Merlyn ( Arthur King ), also known as the Dark Archer , is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics . He is a deadly bow-wielding assassin and contract killer and the archnemesis of Green Arrow , though writers have developed him over the years as an adversary of other superheroes as well, such as Batman and Black Canary .
172-637: Malcolm Merlyn appears in The CW 's Arrowverse , portrayed by John Barrowman . Created by Mike Friedrich , Neal Adams , and Dick Dillin , Merlyn made his debut in Justice League of America #94 in November 1971. Long before becoming the vigilante Green Arrow , Oliver Queen was inspired to take up archery after hearing of the exploits of Arthur King, otherwise known as " Merlyn the Magician ",
344-404: A legacy heroes with a mother-daughter relationship between the two. Following DC's New 52 initiative, Black Canary was briefly amalgamated as a single character before the mother-and-daughter dynamic was restored to continuity, the history formerly established retroactively added as part of the second Black Canary's history. Dinah " Diana " Drake I , the original Black Canary, was created by
516-479: A 2-hour primetime block on Sunday nights beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018 (it later added a third hour in October 2023), returning the network to Sundays for the first time since the lease to Media Rights Capital ended in 2009, as well as expanding The CW's primetime slate from 10 hours a week to 12. Discussions with CBS and Warner Bros. about the expansion began as early as July 2017; both gave their approval to
688-465: A 3.4 rating/5 share (with hourly ratings of 3.1/5 and 3.6/6, The CW placed fifth overall) in the Nielsen household ratings . It scored a 2.6 rating among adults 18–49, finishing fourth in that age demographic and beating the 2.2 rating earned by Fox on that night. The network's second week consisted of season and series premieres for all of its other series from September 25, 2006, to October 1, 2006, with
860-461: A 75-percent ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first letters of the names of its two founding co-owners CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Nexstar closed its acquisition of a controlling interest in the network on October 3, 2022, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery (CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.' respective successors) each retaining a 12.5-percent ownership stake. The CW debuted on September 18, 2006, as
1032-552: A Fox affiliate in 2000, and had also aired local newscasts when it was an ABC affiliate from 1967 to 1978; WISH-TV in Indianapolis (formerly CBS) has been airing local news since 1956, and KRON-TV in San Francisco (formerly NBC and MyNetworkTV) has produced local news since 1957. KTLA has the largest number of weekly hours devoted to local news programming of any CW affiliate, and any broadcast television station in
1204-459: A Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy . The network's Arrowverse expanded again with Supergirl being moved to the network from CBS for its second season. The debut of Archie Comics -based Riverdale signaled the network's foray into mining their parent studio's library of IP to create new television series based on recognizable properties. This led to another new DC Comics series, Black Lightning , and
1376-598: A May 16, 2008, article in The Wall Street Journal ) that CBS, Time Warner or both companies might abandon the venture if ratings did not improve. However, The CW's fortunes were buoyed in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 television seasons thanks to increased ratings among females in the 18–34 demographic and the buzz that some of its newer series (such as Gossip Girl , 90210 and The Vampire Diaries ) had generated with audiences. Executives with CBS Corporation and Time Warner also emphasized their commitment to
1548-620: A backup, the network added reruns of The Drew Carey Show and Jericho , and movies to replace the MRC-produced programs. One of the shows carried over to the network from UPN, WWE SmackDown , ended its run on The CW after the September 26, 2008, episode due to negotiations ending between the WWE and The CW on renewing the program. Representatives for The CW later confirmed that it had chosen not to continue carrying SmackDown because
1720-521: A daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance , who was cursed by the Wizard with a devastating sonic scream. Her mother hoped that Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt could cure her, but the Thunderbolt was only able to keep the younger Dinah in suspended animation in his own dimension. To ease their pain, the Thunderbolt altered the memories of the tragedy, leaving all to believe Dinah's daughter had simply died. Following
1892-602: A deadly assassin known as the Dark Archer, Malcolm is contracted by Cyrus Broderick, a director of the Ninth Circle , to frame Green Arrow for murder after he destroys the Inferno, their base of operations. Using arrows resembling Green Arrow's for multiple high-profile killings, including the murder of famous soccer player Cy Sampson, the Dark Archer succeeds in tarnishing the hero's image and reputation. Green Arrow and
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#17327904934572064-509: A detective in Gotham City . Their union resulted in the birth of their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance. In subsequent narratives following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, her daughters succeeds her mother as the new Black Canary. Dinah Drake is typically depicted as a skilled hand-to-hand combatant without superhuman abilities compared to her daughter and successor. In current depictions,
2236-472: A flower shop, Sherwood Florist. When Dinah belonged to the JLI during the 1980s, she wore a new costume, a blue-and-black full-body jumpsuit with a bird motif and a slightly looser fit instead of her traditional, skin-tight black outfit with fishnet stockings. The change was poorly received and short-lived, and later artists restored her original look. When former Batgirl Barbara Gordon is seriously injured by
2408-682: A good-looking girl? That's what I want.' Isn't that a great line? So that's what I did. I made her strong in character and sexy in form. The funny part is that years later, while in Korea on a National Cartoonists trip, I met a dancer who was the exact image of the Black Canary. And I went out with her for three years. Bob didn't ask me for a character sketch [for the Black Canary]. He had a lot of respect for me, I must say that. He always trusted my work... Bob loved my Black Canary design. During
2580-538: A guest in its "Green Arrow" feature and in Detective Comics . A story in Justice League of America #219-220 (October and November 1983) served to explain the origin of Black Canary's new sonic scream powers, and further, why she continued to appear youthful despite being active since the late 1940s (thereby making her nearly 60 years old). It was established that during the 1950s, she and Larry had
2752-543: A hero as Black Canary within the Justice League. Tragedy struck when Larry Lance was killed by an alien entity that targeted the older Dinah. This event caused Dinah to become bitter and she pleaded with her daughter to give up her life as a hero, fearing further loss. Unfortunately, she contracted cancer from the same entity that claimed her husband's life, leading to her hospitalization. Before passing away, Dinah apologized to her daughter for her actions, recognizing
2924-635: A hero, her foes included the criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary was revived with the other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on the parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters) in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between
3096-402: A hose containing liquid nitrogen. Dinah orders Connor to use the hose on Ollie, freezing him solid, and the three join the rest of the heroes in battle. When Ollie returns to normal, it is discovered that he secretly murdered Prometheus and left his body to rot at his headquarters. After Barry Allen and Hal Jordan confront Ollie and Dinah with the news, Ollie escapes. Dinah, Hal and Barry search
3268-483: A low-rated night for the network during its first two seasons on the air (due to stiff competition from CBS, ABC, and Fox's strong Sunday lineups, and complicated further by NBC's acquisition of Sunday Night Football in September 2006, shortly before The CW debuted), the move allowed The CW to concentrate on its Monday through Friday prime time schedule, while giving MRC the right to develop and schedule programs of its own choosing and reap advertising revenue generated by
3440-579: A master archer with acute accuracy. Years later, Merlyn challenged the Green Arrow to a public archery duel and defeated Oliver. With that victory under his belt, Merlyn vanished for years before resurfacing as a member of the League of Assassins . During his time with the League of Assassins, Merlyn took part in the highly abusive training of David Cain 's daughter Cassandra Cain , unknowingly being behind
3612-732: A member of the Seven Men of Death who are tasked by Talia al Ghul's Leviathan organization to destroy Batman Incorporated. Merlyn defeats members of the group with ease, until Damian Wayne destroys his bow. In Forever Evil , Merlyn is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains . In the DC Rebirth relaunch, the Green Arrow series reveals that Merlyn
