Vampire Diaries Spot Kept Warm by Kristin Kreuk?

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It’s tough trying to find a suitable series to follow The Vampire Diaries on Thursdays, with Nikita being better suited for Fridays and The Secret Circle getting the axe. It was starting to seem like the CW was never going find something that could match the intensity of one the CW’s few “hits.” Thenetwork has decided to place the new series, Beauty & The Beast, in that time slot after Vampire Diaries, crossing its fingers it won’t be a disappointing pile of trash. That’s the thing about CW shows. You just never know what the quality is going to be until it’s too late.

According to Deadline, Beauty & The Beast is based on the ‘80s series of the same name (fun fact: George R.R. Martin was a writer). This won’t be a straight up adaptation of the classic fairy tale; rather it will be a contemporary take on the material. It’s more of a cop procedural than a Disney show, which I find both relieving and infuriating. I wouldn’t want the series to be a straight up fantasy, but cop procedurals get under my skin very easily. That’s a genre that needs to be done extremely well to earn my favor. Luckily, the show has a secret weapon. Kristin Kreuk is returning to the CW (she’s best known for portraying Lana Lang on Smallville) to play Catherine/Beauty opposite Jay Ryan as Vincent/Beast.

related: SMALLVILLE BEAUTY BACK AT THE CW

Other shows the CW has picked up are Arrow (based on the comic book character Green Arrow, which will be paired up with Supernatural on Wednesdays to create one manly night), The Carrie Diaries (the Sex and the City prequel), Emily Owens, M.D. (just another medical drama to go with Hart of Dixie), and the one I’m most excited for, Cult, a strange show-within-a-show drama about a cult of psychotic fans reenacting murders from their favorite TV show. Besides Cult, the CW hasn’t really brought on anything new that impresses me. Because, if they want to succeed as a network, clearly I’m the one who needs to be pleased.