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New CW shows feature vampires, werewolves, and 16th-century royalty

The last of this week's broadcast upfronts was by The CW, whose brand is young, fresh, and hip. Fittingly, The CW's presentation at New York's City Center on Thursday opened with Icona Pop performing the infectious "I Love It."

Ian Somerhadler, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley of "The Vampire Diaries"
Ian Somerhadler, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley of "The Vampire Diaries"Read moreCW
    by By David Hiltbrand, INQUIRER TV CRITIC | Columnist, Inquirer
    Published 

The last of this week's broadcast upfronts was by The CW, whose brand is young, fresh, and hip. Fittingly, The CW's presentation at New York's City Center on Thursday opened with Icona Pop performing the infectious "I Love It."

The network's new schedule includes superpowered teens, vampires, and . . . Mary, Queen of Scots? A series about 16th-century royalty - didn't see that one coming.

Despite the departures of Gossip Girl and 90210, and the looming expiration of Nikita, it is a typically modest harvest of new shows (three dramas) for The CW, which has only 10 hours of programming to fill each week.

Here are descriptions of the series The CW will add in October:

Set in New Orleans, The Originals is populated by vampires, werewolves, and witches (Oh my!). The Vampire Diaries spinoff stars Joseph Morgan (reprising his Klaus character) and Daniel Gillies (Saving Hope) as brothers, scions of the first family of vampires. They're trying to take back the Crescent City from apostate vamp Charles Michael Davis (The Game). With Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin, and Daniella Pineda.

In The Tomorrow People, Robbie Amell (1600 Penn) plays a guy with mysteriously emerging powers. (Amell's cousin Stephen is the hunky star of Tomorrow People's lead-in, Arrow.) This teleporting teen must choose between his mutant kind (Luke Mitchell, Peyton List, and Penn alum Aaron Yoo), who live in an abandoned subway station, and the doctor (Lost's Mark Pellegrino) who wants to stamp them out.

Reign revels in lust and intrigue in the 16th-century royal court of France. A teenage Mary Stuart (Aussie actress Adelaide Kane) is in a love triangle between the Dauphin (Brit actor Toby Regbo) and the king's rakish bastard Sebastian (Canadian actor Torrance Coombs). You know what this show needs? American vampires.

With only two dependable ratings draws - Arrow and Vampire Diaries - in its stable, the CW is hoping these shows will attract younger viewers, its stock in trade. If not, off with their heads, starting with Mary's.

CW Fall Lineup

New programs in bold.

Monday

8 p.m. Hart of Dixie

9 p.m. Beauty and the Beast

Tuesday

8 p.m. The Originals

9 p.m. Supernatural

Wednesday

8 p.m. Arrow

9 p.m.  The Tomorrow People 

Thursday

8 p.m. The Vampire Diaries

9 p.m. Reign

Friday

8 p.m. The Carrie Diaries

9 p.m. America's Next Top ModelEndText