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#17327904934573784-518: A new, full version of the network website was launched, the website began to feature more in-depth information about The CW's shows. The CW launched with a premiere special / launch party from the CBS Paramount -produced Entertainment Tonight at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California on September 18, 2006, after a repeat of the tenth-season finale of 7th Heaven ; the same schedule
3956-481: A play on the network's name – to advertise one company's product during part or the entirety of a commercial break, a concept since classified under the term of native advertising . The entertainment magazine series CW Now was inspired in part by the success of the Content Wraps as it was intended to be a series with product placement ; the program was canceled in 2008, after a single 23-episode season. For
4128-467: A prime time-only network with 10 weekly hours of network programming at the time of the network's shutdown.) Like both UPN and the WB, The CW targets its programming towards younger audiences. CBS and Time Warner hoped that combining their networks' schedules and affiliate lineups would strengthen The CW into a fifth "major" broadcast network. One week before the network's official launch, on September 11, 2006,
4300-416: A profitable price point. He also stated that they were using sports programming for bringing in new and older audiences. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook later stated that, beyond causing the delay of four scripted shows, the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes did not have much impact on The CW's fall schedule, adding that they would not affect the network's future progress. In January 2024 during
4472-452: A purchase of The CW by Nexstar was close, and on August 15 Nexstar confirmed it had "entered into a definitive agreement" to acquire a 75-percent majority share in the network; the remaining 25 percent would be shared equally by Paramount Global (the former ViacomCBS) and Warner Bros. Discovery (the company formed by Discovery, Inc. 's acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T). Additionally, Nexstar stated that Mark Pedowitz would remain
4644-510: A reasonably-priced acquisition fee, including unscripted fare, syndicated content, and other content that can create profits through broadcast airings. Nexstar also stated that it aimed for The CW to turn a profit by 2025. In the conference call, Nexstar indicated that it wanted to convert The CW into a network with broad appeal. It cited data indicating that the young audience which The CW focused upon preferred watching its shows through streaming platforms instead of during live broadcasts, while
4816-516: A rebooted Dynasty . While it met with poor ratings, Dynasty proved lucrative thanks to the Netflix output deal and international syndication which earned CBS Studios millions of dollars per episode. Selling CW series like Dynasty to Netflix and overseas markets was so profitable for Warner Bros. and CBS that the network almost stopped cancelling shows, and expanded its broadcast schedule. On February 14, 2018, The CW announced that it would add
4988-571: A relaunch of Birds of Prey with Gail Simone . In Birds of Prey #1 (July 2010), she is sent to save a child with Lady Blackhawk . After receiving a call from Oracle , the team (including Huntress ) is reunited. They are confronted by a new villainess, White Canary , who has a grudge against Dinah and exposes her civilian identity. After capturing White Canary (the vengeful sister of the Twelve Brothers in Silk ), Dinah learns that Lady Shiva
5160-408: A rock band called Black Canary. After five years, DC later began to row back on controversial New 52 continuity changes with its DC Rebirth initiative, with the narrator of Geoff Johns ' DC Rebirth #1, Wally West , lamenting, from outside the universe, on how Black Canary and Green Arrow hardly know each other anymore, when they should be husband and wife, as a result of sinister alterations to
5332-419: A second run on The CW. "They creatively have to want the show too and believe that the show should go on their platform first for them to work," CW CEO Pedowitz said. "For us its a great model because it's a way to get excellent summer scripted programming and maximize programming across platforms." On May 13, 2021, The CW announced that it would begin programming Saturday nights on a regular basis beginning in
Merlyn (DC Comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5504-495: A sexualized yet strong female character. She appeared as a character in a back-up story featuring Johnny Thunder : I was drawing Johnny Thunder, which was not much of a character. I suppose he could have been better because his 'Thunderbolt' was interesting, but the situations they were in were pretty juvenile. Bob Kanigher wrote those stories, and he had no respect for the characters. These stories were nowhere near as good as 'The Flash' stories. DC knew it—they knew 'Johnny Thunder'
5676-673: A single scripted programming unit. The corporate restructuring resulted in the layoffs of approximately 25 to 30 employees. It also included the elimination of certain positions, other newly opened positions being left unfilled, and layoffs from the Kids' WB unit, as the block was set to be replaced by the CW4Kids . On May 9, 2008, The CW announced that it would lease its Sunday lineup (then running from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time ) to production company Media Rights Capital (MRC). As Sundays have historically been
5848-489: A supporting character in the " Johnny Thunder " feature, written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino . She initially appeared as a villain. Johnny is instantly infatuated with her, and is reproached by his Thunderbolt. Dinah is later revealed to have been infiltrating a criminal gang. In Flash Comics #92 (February 1948) she has her own anthology feature, "Black Canary", replacing "Johnny Thunder". The new series fleshed out Black Canary's backstory: Dinah Drake
6020-647: A time-lease agreement with Hearst Media Production Group ) airs on Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in all time zones. Similar to Fox, along with network forerunners the WB and UPN, The CW uses the "common prime" scheduling practice, avoiding the 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific) hour broadcast by the "Big Three" networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC). The network, unlike the Big Three, does not air any national newscasts , late-night programming , and, since 2021, daytime programming . It also did not run prime-time programming on Saturday nights and during
6192-432: A young age. Although ex-husband Craig Windrow seems to need her help, he actually wants to reconcile after he embezzles from the mob. Dinah's early marriage and ex-husband are not mentioned again until the 2007 Black Canary limited series . After joining the Justice League, Dinah meets Green Arrow (Oliver Queen). Although she dislikes him at first, they become romantically involved despite their age difference; opposite
6364-616: Is also available in Canada on pay television providers through stations owned-and-operated by Nexstar and on affiliates owned by others that are located within proximity to the Canada–United States border (whose broadcasts of CW shows are subject to simultaneous substitution laws imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission , if a Canadian network holds the broadcast rights); it
6536-917: Is also available through two Nexstar-controlled stations that are classified in the United States as superstations – New York City-based de facto flagship WPIX and Los Angeles-based secondary flagship KTLA . Additionally, the network is available in northern Mexico through affiliates located near the Mexico–U.S. border (such as KFMB-DT2 — San Diego / Tijuana , KECY-DT3 in El Centro, California , KVIA-DT2 in El Paso , and KCWT-CD with simulcast network KMBH-LD 2 in McAllen / Brownsville, Texas ) on pay television providers. In both Canada and Mexico, some free-to-air CW affiliate signals originating from
6708-547: Is among the greatest and most accurate archers in the DC Universe . His archery and marksmanship skills exceed those of Green Arrow , Emiko Queen , Shado , Roy Harper , Connor Hawke , Celestial Archer , and his own son, Tommy Merlyn . The Dark Archer has been known to use trick arrows to kill his targets, including explosive arrows that detonate upon impact. He is extremely proficient with swords, throwing knives, and various other weapons as well. Having been trained by
6880-756: Is at the battle which forms the League. Its core is Black Canary, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) , the Martian Manhunter , the Flash (Barry Allen) , Aquaman , Superman , Batman and Wonder Woman. In the 2007 Black Canary miniseries, she and Green Arrow join the Justice League after its founding and are tested by founding member Batman early in their membership. During publication of the Infinite Crisis limited series, most DC Universe comic books advanced one year. After this " One Year Later " jump, Dinah trades life experiences with Lady Shiva to soften
7052-507: Is behind the attack on the Birds. Dinah and White Canary travel to Bangkok ; when the Birds arrive a short time later, Dinah attacks them dressed as White Canary. Later, Dinah reveals that Sin and her foster parents are being held hostage, their lives threatened unless Dinah challenges Lady Shiva to a fight to the death. Huntress offers to take Dinah's place instead, reasoning that she has too many people who love her. However, this gives Dinah
Merlyn (DC Comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue
