Angel

The WB has given early 2004-05 greenlights to its critically hailed dramas "Everwood" and "Smallville."

Frog has ordered full seasons of each skein, both of which are produced by Warner Bros. TV. Net had already cancelled "Angel" and locked in deals to bring back Aaron Spelling’s "7th Heaven" and "Charmed" next fall, along with "Gilmore Girls," leaving "One Tree Hill" as the only question mark on the net’s sked — though the latter skein is likely to return, as well.

WB co-chairman Jordan Levin called the five dramas ordered for next season "the cornerstones of our schedule."

Exec made a point of noting that "Smallville" has followed in the footsteps of some previous Frog hours by "returning significant value to our studio partners. Its recent robust off-net sale to ABC Family and HD-Net of over three-quarters of a million dollars (per episode) came in a marketplace that has not been kind to many new entrants."

Levin said "Everwood" has had "an astonishing creative year" and was "a star player for our stations this past November and February sweeps."

Like much of the WB’s primetime lineup, "Smallville" and "Everwood" have suffered Nielsen declines this season.

Still, "Everwood" remains one of TV’s top-rated dramas among female teens, with a 3.6/11 in that demo season-to-date. And for the third season in a row, "Smallville" is the WB’s top-rated show in the net’s target demo of persons 12-34, along with the adults 18-34 and 18-49 demos.

"Everwood," from exec producers Greg Berlanti and Mickey Liddell, will return for a third season. Skein stars Treat Williams and Gregory Smith as a father and son living in a small mountain town.

As for "Smallville," the retelling of the Superman saga will enter its fourth season in the fall. Skein is produced by Tollin/Robbins Prods. in association with WBTV, with Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Greg Beeman, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola and Ken Horton serving as exec producers. (As reported by VARIETY)