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'Everwood' misses cut for CW lineup

Dusty Saunders, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 22, 2006 at midnight

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7th Heaven made the cut. Everwood didn't. And everybody will still be hating Chris.

Those are among the highlights of The CW network prime-time schedule premiering in September on CW2, the network's Denver affiliate, which will change its name from WB2.

The prime-time lineup features six series from UPN, five from the WB and two new programs. And Reba, the WB's long-running situation comedy, is on the programming bench, ready to jump into the lineup. There's also a possibility that the WB's Beauty and the Geek will stay in production.

The two new series:

• Runaway, starring Donnie Wahlberg as the father of a family on the run from the law. Dad tries to prove he is not a murderer while protecting his wife and three children from the real killer.

• The Game, featuring Tia Mowry, deals with the trials and tribulations of a wife married to third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers. She struggles to keep her marriage together while coping with egos, groupies and image consultants.

Though there's some interest by critics in the new projects, many recent questions asked of CW President Dawn Ostroff centered on the fact the WB's Everwood, considered by many that network's best series, is not on the schedule.

Ostroff contends the choice was between Everwood, set in Colorado (but filmed in Utah) and the long-running 7th Heaven, which has had better ratings. The latter, initially scheduled to end its 10-year run last May, was revived when the CW was formed.

Everwood's problem: It was too "adult" for a network aiming at the 18-to-24 viewing demographic, according to Ostroff.

The CW will program 14 hours over six nights of prime time - one more than is currently aired on the WB and UPN. (Friday Night Smackdown is a two-hour show). Network programming is not scheduled for Saturday nights.