7224-436: Is born ( Birds of Prey #66 (June 2004) would establish that they took the name "Laurel" from a librarian Dinah befriended during a case). A Black Canary miniseries by writer Greg Weisman and artist Mike Sekowsky was planned in 1984. Although its first issue was pencilled, the project was shelved due to the character's use in writer-artist Mike Grell 's high-profile Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters series. Elements of
7396-509: Is designed to be tape delayed and therefore recommended to air in the same time slot in all time zones. However, it is broadcast one hour earlier on affiliates of The CW Plus in the Central , Mountain and Alaska Time Zones . In Guam , CW Plus affiliate KTKB-LD in Hagåtña airs The CW lineup on a one-day tape delay from its initial broadcast because of the time difference between Guam and
7568-512: Is handpicked by Batman to become a member of the Justice League of America to fight against a group of Extremists along with Vixen, Lobo, Killer Frost , The Ray , and The Atom . In the Dawn of DC era, Black Canary leads an all-new team of Birds of Prey . Some of the members are Harley Quinn , Big Barda and Zealot . Dinah Drake made her debut in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947) as
7740-496: Is intended to appeal mainly to viewers between the ages of 18 and 34, although from 2008 to 2011, the network shifted its programming to appeal to women in that demographic. As of August 2017, the network's audience was evenly split between men and women. The CW runs programming seven days a week: airing nightly in prime time, along with a Saturday morning live-action educational programming block produced by Hearst Media Production Group called One Magnificent Morning . The CW
7912-434: Is later captured by the vigilante Cupid who plans to kill him in front of Green Arrow, with whom Cupid is besotted. To this end, she slashes Merlyn's throat with an arrow, and although Green Arrow is able to get Merlyn medical attention in time to save his life, the villain's vocal cords are severely damaged. In The New 52 reboot's Batman Incorporated , Merlyn appears under the League of Assassins' employ and serves as
8084-562: Is portrayed by Rachel Skarsten in the TV series Birds of Prey , as well as in Smallville , portrayed by Alaina Huffman . Several versions appear in the TV show Arrow , with Laurel Lance being portrayed by Katie Cassidy , who also portrayed an evil version of the character named Black Siren . In this version, her sister Sara Lance was the first to become Black Canary, portrayed by Caity Lotz . Dinah Lance made her cinematic debut in
8256-419: Is rocky at first, since her impulsiveness clashes with Oracle's organization. Gradually, they learn to work together and became friends. When Oracle flees from Blockbuster , Dinah rescues her and meets Barbara Gordon, deepening their friendship. Infinite Crisis gives Earth a new timeline, with Wonder Woman again a founding member of the Justice League. In a Week 51 back-up feature of 52 , Black Canary
8428-536: Is trained by her father, detective Richard Drake, intending to follow him on the Gotham City police force. When she is turned down, her disillusioned father dies shortly afterwards. Determined to honor his memory, Dinah fights crime and corruption by any possible means. She becomes a costumed vigilante, using her inheritance to open a flower shop as her day job. Dinah marries her lover, private eye Larry Lance, and several years later their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance,
8600-477: The 2008–09 season (with Everybody Hates Chris , and The Game – a spin-off of Girlfriends – becoming the last comedies to be cancelled). The network also ordered more episodes of its original series and ran them consecutively starting on September 12 through the first week of December without repeats. In July 2012, Pedowitz no longer referred to the target demographic of The CW as women 18–34, but rather that it would now be an "18–34 adult network". Although
8772-421: The 29th Critics' Choice Awards , The CW launched a new brand identity by DixonBaxi—which updated the logo with a bolder appearance, changed the network's main color from green to red-orange , and introduced a new "stage" device used in promos (formed by extending the C lettering from the logo), as well as a new sound trademark of a struck match . Spadaccini explained that the rebranding was intended to help make
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#17327904934578944-537: The Big Three networks ( ABC , CBS and NBC ). In the eleven years that UPN and the WB were in operation, the two networks lost a combined $ 2 billion. Chris-Craft Industries , Viacom , and Time Warner officials had discussed a possible merger of UPN and the WB as early as September 1995, only eight months after their respective launches; however, discussions ultimately broke down over issues on how to combine Chris-Craft and Tribune Broadcasting 's station interests in
9116-504: The DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey , portrayed by Jurnee Smollett . Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino created the character in 1947 to be featured in Flash Comics as a supporting character. Appearing first as a clandestine crime-fighter who infiltrates criminal organizations to break them from the inside, the Black Canary was drawn with fishnet stockings and a black leather jacket to connote images of
9288-496: The Golden Age of Comic Books , Dinah Drake's adventures were featured in: At her Golden Age debut, the Black Canary was the alter ego of Dinah Drake and participated in crime-fighting adventures with her love interest (and eventual husband), Gotham City detective Larry Lance . Initially, the character was a hand-to-hand fighter without superpowers who often posed as a criminal to infiltrate criminal gangs. She first meets
9460-550: The Joker , she reestablishes her crime-fighting career as Oracle, information broker to the superhero community. After briefly working with the Suicide Squad , she forms a covert-mission team. Since Barbara thinks that of all the superheroes Dinah has the most potential, Oracle asks Black Canary to become an operative. Black Canary reinvents herself, trading her blonde wig for bleached blonde hair. Her relationship with Oracle
9632-609: The Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948), joining them in All Star Comics #41 (June–July 1948). Black Canary's foes included criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary was revived with the other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on
9804-399: The League of Assassins , Merlyn is at the prime of human physical and mental conditioning, possessing advanced strength, agility, and reflexes. He is a master in the art of stealth and has an incredibly high tolerance for pain, and his Kevlar body armor further enhances his durability. Merlyn is also a formidable expert in many forms of hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, being able to best
9976-517: The Shadow Thief during his trial, but are confronted and stopped by the Manhunter. During the " Infinite Crisis " storyline, Merlyn serves as a member of Alexander Luthor Jr. 's Society . Since then, he has resumed his feud with Green Arrow, launching several attacks on the hero's family. Merlyn then plays a major role in the attack on Green Arrow and Black Canary 's wedding as a member of
10148-474: The Teen Choice Awards , Saturn Awards , and others. Overall, the network ended the 2014–15 season posting its highest average total viewership in a single television season since 2007–08 with 2.15 million viewers, a 12 percent increase in total viewership year-to-year; The CW also posted its highest seasonal demographic ratings among males ages 18–49 with a 0.8 share. Expanding on the success of
10320-569: The continental United States as the island is on the west side of the International Date Line . Supernatural (which initially aired on the WB) was the final CW series carried over from either of the network's respective predecessors that continued to be broadcast, airing its final episode in November 2020. The CW formerly aired short segments during commercial breaks within certain episodes of its programs known as "Content Wraps" –
10492-468: The "Lance" surname is attributed to her marriage with the character Kurt Lance, a secret agent who was her husband during Black Canary's period as a composite character in the New 52 , as opposed to her father's surname in previous continuities. Black Canary has been adapted into various media, including direct-to-video animated films, video games, and in live-action and animated television series. Dinah Laurel
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#173279049345710664-400: The "canary cry." A story in Justice League of America #219-220 (October and November 1983) served to explain the origin of Black Canary's new sonic scream powers, and further, why she continued to appear youthful despite being active since the late 1940s (thereby making her nearly 60 years old). It was established that during the 1950s, she and Larry had a daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance , who
10836-455: The $ 100 million loss during the quarter when Nexstar acquired it. In June 2024, Schwartz stated that he hoped to have more scripted series on air, but their new financial model necessitated finding production partners. CW Studios was launched in August 2024 after The CW pulled The Librarians: The Next Chapter from their fall schedule and sold the series to TNT . The CW retained a stake in
