The CW has acquired the first five seasons of ABC’s comedy series The Conners following a distribution deal with Lionsgate.
This marks a rare strategy to expand the show’s reach by broadcasting the show simultaneously on rival networks. The deal with Lionsgate brings The Conners to The CW starting January 4, 2024, followed by back-to-back episodes airing Thursdays from 8:30 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. The Conners will continue to air on Wednesdays on ABC.
The Conners debuts on The CW with the first two episodes, “Keep on Truckin’” and “Tangled Up In Blue.” The reruns will air as part of a Thursday night comedy block after the Canadian comedy series Son of a Critch and preceding Children Ruin Everything. The Conners will also air during other time slots as needed, including Sunday, January 7 after The Wedding Planner starring Jennifer Lopez.
The deal with Lionsgate stems from Werner Entertainment, which signed with Lionsgate in August for the Worldwide Television Distribution Group to handle global, streaming, and cable TV rights, according to Deadline.
The CW is expanding its network by adding more programs that appeal to a broader audience, branching out from its typical demographic of young adults flocking to All American, Walker, and Superman & Lois, which will end with its fourth season debuting next year.
The network also acquired scripted series including Run The Burns and Everyone Else Burns which weren’t well received and pulled from the schedule. The CW added Ride to its schedule, a show Hallmark Channel canceled after one season.
The Conners, a spinoff of Roseanne starring John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, and Jayden Rey, is being sold into broadcast syndication for the fall of 2024. The series is available to stream on Hulu and multiple seasons will also join Netflix.
The Conners is one of ABC’s top-rated scripted series. More than 4.9 million viewers tuned in for its fifth season finale. The sixth season debuts February 7 on ABC.