story and The Strain. Hell, I even stuck with Sons of Anarchy to the bitter, bloody end as well. FX, you’re peerless.

(Diyah Pera /The CW)

Best Comic Book Series: The Flash

It grabbed me from its fully-formed pilot and hasn’t let go: The Flash is the perfect comic TV show. It’s joyous and bubbly instead of broody (enough moping around, everyone else! Lighten the hell up!), with vividly-drawn supporting characters and villains who pop. I hope the oodles of superhero shows in development for next season are all watching The Flash — and taking copious notes. Go go, Grant Gustin!

Come back on Friday, when I’ll bring my week-long look at the Best (and Worst) of 2014 to a close with something … a little different.

The post The TV VIPs of 2014 appeared first on TV & Not TV.

Greg Berlanti and I have been Twitter friends since back in 2012, when I fell for his USA summer miniseries Political Animals. But we’d never actually met until we sat down together at TCA summer tour to do this Daily Beast profile.

One of TV’s most prolific producers — he’s co-showrunner on Arrow and The Flash, a producer on The Mysteries of Laura, has three series (and counting) in development for next season, and is also producing the bigscreen Peter Pan reboot Pan — Berlanti talked about what’s in store for The Flash, his obsession with comics, how he’s succeeded with TV comic adaptations where Marvel has failed and the disadvantage to having so many projects on his plate:

The only slight disadvantage to doing more and more things is you really have to be where the problems are. So you don’t get to be as much where things are going well. And so, if there’s two things that I’m working on that are going well, I’m not in that story room or on that set. I’m wherever we’re having some challenges. Then, by the time we take care of those, I go back to the other ones. So the disadvantage of having multiple things is on a day where everything is going badly on all things. You want to shoot yourself! The advantage is that’s usually not the case. Usually one or two things are going all right, and it buoys your spirits a little bit.

His take on The Flash is broadcast’s best pilot this fall. While almost all new shows take much of the first season to find their way, Flash arrives impressively fully-formed and self-assured. And, oh yeah, it’s a helluva lot of fun.

The TV Superhero Guru Behind ‘The Flash’

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It’s upfronts time once again: the annual week in which broadcast execs unveil their new TV lineups to advertisers. And as I wrote at Quartz, as networks grapple with season-to-season ratings decline, they are trying a new tactic: approaching their lineups as if they are summer movie schedules.

The networks are coming to the same conclusion as the movie studios: the best way to potentially attract huge audiences, both domestically and internationally, is by relying on “safe” projects featuring well-established, beloved brands. That’s a big reason why Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was one of the few new series to get a renewal this year.

And if a network picks up my NCIS: Avengers idea, I’d better get a cut of the profits!

Television is taking a cue from summer movie blockbusters

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