11008-573: The 2006–07 season, The CW reached an agreement with American Eagle Outfitters to incorporate tie-ins with the company's aerie clothing line as part of the Content Wrap concept within the network's Tuesday night schedule, which included subjects in the commercials commenting on plot points in each of the shows. The agreement was cut down to regular advertising in February 2007, after a fan backlash by viewers of both shows and general criticism of
11180-588: The 2018–19 season. Despite modest ratings, their renewals – along with the renewal of the entire 2018–19 lineup (absent those series already previously announced as ending) – reflected their value to the network's founding co-owners CBS and Warner Bros., which received the windfall of selling them to Netflix and international buyers. This strategy continued with the 2019–20 season debuts of the new Arrowverse series Batwoman , Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene , and Nancy Drew . On August 13, 2019, CBS and Viacom officially announced their intention to re-merge , with
11352-436: The 2021–22 television season, following approval of the expansion by the network's key affiliate groups. As part of the deal, The CW ceased programming The CW Daytime block and returned the time to its stations. With the addition of Saturday nights, The CW has programming on every night of the week for the first time in the network's history, becoming only the sixth American English-language commercial broadcast network ever and
11524-407: The 2023–24 season. On February 1, 2023, The CW appointed Heather Olander as the head of unscripted programming, a position under which she reports to Schwartz. In a shift away from scripted programming, it also let go of Executive VP for Current Programming Michael Roberts, and Executive VP for Development Gaye Hirsch, among other layoffs on the following day. The CW appointed Chris Spadaccini as
11696-540: The Black Canary was established as two separate entities: mother and daughter, Dinah Drake-Lance and Dinah Laurel Lance. Stories since the Silver Age focused on the younger Black Canary, ascribing her superhuman abilities to a genetic mutation . Following the universe-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (concluding in March 1986), the Black Canary's history was revised again. The mind-transplant story of 1983
11868-502: The Black Canary. A Black Canary miniseries by writer Greg Weisman and artist Mike Sekowsky was planned in 1984. Although its first issue was pencilled, the project was shelved due to the character's use in writer-artist Mike Grell 's high-profile Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters series. Elements of the project were used in Weisman's short film, DC Showcase: Green Arrow . When DC rebooted its continuity with The New 52 ,
12040-445: The Black Canary. Following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character's history underwent significant changes. Eventually, Dinah and Larry Lance married once again and established a private law firm in Gotham City. They welcomed the birth of their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, who would later aspire to become a superhero. Dinah herself retired from her own heroic endeavors and focused on raising her daughter. The members of
12212-814: The Bold and once with Superman in DC Comics Presents . Appearing frequently as a guest in the "Green Arrow" backup feature of Action Comics , she was a backup feature in World's Finest Comics #244 (April–May 1977) to #256 (April–May 1979) (when the title was in Dollar Comics format). Black Canary's backstory was featured in DC Special Series #10 (April 1978). After the "Black Canary" feature in World's Finest Comics , she appears as
12384-404: The Dark Archer later engage in a fierce duel, with Oliver believing the hooded villain to be Malcolm's son, Tommy . Malcolm then reveals himself to Oliver as "the original Dark Archer", and proceeds to best his foe in combat whilst taunting him. Before Malcolm can kill Oliver, however, the intervention of Black Canary and the police forces the villain to flee. As he escapes, Merlyn fires an arrow at
12556-478: The GCPD Police Academy was rejected. Both Dinah and Larry became disillusioned with the department. Richard suspected misogyny and was angered by the proposal of an administrative job for Dinah, feeling that the department did not want another honest member of their family in law enforcement. Tragically, Richard died due to a heart attack. Inspired by the actions of "mystery men," Dinah decided to adopt
12728-470: The Gotham City police force. When she is turned down, her disillusioned father dies shortly afterwards. Determined to honor his memory, Dinah fights crime and corruption by any possible means. She becomes a costumed vigilante, using her inheritance to open a flower shop as her day job. Dinah marries her lover, private eye Larry Lance, and several years later their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, is born ( Birds of Prey #66 (June 2004) would establish that they took
12900-578: The Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . In a 1969 JLA/JSA team-up against the rogue star-creature Aquarius, who banished Earth-2's inhabitants (except the JSA) to another dimension, Larry Lance is killed saving Dinah's life and Aquarius is defeated. Grief-stricken, Canary moves to Earth-1 and joins the Justice League. She begins a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovers that she has developed an ultrasonic scream,
13072-415: The Justice Society of America became like a second family to them. However, Dinah held a contrasting view when it came to her daughter's desire to become a hero. She vehemently opposed it, which led to arguments between them. It was during one of these arguments that young Dinah first manifested her metahuman ability known as the "Canary Cry." Despite their strained relationship, her daughter went on to become
13244-551: The League of Assassins' elite team known as the Seven Men of Death, and is sent to Gotham City to retrieve the Suit of Sorrows from the Order of Purity. During the attack on the Order, Merlyn kills the Order's leader Leland McCauley, and injures Felicidad Gomez before being confronted by Azrael . Merlyn and his team attempt to capture Azrael and move him to their headquarters, but Azrael uses one of Merlyn's own arrows to stab him. Merlyn
13416-514: The Sunday late afternoon repeat block that The CW inherited from the WB (formerly branded by that network as "EasyView") was discontinued. Subsequently, in mid-May, 65 percent of The CW's affiliates, including those carrying The CW Plus, signed agreements to air the replacement MGM Showcase movie package on Sundays. On April 28, 2011, Mark Pedowitz was appointed by the network to succeed original president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff ; Pedowitz
13588-605: The U.S. are receivable over-the-air in border areas depending on the station's signal coverage . The WB and UPN both launched within one week of each other in January 1995, just as the Fox network had started to secure a foothold with American television audiences. The two networks launched to limited fanfare and generally mediocre to poor results. However, over the subsequent 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 seasons, both were able to air several series that became quite popular (such as Buffy
13760-416: The United States, and unscripted series. Schwartz criticized the previous co-owners of the network, stating that it would no longer exist for benefiting them, and that the shows left over from the previous regimes did not perform well on linear broadcast. He added that in order to achieve profitability, The CW was focusing on acquired shows and co-productions while expanding its audience. He also revealed that
13932-689: The United States, with 94 + 3 ⁄ 4 hours of scheduled news each week. Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, including the Justice Society of America and Justice League of America . The Black Canary persona has been adopted by two individuals, portrayed as
14104-549: The United States. WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming service subsequently acquired exclusive streaming rights to Warner Bros.-produced CW shows. This began with the 2019–20 season, with the Warner Bros.-produced Batwoman and Katy Keene debuting on HBO Max after their current seasons finished airing on The CW. The CBS Studios-produced Nancy Drew was originally announced to be heading to corporate-sibling owned CBS All Access, but appeared on HBO Max instead. The reason for this
14276-501: The Vampire Slayer , Star Trek: Voyager , The Sentinel , 7th Heaven , Dawson's Creek , Charmed , Smallville , Everwood , Gilmore Girls , Reba , The Steve Harvey Show , and America's Next Top Model ). Towards the end of their first decade on the air, the WB and UPN were in decline, unable to reach the audience share or have the effect that Fox had gained within its first decade, much less than that of
14448-521: The Watchtower to warn her of an attack on the world's superheroes. Prometheus arrives and attacks the team, severing Red Arrow's arm and maneuvering Dinah into the path of an energy bolt fired by Mikaal Tomas . After Prometheus is defeated, he destroys Star City with a teleportation device. In their search for survivors, Dinah and Ollie discover the bloody body of Roy's daughter, Lian. Dinah goes to Roy's hospital bedside with Donna Troy to break
14620-468: The air. Because of declining viewership for the network during the 2007–08 season and effects from the Writers Guild of America strike , the network announced on March 4, 2008, that it would eliminate its comedy department (dismissing executive vice president of comedy Kim Fleary and senior vice president of comedy Steve Veisel), while also combining its drama and current programming departments into
