NEW YORK — For fans of programs on the soon-to-die WB and UPN networks, Thursday's announcement of their offspring's inaugural fall season looked a little like a reality-show knockoff: "Survivor: The CW Version."
Picking mostly top-rated shows among 18-to-34-year-olds from the WB and UPN, the new CW is going with themed nights and combining former competitors "Top Model" and "One Tree Hill" into what the network hopes will be a strong one-two punch on Wednesdays.
Tuesday will be a Girls' Night, with the WB's "The Gilmore Girls," about a single mother and her daughter, at 8 p.m. followed at 9 by UPN's "Veronica Mars," about a single father and his daughter. Thursday's focus on science fiction and the occult would seem to make it Boys' Night, with "Smallville," about Superman's early days on Earth, at 8 p.m. followed by "Supernatural," about two brothers seeking the demon that killed their mother, at 9. Both shows are now on the WB.
As executives wrestled with the programming lineup for the new network they were heavily lobbied by fans of WB and UPN shows, including banner-toting airplanes over Burbank and special-delivery gifts.
For some fans, the news was good. Fan favorite "7th Heaven" found new life for an 11th season, airing Mondays at 8 p.m., and "Reba" returns as a midseason replacement.
But the WB's "Everwood," a critical favorite that drew older viewers, didn't live up to its name -- the show is gone as the CW targets the coveted youth demographic, which has been flocking to Fox shows seven of the last eight seasons. About one-third of those viewers are minorities, according to the CW's audience research.
"Picking our schedule was a scheduler's dream," said Dawn Ostroff, CW's president of entertainment. "It was like playing fantasy football but with TV shows."
Only two new shows made the fall cut: "The Game," a comedy about pro football players' wives and girlfriends, and "Runaway," a new Darren Star drama following a family on the run as the father tries to clear himself of false murder charges.
Another new show, "Hidden Palms," about dark secrets in placid Palm Springs, made the cut for midseason.
One notable shift in the fall lineup: "Everybody Hates Chris" goes from 8 p.m. Thursdays on UPN to 7 p.m. Sundays (not Mondays as was previously suggested), against the NFL and "60 Minutes."
CW executives hope the show, followed by UPN's "All of Us" at 7:30, will draw families leading into the network's only night of comedies.
