10 Greatest CW Shows of All Time, Ranked

Image via Liane Hentscher / ©The CW Network / courtesy Everett Collection Published Sep 22, 2026, 5:44 PM EDT Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts! On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK. In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. Sign in to your Collider account When we think of network television, we tend to give the main focus to the big four—ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC—but always there, lurking right behind is The CW. Officially launched in September 2006, the network formed through a merger of The WB and UPN. Historically, the network catered to teens and young adults with its content curation. Yet, in the process, some of the most iconic series were created. With 20 years of The CW, we are here to celebrate ten of the very best series in the network's history. For this list, we're focusing on shows that spent most of their run on The CW. That means shows like Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls will not be included, since most of their run was on The WB or UPN. That said, the dates next to the titles reflect the years on The CW. These series have impacted the landscape of young adult television, influencing many of the shows that followed. While there are certainly many titles that missed out, they remain beloved in our hearts. 10 'Riverdale' (2017–2023) Image via The CW Comic adaptations have been the M.O. of The CW. It's a formula that often worked and gathered a cult following. Such was the case for Riverdale. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the Archie Comics came to life in dark fashion. The series follows high schoolers Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) as they team up to investigate the dark hidden secrets and mysteries unraveling in the underbelly of the titular town. Over seven seasons, Riverdale began as a teen murder mystery and juicy soap and evolved into stories featuring serial killers, terrifying cults, alternate dimensions, time travel, and superpowers. The original source material was fully wholesome, yet Riverdale took it and evolved it into something uniquely its own. Filled with epic highs and lows, Riverdale embraced its dark, campy nature in a highly addictive series of unhinged narrative chaos. By committing to the bit, Riverdale played for its target audience while seeing how far it could push the script. Fans kept the show alive, eager to see what bizarre place it would head next. The dark, neon-lit noir setting opened up the doors to an array of possibilities. Though it may not have been everyone's cup of tea, it exemplified the network's mission. 9 'The Vampire Diaries' (2009–2017) Image via The CW Capturing the vampire niche at the time of Twilight, The CW hooked audiences with an adaptation of L.J. Smith's book series, The Vampire Diaries. Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, the eight-season series set in Mystic Falls, Virginia, follows Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), an orphaned high school girl, who falls deeply into a dangerous love triangle with two centuries-old vampire brothers, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). As Elena grows closer to the Salvatores, she and her friends are dragged into a larger supernatural underworld. A series filled with witches, werewolves, doppelgängers, and ancient vampires, The Vampire Diaries tapped into the obsession with supernatural love triangles. The Vampire Diaries is a fast-paced supernatural thriller with deeply complex characters that served as the gold standard of young adult dramas of the era. The series skyrocketed to success thanks to the main trio's electric chemistry. They brought immense tension and emotional stakes through each storyline. In the process, many characters grew, including Damon, who went from selfish to a deeply loyal protector. With nuanced villains like Katherine Pierce (Dobrev) and Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan), the series never lacked monsters-of-the-week or recurring antagonists to make the long-running viewing worthwhile. From an exposition-filled series focusing on a love triangle to a twist-filled thriller, The Vampire Diaries never lost momentum. 8 'Superman & Lois' (2021–2024) Image via The CW There have been quite a few iterations of the Superman story on the small screen, but one of the most unique adaptations of the DC Comic was Superman & Lois. Developed by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, the superhero drama follows Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) as they leave Metropolis for Smallville and balance saving the world with the challenges of raising their teenage twin sons, Jonathan (Jordan Elass and Michael Bishop) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). As Clark tries to be an attentive father and Lois investigates local corruption with her sharp journalism skills, they discover their boys may have inherited their father's alien Krytonian powers. Pushing beyond the typical teen drama tropes, Superman & Lois was a grounded, family-focused story with spectacular visuals. Though the network had established the Arrowverse, Superman & Lois wasn't part of that cinematic universe, allowing it to stand on its own through compassionate storytelling. With rich cinematography, extraordinary set pieces, and big-screen-worthy visuals, Superman & Lois looked grander than most CW fare. Superman & Lois smartly treated Clark Kent as a relatable father and husband, dealing with real-world struggles. Hoechlin and Tulloch have