14792-532: The arrangement would be primarily for the 2022–23 broadcast season . It indicated that it "will have the option to extend the partnership" with Paramount and WBD beyond that season. Nexstar stated in September 2022 that it would seek to supplement The CW's content by acquiring projects from studios beyond solely Paramount and WBD. while any The CW content not licensed to other streaming services would continue to appear on its own streaming platform CW Seed. On October 3, Nexstar officially announced that it had closed
14964-447: The average audience of a broadcast CW affiliate was approximately 58 years old. Nexstar indicated that it would focus on the older audiences as well and not just the younger demographic. In particular, Nexstar was reported to have been seeking older-skewing dramas, police procedurals , and sitcoms. Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery would still produce content for The CW as primary content suppliers, though Nexstar noted that
15136-458: The average number per year that The CW had canceled over the previous decade, including one-season shows 4400 and Naomi , and longtime fixtures including Dynasty , Legends of Tomorrow , Roswell, New Mexico , and Legacies . More shows were cancelled or given final season orders in the following months including Nancy Drew , Stargirl , The Flash, and Riverdale . In late June 2022, The Wall Street Journal indicated
15308-442: The battle with Aquarius, Dinah discovered she was dying from radiation exposure, and she asked to see her daughter's grave one last time. Shown the body of her daughter—still in suspended animation, but now grown to adulthood—Dinah wished that she could somehow be her successor. The Superman of Earth-1 and the Thunderbolt conceived a solution and transferred Dinah's memories into her daughter's body so that she could continue fighting as
15480-424: The campaign. The network does not produce national news content, but on December 6, 2023, The CW simulcasted sister network NewsNation 's coverage of the fourth 2024 Republican Party presidential debate . The debate marked the first national news program aired on the network under Nexstar ownership. The partnership drew a combined 4 million viewers. As part of the company's efforts to expand its linear reach and
15652-481: The chairman and CEO of The CW. Though no monetary terms were announced, Nexstar reportedly would not pay any cash or stock up front, and would absorb approximately $ 100 million of network debt. The Hollywood Reporter stated that Nexstar retained $ 54 million based on its cash on hand, accounts receivable , accounts payable and other liabilities . As the sale did not entail the transfer of any FCC broadcast licenses, Nexstar immediately took operational control of
15824-532: The character no longer has the "Lance" surname. She is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age Black Canary . Dinah Drake appears in media set in the Arrowverse , portrayed by Juliana Harkavy . The second Black Canary, Dinah Laurel Lance , was created by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin, first appearing in Justice League of America #219 (October, 1983). The character is often depicted as
15996-408: The character was amalgamated with Dinah Laurel Lance, and took the name Dinah Drake. The Golden Age Black Canary was restored to continuity in the lead-up to DC's Infinite Frontier initiative. Dinah was born to Richard Drake, an Irish detective in Gotham City, and an unnamed mother who died the early years of her marriage to Richard. This occurred in the early-to-mid 1900s, a time before corruption
16168-404: The character's history was merged with that of her daughter, both assuming the name Dinah Drake. However, in preparation for DC's Infinite Frontier initiative, the original Golden Age Black Canary was reintroduced into continuity. In this new continuity, although similarities from her prior history are present, the identity of Dinah Drake II's father remains undisclosed, as the character Larry Lance
16340-446: The chief marketing officer on February 6, and Tom Martin as the head of business affairs and general counsel on February 9, 2023. It later appointed Betzy Slenzak as the vice president of unscripted programming on March 30, and Ashley Hovey as the network's first chief digital officer on April 11, 2023. On May 18, 2023, The CW unveiled its schedule for the 2023–24 broadcast season , consisting mostly of acquired shows from outside
16512-453: The combined company to be named ViacomCBS . The merger was completed on December 4, 2019, making them officially with AT&T's WarnerMedia co-owners of The CW. WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS did not renew CW's Netflix deal in 2019, intending to use their shows on the network for their own streaming services. International sales also mostly ended, because both companies wanted to retain rights to their own shows to compete with Netflix outside
16684-468: The course of seven days. The network offers 15 hours of prime time programming to its owned-and-operated and affiliated stations, airing from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time on Monday through Saturday nights and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific) on Sunday nights. Outside of prime time, a three-hour educational programming block called " One Magnificent Morning " (which airs as part of The CW schedule through
16856-458: The current Black Canary is re-established as being the daughter of her Golden Age predecessor, fully reversing the controversial New 52 changes and bringing an end to the distinctive New 52 version of the character. The largely erased New 52 versions of the DC heroes were established as residing on Earth-52 in the comic book miniseries Doomsday Clock . During the DC Rebirth era, Black Canary
17028-415: The daughter of the original Dinah Drake, possessing metahuman abilities and being highly skilled in martial arts. She is prominently associated with the Justice League , Birds of Prey , and has had a significant relationship with Green Arrow alongside his allies. In modern narratives, the character's birth name is Dinah Laurel Drake II , with her name being an homage to her mother. Additionally,
17200-470: The deal to acquire the majority ownership of The CW. Longtime chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz resigned from his role, with Dennis Miller taking over as the president of The CW. Rick Haskins, The CW's chief branding officer and president of the network's streaming division, as well as chief financial officer Mitch Nedick were let go on the same day. Thirty to forty employees were laid off on November 1, including several executives. Longtime executive Paul Hewitt
17372-399: The death of Sue Dibny would have troublesome and dire consequences in the criminal underworld. Although the Justice League manages to capture Merlyn, Monacle and Deadshot, the latter is able to use connections with the Suicide Squad and Amanda Waller to arrange for their release, much to the frustration of the newest Manhunter . Merlyn, Deadshot, Monacle and Phobia later attempt to kill
17544-570: The difficult decision to abandon her at a young age. However, this truth remained unknown from the younger Dinah until a later point in her life, who instead believed she was abandoned. Further details emerged about the older Dinah's life as the first Black Canary. She was widely recognized as a highly skilled martial artist, and she partnered with her unnamed husband, who worked as a private investigator in Gotham. At one point, she even founded her own martial arts group. To protect her daughter, Dinah made
17716-426: The difficult decision to leave her behind and assumed various disguises, including working as a florist and a dancer. Tragedy struck when her husband was killed during a confrontation with their adversary, Ravanahatha. In response, Dinah unleashed her unique martial arts technique known as the "Five Heavens Palm," which proved instrumental in defeating the formidable demon. In a mysterious manner, she managed to pass down
17888-529: The disapproval of his Thunderbolt companion. However, it is later revealed that Dinah had actually infiltrated a criminal gang, shedding light on her true intentions. In her own anthology feature, the character is portrayed as a black-haired florist who harbors romantic feelings for Larry Lance, a detective with the Gotham City Police Department. Eventually, she would meet the Justice Society of America and joined them among her ranks. As
18060-521: The earlier depiction, in the Modern Age stories, Oliver is considerably older than Dinah. Dinah is a League member for about six years, including a brief stint with Justice League International (JLI, which she helps found). After her mother's death from radiation poisoning received during her battle with Aquarius, Dinah feels that her time in the JLA is over. She moves to Seattle with Green Arrow and opens
18232-521: The elder Dinah discourages her, feeling that the world has become too dangerous for her daughter to succeed. Regardless, Dinah finds fighters (including former JSA member Wildcat ) who help her hone her skills, and after years of dedication and training, she assumes the mantle of Black Canary despite her mother's opposition. Like her mother, Dinah operates out of Gotham, with a day job in the family floral business. In an early Birds of Prey issue, writer Chuck Dixon has Dinah briefly married and divorced at
18404-411: The exception of Veronica Mars , which debuted its third season on October 3, 2006. Despite having several of the most popular programs carried over from UPN and the WB as part of its schedule, The CW – even though it experienced some success with newer programs that launched in subsequent seasons which became modest hits – largely struggled to gain an audience foothold throughout its first five years on
