| 1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mjfrog1.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:300:Dubba-Dubba WB!]] |
| 3 | ->''Okay, everybody, it's time for a song from the little network with a really big sign!'' |
| 4 | -->--'''Michigan J. Frog''' at the beginning of a music video promoting the network |
| 5 | |
| 6 | The WB was a joint venture between Creator/WarnerBros[[note]]From 2001-2003, it was technically part of Time Warner sister company Turner Broadcasting in order for network CEO Jamie Kellner to also oversee Creator/{{TBS}}, Creator/{{TNT}} and Creator/CartoonNetwork[[/note]] and Tribune Company with the former company calling the shots. As [[FollowTheLeader a reaction to the success]] of the fledgling Creator/{{Fox}} network, Warners launched their own network in 1995, with Tribune's then-independents (WPIX in UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, KTLA in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, WGN in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, KWGN in UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, etc.) serving as the network's nucleus. Unlike UPN, it also had a major boost with WGN's national superstation feed on cable (now Creator/WGNAmerica, which eventually cut all ties to WGN-TV in 2014) carrying it for its first four years until it could get more affiliates. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | While it was able to gain some available independent stations and even steal some affiliates from UPN after its launch, to clear up the bugs with carriage in smaller markets (particularly those in the bottom 100), The WB launched a national feed called The [=WeB=] (subsequently renamed The WB 100+ Station Group) in September 1998; consisting entirely of cable-exclusive affiliates (although it managed to gain some over-the-air stations as well in the network's final years), it was an automated feed which mixed syndicated shows with network programming, with programming, and local and national ads sent to and from a server network based in Los Angeles and specialized computer systems housed at the offices of the affiliate operator. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Much like Fox before it and UPN after it, the network had no news division, although many of the charter affiliates owned by Tribune did have their own operations; indeed, WPIX had shut down their own attempt at a national newscast for independent stations, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Network_News_(US) INN]] (''[[FunWithAcronyms Independent Network News]]'', then ''INN: The Independent News'', then finally ''USA Tonight'') a few years before the WB was announced (all of Tribune's owned stations took the program). |
| 11 | |
| 12 | The network is remembered differently depending on how old you are. A lot of African-American teenagers and young adults that were around during the network's launch will remember the assortment of [[SitCom sitcoms]] and [[DomCom dom coms]] the network had to offer such as ''Series/TheParentHood'', ''Series/TheWayansBros'' and ''Series/SisterSister'', the last of which [[ChannelHop moved from ABC]]. Kids in the mid-'90s fondly remember The WB as the host network for ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' after it was acquired from Fox, along with other Creator/StevenSpielberg-helmed {{Saturday morning cartoon}}s such as ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' and the ''Animaniacs'' spin-off ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain''. [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Mexican kids in the mid-'90s]] might remember it for being the first channel to air ''Series/BeakmansWorld'', which was one of the earliest {{Science Show}}s to air in the country. Kids in the late '90s and early 2000s remember it for pretty much dedicating Saturday mornings to [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] with ''Anime/{{Pokemon|The Series}}'' and ''Anime/YuGiOh''. Teenagers during the late '90s or early 2000s will remember it for giving the world such {{teen drama}}s as ''Series/SeventhHeaven'', ''Series/DawsonsCreek'', ''Series/{{Everwood}}'' and ''Series/OneTreeHill'' -- shows that the network is, without a doubt, most famous for. Still others (teenagers and genre fans alike) remember the network for ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' until those two series were picked up -- perhaps ironically, in hindsight -- by UPN (The WB still held onto ''Series/{{Angel}}'' at least). |
| 13 | |
