Well, I admire your optimism MB, but I really think you're glossing over reality here. Despite the limited number of openings for new shows which worked against Dark Shadows from the get go, the CW didn't just go out of their way not to select DS but REALLY went out of their way not to. Walker was given a series go without even a pilot, Kung Fu was a rejected project from a completely different network for pilot...but worst of all Lost Boys was given a redo for a 2nd pilot -almost unheard of these days. It's pretty clear if they are going forward with a vampire themed project, it's Lost Boys not DS. As for sister networks picking up DS, the CW is a sister network to CBS - which also owns Showtime and CBS Sports channel. In the Viacom merger, CBS just acquired an eclectic bunch of cable channels including TV Land, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, BET and Paramount Network. None of which are even remotely compatible with DS. (Could you imagine DS on BET with Wesley Snipes as Barnabas or moving Collinwood to Nashville for Paramount Network ...lol)
Nobody wants a DS reboot to happen more than me and I feel Perry's project has a lot of promise, it just feels like 1991 all over again. I organized the NBC rally here in Orlando. and with the rallies , letter and phone call campaign, I really thought DS had a good chance of getting renewed. Wrong. It wasn't till after the fact we learned that Warren Littlefield who took over NBC programming from Brandon Tartikoff hated the show and had no intention of renewing it. No matter how big the fan effort was, the fix was in. I get that same feeling now. I looked up what pilot scripts cost and Perry got the standard fee of around $40,000. The cost of shooting a pilot is a million or more, so what the CW has invested to this point is minimal. I would imagine the rights will reverent back to Perry at some point to shop around or just put out there. Networks are copycats, so if Lost Boys makes it to series and does well, DS will get another look see for sure. Otherwise, I think this project is a goner.