CW President Mark Pedowitz is crazy for ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’

There is no bigger fan of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend� than CW President Mark Pedowitz, but even he can’t spin the show’s underwhelming ratings.

“I wish I had more optimistic statistics. I don’t,� Pedowitz said to a room of assembled journalists on Sunday for the CW’s executive session at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. “We believe there’s a place on our schedule for a show like this. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time making excuses. We wish people had found it, but we have the goods with this show.�

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend� is a musical-comedy-drama hybrid that follows a woman who is still unhealthily fixated on her ex-boyfriend as she struggles to build her life in light of her burgeoning mental illness. The series stars Rachel Bloom, who garnered a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

But Pedowitz is resolute about the show’s potential for a second season, saying that the CW is known for defying the odds and that “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend� has the potential to do the same.

“It may be one of those things that requires time, maybe another season, to let the ‘Netflix effect’ set in,� Pedowitz said.

The network president was similarly optimistic about the chances of sophomore series “iZombie� being renewed for a third season, saying, “They’re doing a great job with what they’re doing. I’m also thrilled they have a basset hound in it. I think it has a strong shot of making a third season.�

Yet Pedowitz was not as confident about the future of a female-led superhero series on the network, telling the room that there were no plans for such a project — although he qualified his answer by saying that at this point last year, new CW marquee series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow� didn’t yet exist.

Pedowitz also addressed the network’s new Friday lineup made up of “The Vampire Diaries� and “The Originals,� both from CW super-showrunner Julie Plec, explaining that moving the shows to Friday night is not exile, but a move to strengthen that night’s schedule.

He also teased a crossover for the shows, saying, “You will see a crossover this year, though not the size of ‘Flash’ and ‘Arrow.’ If they don’t make sense story-wise, don’t do them. The audience can tell.�

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