The CW lands ABC sitcom ‘The Conners’ in unusual US distribution set-up

The Conners

The CW has picked up ABC sitcom The Conners in a deal that will see the show airing on both networks at the same time.

The agreement will see the Nexstar-owned broadcaster gaining rights to five seasons of the show, with episodes from the first season – which first debuted on ABC in 2018 – debuting from 4 January.

The Conners, a spin-off from hit US sitcom Roseanne, currently airs on ABC on Wednesdays and will enter its sixth season on the Disney-owned network in February.

It is available on demand via Disney streamer Hulu but becomes unavailable when the latest season starts on ABC.

The pact with The CW comes three months after Lionsgate and its domestic network sibling Debmar-Mercury struck a separate deal for the show with producer Werner Entertainment.

As part of that agreement, Debmar-Mercury took US syndication rights – which remain unaffected by The CW deal – while Lionsgate will sell internationally.

The acquisition comes a year since The CW was acquired by Nexstar, since when it has been looking to cut programming costs and attract a wider demo.

It pulled most of its pricey originals and instead has been picking up shows from the UK, Australia and Canada, ranging from CBC’s Son Of A Critch and Run The Burbs to Channel 4 comedy Everyone Else Burns. Earlier this week the network acquired Hallmark’s western series, Ride.