18576-399: The first since Fox to have offered prime time content on a nightly basis. On January 5, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS were exploring a possible sale of either a majority stake or all of The CW, and that Nexstar Media Group , which became The CW's largest affiliate group when it acquired former WB-era network co-owner Tribune Broadcasting in 2019,
18748-436: The girl's skills as Batgirl. He and Green Arrow faced each other again when Merlyn attempted to assassinate Batman ; Green Arrow managed to intercept Merlyn's arrow with one of his own, saving Batman's life. Merlyn admitted that Green Arrow had improved since their last encounter, but escaped before he could be captured. In Action Comics , Merlyn, now working as a freelance assassin and contract killer who sells his skills to
18920-655: The group is eventually stopped by the Justice League. The Killer Elite later encounters the Body Doubles , and Merlyn and his team are defeated. In Young Justice , Merlyn mentors Turk, a wolf-like metahuman and archer. Merlyn and Turk attempt to sabotage an archery contest in their favor, but are stopped by Young Justice. Merlyn next appears as one of the primary villains in the Injustice Gang in Identity Crisis . He warns and correctly predicts that
19092-439: The highest bidder, is hired by Queen Bee (Zazzala) to join a supervillain team and take on the Justice League . He then serves under Tobias Whale as a member of Metropolis ' crime syndicate the 100 . Merlyn attempts to kill Black Lightning when he accompanies Joey Toledo . Though the League of Assassins crash the battle when they were displeased that Merlyn left them. He is ultimately defeated by Black Lightning while Toledo
19264-554: The highest critical praise of any series during the 2014–15 television season, and became the first CW series ever to be nominated for, and win, a Golden Globe Award , with lead actress Gina Rodriguez winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy . Other CW shows like The Flash , The 100 , and Nikita would also go on to be nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards categories, and several shows from 2011 to 2019 being nominated for categories in
19436-597: The identity from her mother, Dinah Drake Lance. Although some references (for example, those in James Robinson's Starman series) tried to distinguish the two Canaries by calling the first "Diana", recent accounts have confirmed Dinah as the mother's given name. The two Canaries' origin stories were told in full in Secret Origins #50 (August 1990). In this story, Dinah Drake is trained by her Irish father, detective Richard Drake, intending to follow him on
19608-414: The knowledge of this technique to her daughter, which later became crucial when her daughter faced the same demon in battle. Following the universe-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (concluding in March 1986), Black Canary's history was revised again. The mind-transplant story of 1983 was discarded; in this version of the story, the present-day Black Canary is Dinah Laurel Lance, who inherits
19780-402: The latter's appointment as network president. Pedowitz revealed that the core target demographic of the network would not change, though The CW would attempt to lure new viewers. Pedowitz began looking to bring comedies back to The CW after Ostroff had publicly declared that the difficulty of developing comedies for its target demographic was the reason for their removal from the network following
19952-492: The likes of Green Arrow with relative ease. After the defeat of the Leviathan organization, large portions of Merlyn's body are replaced by advanced mechanical parts, granting him superhuman durability and illusion abilities. The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW ) is an American commercial broadcast television network that is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through
20124-486: The lineup. The Sunday series that were scheduled – two reality series ( 4Real and In Harm's Way ) and two scripted series (romantic dramedy Valentine and drama Easy Money ) – performed poorly in the ratings (averaging only 1.04 million viewers), prompting the CW to scrap its agreement with MRC and program Sunday nights on its own starting on November 30, 2008. With no first-run programming available to run on Sundays as
20296-448: The move that December, with the network reaching clearance deals with key affiliate partners in early 2018. On June 12, 2018, AT&T received antitrust approval to acquire Warner Bros. parent Time Warner, with the acquisition closing two days later. Time Warner was renamed WarnerMedia and AT&T became a co-owner of The CW with CBS. The CW debuted reboots of Charmed , Roswell , and Originals spin-off Legacies during
20468-479: The name "Laurel" from a librarian Dinah befriended during a case ). The younger Dinah has her own "canary cry"—in this version, the result of a metagene absent from both her parents—which (unlike the Silver Age Black Canary) she can control. Growing up surrounded by her mother's friends in the disbanded JSA (seeing them as uncles and aunts), she wishes to be a costumed hero like her mother, but
20640-477: The network had redefined its target audience as exclusively females 18 to 34 years old, whereas SmackDown targeted a predominantly male audience. Following SmackDown ' s move to MyNetworkTV that same season, the Fox -owned network (which launched the same month as The CW's debut, albeit two weeks earlier, on September 5, 2006) began beating The CW in the Friday ratings every week from that program's debut on
20812-620: The network was in production or negotiations for a total of 72 shows. CW Sports was launched by acquiring the rights to LIV Golf and soon expanded by acquiring ACC college football and basketball games, Inside the NFL , the NASCAR Xfinity Series and WWE NXT . In August 2023, Schwartz stated that the network was involved in many upcoming US-produced scripted shows and will focus on getting monetization rights on any scripted content it broadcasts, while producing shows at
20984-413: The network was still not profitable, CBS and Warner Bros. were very successful in selling their CW shows overseas. In 2011, a $ 1 billion deal with streaming service Netflix became another way to sell CW shows. The introduction of action-superhero series Arrow , based on DC Comics ' Green Arrow , received favorable reviews from critics and became a hit with audiences when it premiered. As evidence of
21156-432: The network's Arrowverse franchise, DC's Legends of Tomorrow premiered to high ratings for the network and became the most-watched show on the network's Thursday night block in two years. The 2015–16 season also saw Crazy Ex-Girlfriend become one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the season and the second show on the network to be nominated for, and win, a Golden Globe Award, with actress Rachel Bloom winning
21328-701: The network's brand more consistent and optimized for digital platforms; the word "The" was removed from the logo to streamline its appearance (especially in use cases such as "CW Original" or "CW Sports"). Spadaccini said that the network's name and verbal branding would remain "The CW". The CW unveiled its fall schedule for the 2024–25 broadcast season in May 2024, with programming consisting of co-produced scripted series, game shows, unscripted series, and an expansion of CW Sports. Three of its four remaining pre-Nexstar scripted series, Superman & Lois , All American: Homecoming , and Walker , are set to conclude within
21500-410: The network's launch, the CW chose to use the scheduling model utilized by the WB due in part to the fact that it had a more extensive base programming schedule than UPN, allowing for a larger total of weekly programming hours for the new network to fill. (The WB carried 30 hours of programming each week because it had a children's program block and a daytime lineup that UPN did not offer; UPN was primarily
21672-462: The network's refocusing toward a broader audience, Arrow not only premiered to some of the highest viewership totals in the network's history (the third-highest overall as of 2015 , behind the series premieres of The Vampire Diaries and The Flash ), but it also gave the network its strongest performance in the demographic of males 18–34 since Smallville ended its run in May 2011. The network also found success with its summer programming in 2013 with
21844-513: The network, though The CW continued to beat MyNetworkTV overall. The CW generally struggled in the Nielsen ratings from its inception, primarily placing fifth in all statistics tabulated by Nielsen (total audience viewership and demographic ratings). On several occasions, The CW was even outrated by the Spanish language network Univision . This led to speculation within the industry (including
22016-405: The network. Nexstar, in a conference call that took place the day its purchase was announced, indicated a desire to run The CW cost-consciously. Citing research that indicated the network spends "almost twice" the amount other broadcast networks spend on programming, a partial reason for the May 2022 cancellations, Nexstar stated that it planned to seek shows with smaller production budgets and/or
22188-402: The network. On May 5, 2009, The CW announced that it would give the five hours of network time on Sundays back to its affiliated stations that fall, effectively becoming a weeknight-only network in prime time, in addition to The CW Daytime and The CW4Kids blocks (the latter block, airing on Saturday mornings, would remain the only weekend programming supplied by the network). This change meant