| 14 | And of course, many still remember it for turning the [[OneSceneWonder one-toon wonder]] [[WesternAnimation/OneFroggyEvening Michigan J. Frog]] [[BreakoutCharacter into a household name]] while at the same time reducing him into a cheap corporate shill for the network (to the point where some TV writers and announcers referred to The WB as "The Frog"). The frog quietly exited the stage from advertisements and promotions during the last two years of the network's life (though [[BackForTheFinale his image]] was among the last transmitted by the network; the last thing shown before the network was officially shut down were the end credits of the pilot episode of ''Dawson's Creek''). |
| 15 | |
| 16 | This network was [[NetworkDeath rolled up with]] Creator/{{UPN}} to form a new network called Creator/TheCW in 2006, with The WB's final primetime block, ''[[NetworkFinale A Night Of Farewells And Favorites]]'', airing on September 17, 2006. However, its successor used several elements carried over from The WB: including its 30-hour weekly programming schedule[[note]]13 hours in primetime (two hours on Monday through Fridays, and five on Sundays, the latter night was turned over to The CW's affiliates in 2009), two hours in daytime (one of which was turned over to CW affiliates in 2010) as well as the Kids' WB block on Saturday mornings (which it replaced with Creator/TheCW4Kids in 2008)[[/note]] as well as the small-market network feed (which became Creator/TheCWPlus, and began mixing in affiliations with digital subchannel and conventional primary affiliations). |
| 17 | |
| 18 | At one point, The WB was reborn as an online network, airing both older shows (including most of their old teen dramas) and original programming. In late 2013, this site was discontinued in favor of The CW's new online television platform, CW Seed, and the site redirected to a promotional news site called ''Warner Bros. Television Media to Go'', thus putting the final nail in the coffin for the history of The WB. The revived Kids' WB website struggled on for two more years before getting the ax as well (Warner Bros.' current children's site is WB Kids GO). |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | |
| 21 | !!Shows featured on The WB included: |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[index]] |
| 24 | * ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' (1996-2006) |
| 25 | * ''Series/AllAboutTheAndersons'' (2003-2004) |
| 26 | * ''Series/AlrightAlready'' (1997-1998) |
| 27 | * ''Series/TheArmyShow'' (1998) |
| 28 | * ''WesternAnimation/BabyBlues'' (2000) |
| 29 | * ''Series/BeakmansWorld'' (in the Mexican branch) |
| 30 | * ''Series/BeautyAndTheGeek'' (2005-06) |
| 31 | * ''Series/TheBedfordDiaries'' (2006) |
| 32 | * ''Series/{{Birds Of Prey|2002}}'' (2002-03) |
| 33 | * ''Series/BlackSash'' (2003) |
| 34 | * ''Series/BlueCollarTV'' (2004-2006) |
| 35 | * ''Series/BoardingHouseNorthShore'' (2003) |
| 36 | * ''Series/BrotherlyLove'' (1996-97; moved from NBC) |
| 37 | * ''Series/BrutallyNormal'' (2000) |
| 38 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (1997-2001, moved to UPN after season 5) |
| 39 | ** ''Series/{{Angel}}'' (1999-2004) |
| 40 | * ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' (1998-2006) |
| 41 | * ''Cleghorne!'' (1995) |
| 42 | * ''D.C.'' (2000) |
| 43 | * ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' (1998-2003) |
| 44 | ** ''Series/{{Young Americans|2000}}'' (2000) |
| 45 | * ''Series/DeadLast'' (2001) |
| 46 | * ''Series/DoOver'' (2002) |
| 47 | * ''Series/{{Everwood}}'' (2002-06) |
| 48 | * ''Series/{{Felicity}}'' (1998-2002) |
| 49 | * ''Series/FamilyAffair'' (2002-03) (remake of the 1966 show of the same name) |
| 50 | * ''Series/FirstTimeOut'' (1995) |
| 51 | * ''Series/ForYourLove'' (1998-2002, moved from NBC) |
| 52 | * ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' (2000-06) |
| 53 | * ''Series/GloryDays'' (2002) |
| 54 | * ''Series/GreetingsFromTucson'' (2002-03) |
| 55 | * ''Series/GrossePointe'' (2000-01) |
| 56 | * ''Series/GroundedForLife'' (2002-05; moved from Fox for seasons 3-5) |
| 57 | * ''Series/TheHelp'' (2004) |
| 58 | * ''Series/HighSchoolReunion'' (2003-05) |
| 59 | * ''Hype'' (2000-2001) |
| 60 | * ''Series/HyperionBay'' (1998) |
| 61 | * ''Series/JackAndBobby'' (2004-05) |
| 62 | * ''Series/JackAndJill'' (1999-2001) |
| 63 | * ''Series/TheJamieFoxxShow'' (1996-2001) |
| 64 | * ''Series/TheJamieKennedyExperiment'' (2002-04) |
| 65 | * ''Series/JustLegal'' (2006) |
| 66 | * ''Series/KatieJoplin'' (1999) |
| 67 | * ''Series/KellyKelly'' (1998) |
| 68 | * ''Series/{{Kirk}}'' (1995-97) |
| 69 | * ''Series/LifeWithRoger'' (1996-1997) |
| 70 | * ''Series/LikeFamily'' (2003-04) |
| 71 | * ''Series/LivingWithFran'' (2005-06) |
| 72 | * ''Series/MaybeItsMe'' (2001-2002) |
| 73 | * ''Series/MenWomen&Dogs'' (2001-2002) |
| 74 | * ''WesternAnimation/MissionHill'' (1999-2000) |
| 75 | * ''Series/ModernMen'' (2006) |
| 76 | * ''Series/TheMountain'' (2004-05) |
| 77 | * ''Series/MovieStars'' (1999-2000) |
| 78 | * ''Muscle'' (1995) |
| 79 | * ''Series/MyGuideToBecomingARockStar'' (2002) |
