The CW Hires Perhaps Its Most Important Executive

The CW has hired a head of unscripted programming — a position that could shape much of the network’s programming under new owner Nexstar.

Heather Olander will fill the newly created position at the broadcast network, reporting to Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment at The CW. She comes from NBCUniversal, where she was most recently executive vp alternative development and programming for USA, Syfy and Peacock.

Olander’s hiring is a key one for The CW, whose new majority owners have pledged to turn a profit by 2025. The network’s reliance on scripted shows filling most of its primetime hours is likely to shift — it may renew as few as three homegrown original dramas for the 2023-24 season (All American has already been picked up), leaving lots of space for unscripted fare and for Olander to put a stamp on the schedule.

“As we re-imagine our programming strategy, we are truly fortunate to have Heather Olander leading the unscripted team at The CW,” Schwarz said in a statement. “Heather is an industry dynamo with a stellar reputation for discovering talent and cultivating relationships with content producers. With her boundless creativity, I’m confident we’ll develop innovative nonfiction series for The CW that catalyzes conversations.”

Said Olander, “I’m incredibly honored to join Brad and the team at this exciting time of transformation for The CW. I’m looking forward to developing a fresh slate of non-scripted programming and collaborating with non-scripted producers on new innovative and creative content that can break through and resonate with viewers.”

Olander joined NBCUniversal in 2011 as senior vp alternative programming and development at USA Network. She added Syfy to her purview in 2014 and Peacock in 2019, ahead of the streaming service’s launch. She left NBCU in 2020 amid reorganization at the company.

During her time at NBCU, Olander developed and launched the Chrisley Knows Best franchise, WWE-adjacent shows like Miz and Mrs. and Straight Up Steve Austin and new versions of Temptation Island and The Biggest Loser. She was previously vp original series development and current programming at MTV.