The CW has made three early pickups for the 2013-2014 season: The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Arrow.
These pickups should come as a surprise to no one, but it is exciting to get the confirmation so soon. The last few years confirmation has come in May, which is just way too close for comfort.
Arrow is one of the highest rated new shows of the season on any network, and had the best premiere of any series since The Vampire Diaries in 2009. While Arrow is the network's highest-rated program, The Vampire Diaries is the highest rated series in targeted demographics, and is one of television's "most social" shows (whatever that means.) Meanwhile, Supernatural has benefitted from Arrow's strong lead-in, seeing a 15% rise in viewership since being paired with the show this season.
The new pickups will mean Arrow goes into a second season; The Vampire Diaries goes into a fifth; and Supernatural goes into a ninth season - which makes it the third longest running scripted drama currently on television (behind Law & Order: SVU and the original CSI.)