'Joan' Will Shift to Friday Debuts on CW & Streaming
Sophie Turner as Joan in 'Joan'
ITV/CW
Since taking over CW, new owners Nexstar have been experimenting with co-producing shows, mostly with the CBC in Canada. However, there have been a few U.K. series: Leonardo, Everyone Else Burns, Joan, and the forthcoming Sherlock & Daughter. However, they haven't fared well. Leonardo barely made a dent. Everyone Else Burns Season 1 was delayed to air with Season 2, and both were canned. Now Joan is being shifted to a new night after it already premiered, shifting from Wednesdays to Fridays, switching time slots with (of all things) Inside the NFL.
As Anglophiles, we here at Telly Visions are usually excited, if not delighted, when a U.K. series we're looking forward to lands an American distributor. However, not all distribution platforms are created equal. A show landing on Netflix is almost certainly to be a bigger deal than one on BritBox, purely due to audience reach; if there's a show snapped up by AMC Networks, it has better odds of finding a fan base on Acorn TV because it has a wider audience than Sundance Now. However, of all the places for a British show to go, actual broadcast networks, like PBS, are all the best bet to have the most expansive marketing and reach maximum viewers.
However, CW may be proving the exception to this rule. The never officially recognized "fifth broadcast network" that formed in the mid-aughts out of the WB and UPN was always an odd stepchild on American television, with ownership split between two major production studios (Warner Brothers and Paramount). It could never be recognized as a true broadcast network because the FCC has an explicit rule that no studio can own two broadcast networks, and Paramount already owns CBS. Moreover, when Netflix made single-studio-streamers all the rage, the CW hindered both companies, who eventually sold it to Nexstar, bringing us to the current situation.
Here is the synopsis for Episode 2, entitled "The Glamorous Life," which will now arrive on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
Joan falls for Boisie, who recognizes her innate talent. She enjoys the spoils of crime in glamorous Spain but faces scrutiny over her role as a mother.
Sophie Turner stars as the titular Joan Hannington, with Frank Dillane (Renegade Nell) as Boisie. Kirsty J. Curtis (Harlots) plays Joan's sister, Nancy. The series also features Gershwyn Eustache Jr. (A Spy Among Friends) and Laura Aikman (Archie).
Anna Symon (The Essex Serpent) wrote all six episodes of Joan, with director Richard Laxton (Rain Dogs) helming all installments. It hails from Snowed-In Productions and is executive produced by Laxton, Ruth Kenley-Letts (Stonehouse), Jenny Van Der Lande (Too Close), and Neil Blair (The Midwich Cuckoos).
Joan will continue with Episode 2 on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET, streaming on the CW's free service directly following. It will continue with one episode a week on Fridays until mid-November. For those not here for this, Joan will follow on BritBox, streaming two weekly episodes on Thursdays through December.
