San Diego Comic-Con is almost here, and with it a slew of announcements from the companies driving the pop-culture zeitgeist. Few loom as large as Warner Bros. television, which continues to be an interesting catalyst for Time Warner (TWX) stock.
At Comic-Con, Warner will highlight four new shows. Almost Human, which will air Mondays on Fox, stars Karl Urban as a detective paired with an android. There's also The Originals, a spinoff of top-rated CW show The Vampire Diaries. The Tomorrow People is about a group of young people with special powers. And The 100 is a post-apocalyptic drama about juvenile delinquents banished from a space-based "Ark" back to a supposedly scorched Earth.
Can the strategy work? History doesn't offer much hope. Comedies such as The Big Bang Theory and Two-and-a-Half Men still carry much of the weight for the studio, and therefore Time Warner stock. But it's also worth remembering that Arrow -- based on the DC Comics superhero -- has already been reupped thanks to strong ratings.
Meanwhile, AMC Networks (AMCX 5.66%) made history when The Walking Dead became the top show in the 18-49 demographic for the first half of its third season. The zombie thriller would go on to become the top-rated scripted drama of the fall TV lineup.
Whether or not Warner has the right shows in its lineup, the size and scope of Comic-Con -- expected to draw at least 125,000 people -- plus the success of genre films and TV shows should make the rollout worth watching. Do you agree? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take, and then let us know whether you would buy, sell, or short Time Warner stock at current prices .