22360-574: The new Injustice League . During Countdown , Merlyn appears under the employ of the League of Assassins, coordinating his attacks with Talia al Ghul and serving as a mentor to Damian Wayne . Merlyn has a minor role in The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul , in which he is hired by the Sensei to take out a spring where Ra's al Ghul could revitalize himself. He is defeated during the final confrontation between Ra's and Batman. Merlyn then joins
22532-517: The new network. Warners and CBS expected to produce inexpensive shows for the network, which they could sell outside the US. Then CBS chairman Les Moonves explained that the name of the new network was formed from the first letters of CBS and Warner Bros, joking, "We couldn't call it the WC for obvious reasons." Although some executives reportedly disliked the new name, Moonves stated in March 2006 that there
22704-418: The news about his daughter when he emerges from his coma. In Blackest Night , Dinah travels to Coast City to fight Nekron 's army of Black Lanterns . According to Nekron, he can control the heroes (including Ollie) who have died and been resurrected. Dinah fights her husband, now a Black Lantern, with Mia and Connor. Ollie regains control of his body long enough to miss his wife with a shot which severs
22876-405: The opportunity to rescue Sin with the help of one of White Canary's students, Terry, and race back to halt the duel between Helena and Shiva. While the duel is understood to be a matter of duty and honor, Dinah brings to their attention that there was no time mentioned and for now the fight must end, and to be resumed at a later time. While White Canary is displeased, Shiva sides with Black Canary and
23048-505: The parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters), in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between the Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . This period also marks the moment in which the character is given her signature superpower: the "canary cry", a high-powered sonic scream which could shatter objects and incapacitate and even kill powerful foes. When DC Comics adjusted its continuity ,
23220-455: The persona of the vigilante known as "Black Canary." Initially, she trusted no one and assumed the guise of a criminal, targeting other criminals. In her civilian life, she pursued a career as a florist, seemingly abandoning her earlier desire to work in law enforcement. In her early appearances, Black Canary made her initial debut as a supposed villain in the presence of hero Johnny Thunder. Johnny becomes immediately infatuated with her, much to
23392-565: The police chief, whom Green Arrow narrowly manages to save at the cost of his own bow, which is shattered by Merlyn's shot. In Batman , Merlyn was one of the assassins hired by the Penguin and the Designer to kill Batman. He was captured by the GCPD, but managed to escape. He, along with Cheshire , attempts to attack Catwoman and Harley Quinn before they defeat him. Merlyn (Arthur King)
23564-418: The primetime access hour on Sundays until the 2021–22 and 2023–24 broadcast seasons respectively. Because of these factors, The CW's affiliates handle the responsibility of programming non-network time periods, with the majority of its stations filling those slots mainly with syndicated programming. However, some of the network's affiliates broadcast their own local news and/or sports programs (either produced by
23736-918: The program, which NewsNation launched on March 3, 2024, began airing on The CW on April 7, 2024. NewsNation 2024 United States presidential election night coverage will simulcast on CW stations. Most of The CW's affiliates do not have autonomous news operations. The network has six affiliates that produce their own local news programming, which were all carry-overs from previous affiliations: WPIX in New York City, WGN in Chicago, and KTLA in Los Angeles started their news departments as independent stations and/or during early affiliations with other networks including DuMont (KTLA) and CBS (WGN); WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina , started its news operation as
23908-507: The programming costs by more than half from the time of acquisition in 2022. Nexstar CEO and chairman Perry Sook attributed it to The CW's new strategy of lower cost programming and credited the growing CW Sports portfolio for increasing the network's viewership. The CW underwent a round of layoffs later in the same month to streamline the network's focus on sports and unscripted programming. As of October 1, 2023, The CW provides 18 hours of regularly scheduled network programming each week, over
24080-447: The project were used in Weisman's short film, DC Showcase: Green Arrow . During DC's The New 52 era which began in 2011, Black Canary was portrayed as a single character with a metahuman Canary Cry resulting from government experiments on an alien child named Ditto. This version of Black Canary founded the Birds of Prey on her own, and led the super-team Team 7 alongside her husband Kurt Lance, before later becoming lead singer in
24252-416: The proposal to merge the networks, since the two companies' station portfolios overlapped with one another in several major markets. By 2003, however, Time Warner became mired in several debt problems. The company had already been responsible for shutting down Warner Bros.' in-house animation department and for selling off major portions of the conglomerate, such as the 2004 sale of Warner Bros. Records and
24424-495: The rest of Warner Music Group to an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Thomas H. Lee Partners . Executives from CBS and Time Warner announced on January 24, 2006, that they would respectively shut down UPN and the WB, and combine resources to form a new broadcast network, to be known as The CW Television Network. They confirmed that the network would – at the outset – feature programming from both of its predecessors-to-be as well as new content developed specifically for
24596-466: The revival of the U.S. version of the improv comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? , which later became a year-round staple on the network's schedule. Arrow continued to perform strongly, leading to a spin-off with The Flash , which surpassed The Vampire Diaries as the highest-rated premiere in the network's history and became the most-watched show on the network. Jane the Virgin earned some of
24768-503: The rogue star-creature Aquarius, who banished Earth-2's inhabitants (except the JSA) to another dimension, Larry Lance is killed saving Dinah's life and Aquarius is defeated. Grief-stricken, Canary moves to Earth-1 and joins the Justice League. She begins a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovers that she has developed an ultrasonic scream, the "canary cry." Black Canary teams with Batman five times in The Brave and
24940-416: The ruins of Star City for him, finding him looking for one of the men who worked for Prometheus. Ollie overpowers them, leaving Dinah in a restraining fluid. After Green Arrow surrenders for Prometheus' murder, Dinah visits him in jail and realizes that he wants to be left alone. She removes her wedding ring, leaving it with him, and does not attend his trial. In Brightest Day , Dinah returns to Gotham in
25112-418: The series through the newly formed studio and provided the network with an in-house production arm. Miller departed as president of The CW in October 2024, with Brad Schwartz being promoted to fill the role. In November 2024, Nexstar reported that The CW had reduced its operating losses by $ 119 million year-to-date, exceeding the goal of $ 100 million for the year. Nexstar executives attributed this to reducing
25284-414: The series, with episodes premiering on DC Universe and airing the next day on The CW. After DC Universe was folded into HBO Max, Stargirl was renewed with a new co-finance deal in which The CW receives first-run airings followed by its launch on HBO Max. Going forward, The CW and HBO Max will continue to collaborate on potentially co-financing new projects, with the model of premiering first on HBO Max and
25456-413: The similarities between them and reflecting on her own father. She acknowledged how alike they were and expressed remorse. In her final moments, she entrusted Green Arrow, her daughter's lover, with looking after her. As she departed from this world, Spectre, a teammate, escorted her into the afterlife, where she eagerly anticipated reuniting with her parents and husband once more. During a certain period,
25628-504: The station itself or through outsourcing agreements with an affiliate of another network), preempting network prime time programming to a specific time period (New York City affiliate WPIX , for instance, preempts CW prime time to the afternoon hours). The Hearst-produced Saturday morning block, One Magnificent Morning (which is subject to scheduling variances similar to the weekday hour in some markets, such as in Atlanta and San Diego ),
25800-464: The success between The CW and NewsNation's airing of one the GOP primary debates, Nexstar began distributing a Sunday morning talk show in a collaboration between The CW, NewsNation and The Hill . CW president of entertainment Brad Schwartz said that the show would have both CW and The Hill branding. It was announced that Chris Stirewalt would anchor a new political Sunday show called The Hill Sunday ;
25972-424: The successor to UPN and the WB , which had respectively shut down on September 15 and 17 of that year. The CW's first two nights of programming – on September 18, 2006, and September 19, 2006 – consisted of reruns and launch-related specials . The CW marked its formal launch date on September 20, 2006, with the two-hour premiere of the seventh cycle of America's Next Top Model . The network's programming lineup
