Written by David Morgan

 

Don't we all. The 18-34 demographic is so key for networks, and the WB-UPN love child CW is trying its damnedest to get it. According to the LATimes, the network averaged 900,000 18-34 viewers during its first year. But the WB had 850,000, while UPN had 890,000. So priority number one is getting the sizable difference back.

 

Some of the shows debuting that will be geared toward young people are Gossip Girl (another show about privileged high schoolers), Reaper (twenty-something becomes bounty hunter for Satan), Life is Wild (family moves to game reserve in South Africa), and Aliens in America (comedy about Muslims and Christians in an international exchange program). 

 

In short, the CW is worried. They've lost a few of their old hits. They still have America's Next Top Model, but they're a far cry from competing with Fox shows like American Idol and 24 or NBC's Heroes or ABC's Grey's Anatomy and all of the CSIs you could imagine that are on CBS. But television audiences are fickle. If you make a good show, eventually it will find an audience (although that didn't work out completely for the CW's Veronica Mars, which was canceled despite having a sizable fanbase).