The Futon Critic – CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced their intent to form a new 5th network, The CW, to be launched in the fall of 2006. The new broadcasting network will be a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, with each company owning 50%.

Wow, now this is an unexpected and radical move on the part of the two “netlets” (Perhaps they’ll finally be able to shake that nickname). I’ve been a fan of The WB pretty much since they launched (not quite as much in the last year or two as I used to be), and have had a few shows on UPN that I’ve cared about. This will surely be an interesting merger to witness. I’m most curious to see how the programming shakes out. I’m hoping as few of the shows I watch on the two networks are harmed in the process as possible. As long as UPN’s Veronica Mars survives (Which is pretty much tied with Battlestar Galactica as my favorite show on TV currently), I can struggle through the fates of the rest. The shows on WB that I want to survive (in order of importance) are Gilmore Girls, Smallville (And I doubt this show will have a problem surviving), Supernatural & Twins. And, now that I think about it, Everybody Hates Chris is the only show other than Veronica Mars on UPN that I care about in the slightest (And while I think Everybody Hates Chris is fun, I wouldn’t care too much if it didn’t survive – which is unlikely, frankly, since it’s doing well). I also wonder about shows that are already known to be in development (and even cast, etc), like The WB’s Aquaman. Ah well, I think this is actually a good move for the two networks. It’ll make them a serious player, with better overall market coverage. It will make them a genuine competitor for the “Big 4″ to be sure. I do have to wonder what will happen to the lesser of the two networks in markets that have affiliates for both. In my local Chicago market, surely Tribune’s WGN superstation will be the obvious winner – which makes me wonder what happens to WPWR, the current UPN affiliate. Ah well, as long as Veronica Mars & Gilmore Girls can survive, so can I.