remarkable chemistry that roots the series in reality. Though it ran for only four seasons, Superman & Lois was a largely underrated gem. 7 'Smallville' (2001–2011) Image via The CW The show that established the tone for the early era of The CW was none other than Smallville. Developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the teen-centric superhero series tracked Clark Kent (Tom Welling) during his formative years as a young adult before he became Superman. Operating under the "no tights, no flights" rule, Smallville served as a coming-of-age drama about identity, morality, and learning to harness inner power. The central drama centered around young Clark and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) before his descent into darkness, as well as Clark's complicated crush on Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Smallville started its run on The WB before closing out its final five seasons on The CW. In the latter half of its run on the network, Clark moved past high school to work at the Daily Planet, where he embraced his heroic destiny and met Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Smallville is praised for its complex, tragic relationships that resonated with viewers. Clark's vulnerabilities and insecurities are on full display, showing how an outsider feels isolated. The series established the blueprint for future superhero shows on the network, including Aquaman, Arrow, and The Flash. Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Superhero Team Should You Join? Avengers · X-Men · Teen Titans · The Boys Every team is a personality test with a uniform. One saves the world and argues about it the whole way home. One has been fighting for the right to exist since the day it formed. One is still working out who it is while the fighting happens. And one has no powers at all, plus no intention of playing fair. Eight questions decide where you actually belong. 🛡️Avengers(Marvel Studios) 🧬X-Men(Marvel) 🐦Teen Titans(DC) 💊The Boys(Prime Video) FIND YOUR TEAM → 01 What kind of power would you actually want? The power matters less than what you would be willing to do with it. ASomething enormous and obvious. I would not hide it. BSomething I was born with, whether I wanted it or not. CSomething still growing that I cannot quite control. DNone at all. I would rather nobody sees me coming. NEXT QUESTION → 02 Why join a team at all? Nobody puts on the suit for the reason they say out loud. ABecause some threats are too big for anyone alone. BBecause people like me are safer together than apart. CBecause I did not want to do any of this alone. DBecause somebody has to hold these people accountable. NEXT QUESTION → 03 How do you feel about the people in charge? Every team has a chain of command. Very few of them survive contact. AI will follow a good leader and argue with a bad one. BThey have never protected people like me. I expect nothing. CI am still learning who to trust, and getting it wrong. DThey are the problem. That is the entire point. NEXT QUESTION → 04 What is your role inside a group? Every roster needs the same handful of people to function. AThe big personality. I take up room and I earn it. BThe one who protects whoever arrived most recently. CThe heart. I keep everybody talking to each other. DThe one who says the uncomfortable thing out loud. NEXT QUESTION → 05 How do you win a fight you should lose? This is the scene the entire film gets built around. AOverwhelming force, and a very good landing. BWorking together in a way nobody saw coming. CRefusing to give up long after I should have. DPreparation, leverage, and one extremely dirty trick. NEXT QUESTION → 06 What is this work costing you? Nobody does this for free. The bill just arrives differently for everyone. AMy private life. Everybody knows my face now. BMy safety. The world is frightened of me. CMy childhood. I grew up faster than I should have. DMy peace. I cannot stop now that I know. NEXT QUESTION → 07 How should the world see your team? Half of this job is public relations, and everybody knows it. AAs icons. The team everyone is relieved to see arrive. BAs people. Just people, which is all we ever asked. CAs proof the next generation is going to be fine. DThey should not see us at all until it is done. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The offer arrives. What makes you say yes? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your team. AThe scale. If the world is ending, I want to be there. BThe promise that I would not have to hide anymore. CThe people. I would be joining friends, not an employer. DThe chance to take down somebody who deserves it. REVEAL MY TEAM → Recruitment Is Complete Your Team Is…Four teams, four completely different reasons to put yourself in danger for strangers. This is the roster you actually belong on, what they would want from you, and what it would cost you to stay. The AvengersYou belong where the stakes are largest and the personalities are loudest. This is a team of people who are all used to being the most important person in the room, which is exactly why it works and exactly why it keeps nearly falling apart. The Avengers are not friends who became a team. They are a team that slowly and reluctantly became friends, and you would recognise every stage of that process. You can hold your own among big egos without needing to win every exchange, which is the real entry requirement here. The arguing is part of the method. This group does its best thinking mid-disagreement, usually at volume, usually in a very expensive building. When the sky opens, they are