| 80 | * ''Nick Freno Licensed Teacher'' (1996-98) |
| 81 | * ''Series/{{Nikki}}'' (2000-2002) |
| 82 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOblongs'' (2001) |
| 83 | * ''Series/OffCentre'' (2001-2002) |
| 84 | * ''The O'Keefes'' (2003) |
| 85 | * ''Series/OneTreeHill'' (2003-06) |
| 86 | * ''Series/TheParentHood'' (1995-99) |
| 87 | * ''Series/PepperDennis'' (2006) |
| 88 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePJs'' (2000-01; moved from Fox) |
| 89 | * ''Series/{{Popular}}'' (1999-2001) |
| 90 | * ''Series/RaisingDad'' (2001-2002) |
| 91 | * ''Series/{{Reba}}'' (2001-06) |
| 92 | * ''Related'' (2005-06) |
| 93 | * ''Series/{{Roswell}}'' (1999-2001, moved to UPN for its final season) |
| 94 | * ''Series/RunOfTheHouse'' (2003-04) |
| 95 | * ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' (2000-03; moved from ABC, last few seasons ran on WB.) |
| 96 | * ''Series/SafeHarbor'' (1999) |
| 97 | * ''Series/{{Savannah}}'' (1996-97) |
| 98 | * ''Series/{{Simon}}'' (1995) |
| 99 | * ''Series/SisterSister'' (1995-99; moved from ABC, last few seasons ran on WB) |
| 100 | * ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' (2001-06) |
| 101 | * ''Series/SmartGuy'' (1997-99) |
| 102 | * ''The Starlet'' (2005) |
| 103 | * ''Series/TheSteveHarveyShow'' (1996-2002) |
| 104 | * ''Series/Summerland2004'' (2004-2005) |
| 105 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' (2005-06) |
| 106 | * ''Studio 7'' (2004) |
| 107 | * ''Series/TheSurrealLife'' (2003-04) |
| 108 | * ''Three'' (1998) |
| 109 | * ''Series/TheTomShow'' (1997-1998) |
| 110 | * ''Twins'' (2005-06) |
| 111 | * ''Series/{{Tarzan}}'' (2003) |
| 112 | * ''Series/UnhappilyEverAfter'' (1995-99) |
| 113 | * ''Series/VampireHigh'' (2001-2002 ; originally aired on YTV) |
| 114 | * ''Series/TheWayansBros'' (1995-99) |
| 115 | * ''Series/WhatILikeAboutYou'' (2002-06) |
| 116 | * ''Series/YoureTheOne'' (1998) |
| 117 | * ''Series/ZoeDuncanJackAndJane'' (1999-2000; aka ''Zoe...'' in its second season) |
| 118 | [[/index]] |
| 119 | ---- |
| 120 | |
| 121 | !! '''Shows featured on Creator/KidsWB included:''' |
| 122 | |
| 123 | [[index]] |
| 124 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' |
| 125 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' |
| 126 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' |
| 127 | * ''[[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Cardcaptors]]'' |
| 128 | * ''WesternAnimation/DaBoomCrew'' |
| 129 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Detention}}'' |
| 130 | * ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' |
| 131 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' |
| 132 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'' |
| 133 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvasionAmerica'' |
| 134 | * ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' |
| 135 | * ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' reruns [[note]]These were packaged under the umbrella titles of ''That's Warner Bros.'', ''Bugs 'n' Daffy'', and ''The Daffy Duck Show'', and initially consisted of the post-1948 cartoons that were not under control of Creator/{{ABC}} or Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} at the time before the Time Warner/[=Turner=] deal resulted in the pre-1948 a.a.p cartoons becoming part of the lineup.[[/note]] |
| 136 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' reruns |
| 137 | ** ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' |
| 138 | * ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior2002'' |
| 139 | * ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'' |
| 140 | * ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha'' |
| 141 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'' (with reruns of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'') |
| 142 | * ''WesternAnimation/OzzyAndDrix'' |
| 143 | * ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' |
| 144 | * ''Anime/{{Pokemon|The Series}}'' |
| 145 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoadRovers'' |
| 146 | * ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' |
| 147 | * ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 148 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'' |
| 149 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' |
| 150 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Waynehead}}'' |
| 151 | * ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' |
| 152 | * ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' |
| 153 | * ''Anime/YuGiOh'' |
| 154 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'' |
| 155 | [[/index]] |
| 156 | ---- |
| 157 | ''[[TheStinger This has been a special report from the]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}} Weird Butt Network.]]'' |
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