Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The CW Picks Up 'Black Lightning,' 'Dynasty,' 'Life Sentence' and 'Valor' to Series

The CW has ordered its first new series for the 2017-18 broadcast season. This afternoon it has given series orders to its reboot of primetime soap Dynasty, military drama Valor, superhero drama Black Lightning and hourlong comedy Life Sentence.





BLACK LIGHTNINGJefferson Pierce hung up his suit and secret identity years ago. However, with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he'll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante, Black Lightning.

The drama stars Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain and Christine Adams.

Salim Akil wrote (with Mara Brock Akil) and directed the pilot. They executive produce with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions produce.


DYNASTY: America's wealthiest families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, feud for control over their fortune and their children. Told through the perspective of two women at odds: Fallon Carrington - daughter of billionaire Blake Carrington - and her soon-to-be stepmother, Cristal - a Hispanic woman marrying into this WASP family and America's most powerful class. In an age where dynasties appear everywhere - from reality TV to the polling booths - this epic drama features the one percent in all its glitz and gloss, while exposing the dark underbelly: a corrupt world built on backroom deals, betrayal and, in some cases, murder.

The drama stars Nathalie Kelley, Elizabeth Gillies, Grant Show, Sam Adegoke, James Mackay, Robert Christopher Riley, Alan Dale and Rafael de la Fuente.

Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Sallie Patrick wrote the pilot, which was directed by Brad Silberling. They executive produce with Richard Shapiro and Esther Shapiro. Lis Rowinski is a co-executive producer. CBS Television Studios and Fake Empire Productions.


LIFE SENTENCE: When a young woman diagnosed with terminal cancer finds out that she's not dying after all, she has to learn to live with the choices she made when she decided to "live like she was dying."

The comedy stars Lucy Hale, Dylan Walsh, Jayson Blair, Gillian Vigman, Brooke Lyons, Elliot Knight and Carlos PenaVega.

Erin Cardillo and  Rich Keith wrote the pilot, which was directed by Lee Toland Krieger. They executive produce with Bill Lawrence and Jeff Ingold. Warner Bros. Television and Doozer Productions produce.


VALOR: Tests the boundaries between military discipline and human desire on a U.S. Army base that houses an elite unit of helicopter pilots trained to perform clandestine international and domestic missions. The drama unfolds in the present as well as in flashbacks to a failed mission involving one of the first female pilots in the unit, ultimately uncovering layers of personal and government/military secrets, and leading to a season-long plan to rescue a group of MIA soldiers.

The drama stars Christina Ochoa, Matt Barr, Charlie Barnett, W. Tré Davis, Nigel Thatch, Corbin Reid and Melissa Roxburgh.

Kyle Jarrow wrote the pilot, which was directed by Michael Robin. They executive produce with Bill Haber and Anna Fricke. CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television produce.