who shows up. You would want to be standing in that line. The X-MenYou have never had the luxury of being thanked for this. The X-Men protect a world that has never once been comfortable with them existing, and something in you understands exactly why they keep doing it anyway. This is the only team on the list whose central conflict is not a villain. It is being wanted gone by the same people they keep saving. You know what it is to be the outsider in a room and to decide, anyway, that you will not make yourself smaller so everyone else is comfortable. The X-Men are the most genuine found family in comics. People arrive with nowhere else to go and are never once asked to explain themselves. You would not be joining for the glory. There has never been any. The Teen TitansYou do not want colleagues, you want your people. The Titans are the team where the friendship came first and the world-saving turned up afterwards as an inconvenient side effect. Every Titan is somebody's sidekick who decided to stop being one. That decision, not the villain of the week, is what the team is actually about. You would be joining people who are all working themselves out at the same time as you, which is far less lonely than being the only one. The Titans lose regularly. Then they eat together and come back better, which is a more honest model of growing up than any other team here manages. The tower would be loud, chaotic, and the first place that ever felt like yours. The BoysYou are not asking who to trust. You worked out the answer a while ago and it was nobody in a cape. This is where you go once you have decided the people in charge need watching, and that nobody else is going to do it. The Boys have no powers, no mandate and no funding. What they have is leverage, patience, and a very high tolerance for consequences. You are the person in the room who notices the thing everybody else has quietly agreed not to mention. This is not a heroic team and it has never pretended otherwise. It is a group of damaged people doing necessary work in ways nobody would call clean. You would not sleep well. You would keep going anyway. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 6 'One Tree Hill' (2003–2012) Image via The CW Perhaps the pinnacle of teen drama in the early 2000s was One Tree Hill. Beginning its run on The WB before moving to The CW, the Mark Schwahn-created series centered around two estranged half-brothers, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), who navigate complicated family and romantic lives in the fictional small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Their worlds collide when Lucas joins the basketball team, where their rivalry extends off the court through love triangles involving friends like Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush), and Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz). From the high school years to the major time jump that extended past college, One Tree Hill remained a beacon for viewers, telling stories about young adults struggling with careers, marriage, and the dramatic challenges of growing up. The tropes, including family abuse, redemption, and resilience, gave the narrative something accessible to latch onto. For nine seasons, fans grew up with One Tree Hill. The core cast became family as the series chronicled the transition from small-town growing pains to the harsh truths of the real world. Perhaps the series' intrigue centered on quintessential soap opera twists, namely intense love triangles. It's those idealized romances that we still discuss today. 5 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' (2015–2019) Image via The CW Subverting network norms, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend deconstructed romantic tropes into a nuanced masterpiece. The hit series created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna follows Rebecca Bunch (Bloom), a brilliant yet depressed corporate attorney in New York City, who drops her entire life to follow her high school ex-boyfriend, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), to California in hopes of happiness. Rebecca tries to orchestrate a way to win back his heart; Rebecca navigates a new job, new friends, and a new life. Featuring two to three original musical numbers per episode, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend parodies musical styles in order to capture the inner thoughts, denials, and emotional states. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend uses satire to explore mental health, depression, and personal growth thoughtfully and realistically. As the series goes on, Rebecca confronts deeper psychological struggles honestly. Instead of treating mental illness as a quirky personality trait that can be fixed by love, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend treats therapy and healing as a triumph. As far as the romance is concerned, the series is the ultimate anti-romantic comedy. Rather than leaning into the stereotypical traits of an ex, Bloom dismantles the label in comedic fashion. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend earned a cult following for its niche style and Bloom's brilliant performance. 4 'Gossip Girl' (2007–2012) Based on the novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, The CW's most iconic teen drama was Gossip Girl. Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the hit six-season series chronicled the highly scandalous, super glamorous lives of the hyper-privileged teenagers of an elite private school on the Upper East Side. An unseen, omniscient blogger code-named "Gossip Girl" narrates the tale through deep-seated secrets, ruthless betrayals, and romantic entanglements. Gossip Girl thrived thanks to its "it crowd" ensemble, featuring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chase Crawford, and Ed Westwick. A quintessential drama, Gossip Girl married high-society opulence and trendsetting fashion to create pure escapist television. A truly addictive melodrama, Gossip Girl defined the late-2000s. Gossip Girl worked by exploring guilty-pleasure storylines that made soapy dramas flourish. From fake deaths to endless betrayal and scandalous love triangles, Gossip Girl delivered razor-sharp, quotable content that made the series pop-culture royalty. With a sleek New York City backdrop and stylish aesthetic, Gossip Girl was fancy fun to the extreme. 3 'Supernatural' (2005–2020) Image via The CW Peak dark fantasy came to network television thanks to the 15-season run of Supernatural. Created by Eric Kripke, the series follows brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they travel across the country in their 1967 Chevy Impala searching for their father. Along the way, they hunt demons, ghosts, monsters, and gods as their hunt expands into a massive war between Heaven and Hell. Supernatural centers on family, free will, and the extreme lengths Sam and Dean will go to save each other. A true monster-of-the-week masterpiece, Supernatural thrived thanks to its dedicated fandom. Supernatural centered on the core dynamic between Sam and Dean. They portray two young men with a powerful, realistic family bond built on loyalty, sacrifice, and unconditional love. Their bond anchored the show throughout its run. Though they had contrasting personalities—Dean as a classically tough protector and Sam as empathetic, intellectual, and sensitive—they were the greatest duo on the network. As the series went on, the monster-of-the-week format evolved into bigger cosmic conflicts without losing its identity. With just enough meta-humor by breaking the fourth wall and becoming self-aware, Supernatural mixes genres without ever losing its emotional core. 2 'Jane the Virgin' (2014–2019) Image via The CW Blending over-the-top telenovela campiness with genuine, heartfelt emotion, Jane the Virgin remains one of the finest achievements of The CW. A loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la virgen by Perla Farías, the series centers on Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez), a hardworking, religious young woman, who vows to save herself until marriage to her fiancé, detective Michael Cordero Jr. (Brett Dier). She suddenly becomes pregnant after a doctor accidentally artificially inseminates her during a routine checkup with a sperm sample from Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), a millionaire hotel owner, cancer survivor, and Jane's former teenage crush. Focusing on Jane's family dynamics, her complicated love triangle, and Jane's balancing of motherhood and career ambitions, Jane the Virgin parodies Latin American telenovela tropes while honoring the rich emotional storylines. Despite a wild and chaotic premise, Jane the Virgin succeeded by playing the long game. At its heart, Jane the Virgin features a multigenerational family bond between Jae, her mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), and her grandmother Alba (Ivonne Coll). The series honored its heritage by integrating bilingual dialogue, cultural traditions, and important social topics, including immigration status. Even when the show went balls-to-the-wall, Jane the Virgin remained relatable and inherently emotional. 1 'The 100' (2014–2020) Image via The CW Though some teen melodrama enthusiasts may be shocked by this placement, The 100 remains the network's most perfect entry. Based on the Kass Morgan young adult novel series, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama depicts a future where humanity returns to Earth nearly a century after a nuclear war. As oxygen runs out on the Ark, leaders are forced to send 100 juvenile prisoners down to Earth to see if the planet is habitable again. Upon entry, the teens discover that people have survived the nuclear disaster as they face hostile native clans, dangerous environments, and power struggles. For seven seasons, The 100 focuses on difficult moral decisions, high-octane warfare, and the fight for survival. Unlike many sci-fi series on non-streaming platforms, The 100 was given the freedom to flourish and develop without constraint. In turn, it evolved into a gritty, morally complex exploration of survival. Though there may not be any true "good" characters, The 100 did a phenomenal job of presenting its characters with no-win scenarios that dictate every subsequent decision. With a longer run, many of the younger characters grew into flawed, hardened survivors who didn't let their emotional and physical scars deter them. The 100 also boasted a strong ensemble of female characters, including Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), Octavia Blake (Marie Avgeropoulos), Raven Reyes (Lindsey Morgan), and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). With brutal cliffhangers and everlasting consequences, The 100 mastered the network season arc, giving fans a reason to watch season after season. The 100 Release Date 2014 - 2020-00-00 Network The CW Showrunner Jason Rothenberg Writers Jason Rothenberg, Mallory Kass Seasons 7 Distributor The CW Network (The CW) Production Company Bonanza Productions, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television Studios Story By Mallory Kass