Nancy Drew Producer's Explosive Response to The CW's Cancellation: Unfiltered Rant Reveals 'Shocking Disrespect'

Summary

The show's cancellation was poorly managed by The CW's new owner, Nexstar, according to Nancy Drew's executive producer Larry Teng, who emphasizes the lack of prior notification.

The cancellation was revealed when Kennedy McMann's representative, who plays the lead role, requested information about her availability for a possible new show. The network justified their decision to end Nancy Drew, citing its high cost. This sudden announcement caught the production team off guard and forced them to hastily rewrite the season finale as the final episode of the series.

The executive producer of Nancy Drew openly criticizes The CW for its handling of the series cancellation. Nancy Drew concluded after four seasons, airing its final episode alongside Riverdale, as The CW has decided to shift its focus away from teen dramas. The new owners, Nexstar, aim to diversify the channel's programming by venturing into sports and reality television. Consequently, several well-known titles on The CW have been cancelled in the past year.

Following the finale of the Nancy Drew series, executive producer Larry Teng expressed his frustration with The CW's approach to the show's cancellation on Twitter. Teng provided a comprehensive explanation in a series of tweets, revealing that The CW did not give any prior notice that Nancy Drew would not be renewed.

As a result of lead star Kennedy McMann's interest in filming the potential Good Wife spinoff The Good Lawyer, her representative reached out to the studio to inquire about her schedule. It was during this communication that they unexpectedly discovered the show would not be renewed, as the network deemed it too costly. Teng, one of the show's writers, reveals that if they hadn't received the call regarding The Good Lawyer, they would have remained unaware of the cancellation. Consequently, they had already begun crafting a season finale and were forced to abruptly alter their plans and rewrite the storyline. Teng expresses their frustration in no uncertain terms, stating, "To have had prior knowledge and deliberately withhold it until a random call three-quarters of the way through our season is simply disgraceful."

The CW Was Once Very Supportive Of Its Shows

The sale of The CW to Nexstar had been in progress for a while. Prior to the sale, The CW provided advanced notice about the first batch of shows that would be cancelled. As a result, series like Legacies and the Charmed reboot were able to conclude on a satisfying note. This demonstrated the importance that the former head of The CW, Mark Pedowitz, placed on maintaining positive relationships with the talent, which is supported by Pedowitz's own statements. For instance, the network's CEO personally invested in Supernatural and was hesitant to witness its conclusion.

The CW's stance goes beyond a single executive as the network was known for rarely cancelling its shows despite consistently low Nielsen ratings. Previously, The CW would sell the dramas it acquired from Paramount and Warner Bros. to Netflix. However, now that Paramount and Warner Bros. have their own streaming services, there is less motivation to sell their shows to a rival streaming platform. This led to the sale of The CW, with Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery now holding minority stakes of 12.5% each, while Nexstar holds 75%.

This change has caused disruptions, as the network appears uncertain about its new direction with frequent programming adjustments. In the midst of this chaos, Teng's social media thread serves as a reminder of the importance of valuing creators and the audiences who have invested in The CW's programming. Considering the circumstances, it is remarkable that the Nancy Drew finale was able to provide such satisfaction.

Source: Larry Teng