26144-631: The timeline. The comic shows the pair briefly meeting, by chance, and then separately staying up at night, contemplating what is missing from their lives. They meet again in Green Arrow Rebirth #1, and instantly hit it off. As part of Rebirth , Black Canary also re-establishes the traditional Birds of Prey line up with Batgirl and Huntress, and also joins the Justice League of America. Following subsequent continuity-restoring events in Doomsday Clock and Dark Nights: Death Metal ,
26316-517: The warrior and begins a harsh training regimen in an unidentified Vietnamese shanty town . The regimen replicates Shiva's early life and training, and Shiva assumes Dinah's role in Oracle's group. During Countdown , several series include tie-ins and run-ups to the wedding of Dinah and Ollie. The Black Canary Wedding Planner details the preparations; in Birds of Prey #109, Dinah and Barbara discuss
26488-557: The wedding (and Ollie). Countdown: Justice League Wedding Special , and Justice League #13 deal with the bachelor and bachelorette parties. A plot thread throughout is a plan by the Injustice League to attack the wedding. Dinah resigns as JLA chairwoman after the team's confrontation with the Shadow Cabinet . After learning that Ollie began his own Justice League with Hal Jordan, she confronts him when he arrives at
26660-495: The writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino , the character debuted in Flash Comics #86 on July 31, 1947 (cover dated August 1947) in the Golden Age of Comic Books . Strong, mysterious, gutsy and romantic, she has been called "the archetype of the new Film Noir era heroine." She is a prominent member of the Justice Society of America and gifted martial artist who engaged in crime-fighting exploits alongside her love interest and eventual husband, Larry Lance,
26832-410: The year, leaving All American as the sole remaining legacy series renewed by the network to continue beyond the current season. Miller and Schwartz revealed that the network planned to air its own television films later in 2024, with Miller adding that they planned to do more deals for sports programming. The CW's losses meanwhile declined by $ 50 million for the first quarter of 2024, compared to
27004-684: Was "zero chance" the name would change, citing research claiming 48 percent of the target demographic were already aware of the "CW" name. In May 2006, The CW announced that it would pick up a combined thirteen programs from its two predecessors to air as part of the network's inaugural fall schedule: seven series held over from the WB ( 7th Heaven , Beauty and the Geek , Gilmore Girls , One Tree Hill , Reba , Smallville and Supernatural ) and six held over from UPN ( America's Next Top Model , Veronica Mars , Everybody Hates Chris , Girlfriends , All of Us and WWE SmackDown! ). Upon
27176-400: Was a black-haired florist in love with Larry Lance, a Gotham City Police Department detective. She first meets the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948), joining them in All Star Comics #41 (June–July 1948). Black Canary's foes include criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary
27348-482: Was a loser, so Kanigher and I brought the Black Canary into the series. Immediately she got a good response, and it was, 'Bye, bye, Johnny Thunder.' Nobody missed him. According to Amash and Nolen-Weathington (2010), Black Canary is "really" Carmine Infantino's "first character". According to the artist: When Kanigher gave me the script, I said, 'How do you want me to draw her?' He said, 'What's your fantasy of
27520-555: Was amid the rebranding of CBS All Access to Paramount+ and the changes surrounding the ViacomCBS merger, CBS and Warner Bros. made the collective decision to have all CW shows have a singular streaming home on HBO Max. Beyond being the streaming home of CW programming, HBO Max shares a co-ownership connection with the network which allows for programming partnerships. This began with DC Comics series Stargirl , which The CW shared with DC Universe . DC Universe and The CW co-financed
27692-511: Was born Arthur King and legally changed his name (a concept incorporated from the Arrow television series). When he was around 25 years old, Malcolm joined the League of Assassins, an ancient, international order of the world's greatest killers, and was trained by their leader Ra's al Ghul himself. Malcolm's commencement ceremony into the organization involved him digging a grave which he laid in to purge himself of his past life and emerge reborn. Now
27864-501: Was considered a leading bidder. Network president and CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed talks of a potential sale but added that it was "too early to speculate what might happen". Nexstar CEO Perry Sook in Spring 2022 did not confirm the rumored buyout but stated that he would not be surprised if Nexstar owned a broadcast network. In May 2022, three months before Nexstar made their purchase official, The CW cancelled ten shows, three times
28036-418: Was cursed by the Wizard with a devastating sonic scream. Her mother hoped that Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt could cure her, but the Thunderbolt was only able to keep the younger Dinah in suspended animation in his own dimension. To ease their pain, the Thunderbolt altered the memories of the tragedy, leaving all to believe Dinah's daughter had simply died. Following the battle with Aquarius, Dinah discovered she
28208-494: Was deeply rooted in the city. Richard trained Dinah from a young age, hoping that she would follow in his footsteps and become a policewoman. They both aspired to combat the growing corruption and seek justice for Richard's late wife. In her later years, Dinah developed a connection with Larry Lance, her father's younger partner. She aimed to join the police academy, with the intention of helping her father and Larry in their efforts. However, despite her contributions, her application to
28380-514: Was discarded; in this version of the story, the present-day Black Canary is Dinah Laurel Lance, who inherits the identity from her mother, Dinah Drake-Lance. Although some references (for example, those in James Robinson's Starman series) tried to distinguish between the two Canaries by calling the first "Diana", recent accounts have confirmed Dinah as the mother's given name. The two Canaries' origin stories were told in full in Secret Origins (vol. 2) #50 (August 1990). In this story, Dinah Drake
28552-404: Was dying from radiation exposure, and she asked to see her daughter's grave one last time. Shown the body of her daughter—still in suspended animation, but now grown to adulthood—Dinah wished that her daughter could somehow be her successor. The Superman of Earth-1 and the Thunderbolt conceived a solution and transferred Dinah's memories into her daughter's body so that she could continue fighting as
28724-640: Was killed during the three-way battle. A man from Libya later hires Meryln to kill a Russian scientist visiting Casablanca. Although Merlyn is aided by Syonide, his assassination attempt is foiled by the Flash and Phantom Lady. During the events of " Underworld Unleashed ," Merlyn is among the villains that sell their souls to the demon Neron in exchange for greater power. He then joins the Killer Elite (along with Deadshot , Monocle , Bolt , Chiller and Deadline ) to perform various assassinations with Merlyn wanting to do his dream assassination on Batman, but
28896-455: Was made the network's first president and assumed broader responsibilities in The CW's business operations than Ostroff had. As president of entertainment, Ostroff oversaw entertainment operations while John Maatta, the network's chief operating officer, handled business affairs; both reported to a board composed of CBS and Warner Bros. executives. Maatta began reporting to Pedowitz as a result of
29068-450: Was repeated on September 19, 2006, with the sixth-season finale of Gilmore Girls . The network continued to air season finales from the previous season through the remainder of the first week, except for America's Next Top Model and WWE SmackDown! , which respectively began their new seasons on September 20, 2006, and September 22, 2006, with two-hour premieres. When Top Model made its network premiere on September 20, 2006, The CW scored
29240-448: Was replaced with Beth Feldman as the senior vice president of the network's communications unit. On the following day, Brad Schwartz was appointed as the president for the entertainment division, overseeing programming strategy, creative and brand development, and day-to-day operations. On November 8, Nexstar announced that the carryover programming from the former majority parent companies of The CW, Paramount and WBD, would be minimal by
29412-416: Was revived with the other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on the parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters) in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between the Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . In a 1969 JLA/JSA team-up against
29584-455: Was temporarily replaced by Kurt Lance during the amalgamation period before his history is retroactively added to Dinah Drake II's history. Due the alterations after the New 52, it was retconned that the composite Dinah's (now Dinah II) mother is retroactively Dinah Drake I. In this history, originally depicted as a teenage mother, she found herself unable to adequately care for her daughter and made
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