The CW’s television season is winding down, but it won’t be too long before our favorite shows return with new seasons. Today, The CW unveiled its official fall lineup, and it looks like fans of iZombie, The 100, and Black Lightning are going to have wait until midseason for those shows to come back. However, we do have premiere dates for Supergirl, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Riverdale, Supernatural, Arrow, and others.
To get you ready for the next round of The CW’s, we’ve put together a primer on when each show is returning and the latest word on what we can expect to see in the new seasons.
SUPERGIRL
Premiere Date: Monday, October 9
Supergirl is staying at 8pm on Monday nights, and Melissa Benoist’s Kara Zor-El is going to be nursing a broken heart following the departure of Mon-El (Chris Wood). But she’s got much bigger problems on the horizon. As hinted in the season finale, Reign is coming to Earth, and actress Odette Annable has been signed to portray Supergirl’s new nemesis.
Fans of the Alex and Maggie romance probably aren’t going to be happy to hear that Floriana Lima is only going to be a recurring player this season as she looks for other acting opportunities. But we think, hopefully, that The CW will learn its lesson from The 100 and keep Maggie alive rather than simply killing her off. To help fill the void from Maggie’s apparent departure, Katie McGrath’s Lena Luthor is going to be one of the main characters next season.
THE FLASH
Premiere Date: Tuesday, October 10
The Flash will once again anchor Tuesday nights at 8pm, but without Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen. At least that’s what the creative team behind the show wants us to think. It’s more likely that Barry’s stint in the Speed Force will be short, and he’ll be back in action before long. In the meantime, perhaps Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West will go from calling himself Kid Flash to The Flash, like his comic book counterpart.
If the history of this show is any indication, we’ll soon meet another version of Harrison Wells, as played by Tom Cavanagh. It’s not clear if Tom Felton or Anne Dudek will be back on a regular basis as Julian Albert Desmond and Tracy Brand, respectively. But we do know that Clifford DeVoe a.k.a. the Thinker will be the main villain of season four. However, the Thinker has not yet been cast.
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
Premiere Date: Tuesday, October 10
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow are backing into the 9pm slot on Tuesdays, after The Flash. Last season, the Legends defeated the Legion of Doom, but the cliffhanger ending suggests that they’ve broken time… unless there were always dinosaurs living in modern Los Angeles. The consequences for that screw-up have yet to show up on the rest of the Arrowverse shows, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it does here. So far, we know about at least one new heroine who is joining the crew of the Waverunner: the Mighty Isis! Although given recent events in the world, that heroine is probably going to have a different codename on the show. Tala Ashe will portray Isis’ alter ego, Zari Adrianna Tomaz.
RIVERDALE
Premiere Date: Wednesday, October 11
The resolution of Riverdale‘s central mystery is still fresh in our minds and we refuse to spoil it for anyone who came late to the game. The first season is on Netflix, so you don’t have any excuses if you’ve been looking for an opportunity to dive in! Next season, Riverdale is anchoring Wednesday nights at 8pm, and we can expect to see an expanded role for Reggie. Charles Melton is taking over for Ross Butler, who is departing the show. Mark Consuelos is also joining the series as Veronica’s father, Hiram Lodge, while Casey Cott and Skeet Ulrich have been promoted to series regulars. That means we’ll see a lot more of Kevin Keller and Jughead’s dad, respectively.
SUPERNATURAL
Premiere Date: Thursday, October 12
The wayward sons of Supernatural will carry on for their 13th season in the 8pm slot on Thursday nights. And after the events of the season 12 finale, it looks like Crowley and Lucifer are out of the picture for good. However, the early word is that we haven’t seen the last of Misha Collins’ Castiel. However, we currently have no idea who the big bad of season 13 will be. It’s kind of hard to top God’s evil sister and Lucifer!
ARROW
Premiere Date: Thursday, October 12
Arrow is out of its traditional Wednesday night slot and moving to 9pm on Thursdays. It’s going to be a lonely season for Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen, what with the apparent death of all of his friends on Lian Yu. Of course we don’t think that everyone died, but for that cliffhanger to have any power it means that someone isn’t getting off of the island.
Who’s going to survive? Emily Bett Rickards’ Felicity and David Ramsey’s John Diggle are pretty safe bets. Rick Gonzalez and Juliana Harkavy were both promoted to series regulars, so Wild Dog and Black Canary are sticking around. And Katie Cassidy is also coming back as Black Siren. That leaves Thea (Willa Holland), Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne), Mr. Terrific (Echo Kellum), Deathstroke (Manu Bennett), and the mother of Oliver’s child, Samantha Clayton (Anna Hopkins). Start placing your bets now!
Which returning CW shows are you most excited about? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: The CW
