With a shift in programming having occurred at The CW, HBO Max's platform may step in to rescue a well-liked DCTV series from the chopping block.
Superheroes were once the lifeblood of The CW. But one by one, these Arrowverse series died off through cancellation or by ending of their own accord.
The CW‘s roster of DC shows only includes Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights as ongoing originals (The Flash only has two episodes left.)
The recent sale of the network to the Nexstar Group didn’t help matters, as The CW’s new president wishes to focus on cheaper, more accessible programming, with the fates of several shows left hanging in the balance.
HBO Max Could Rescue Superman & Lois
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery is considering moving the Arrowverse-adjacent Superman & Lois to HBO Max (which will soon be rebranded to Max) for a potential fourth season, which would effectively save it from cancellation by The CW.
The CW’s president Brad Schwartz previously stated that he wishes to keep at least one DC-based show on the network. This could mean either Gotham Knights or Superman & Lois could stay put, but with the latter series being quite expensive to produce, this could result in The CW no longer wanting to foot the bill.
It was previously reported that the fate of this series appeared grim with the expectation being that The CW wouldn’t pick up a Season 4.
Moving Superman to the HBO Max streamer wouldn’t be out of the question, as the first two seasons currently stream there, with the third not far behind.
Will Superman & Lois Be Canceled?
There is a multitude of elements to consider when examining whether Superman & Lois would be canned.
Firstly, it is indeed a costly show to make. The visual effects, cinematography, and costuming are high-caliber and when watching a given episode, it’s clear that a good amount of money has been poured into the series’ budget.
With that in mind, and factoring in that The CW is shifting to more affordable content, a jump to HBO Max / Max might be in order. However, Max also seems to be in cost-cutting mode, so perhaps a home for the Arrowverse spin-off couldn‘t be found there either.
Superman & Lois might not be the most-watched show in the world but it does have a very solid fanbase who would undoubtedly be upset if the series was canceled. Now, fan-favorite shows get axed all the time, but there’s a possibility that HBO Max would look at Superman’s built-in audience when making its decision to pick it up or not.
And finally, there’s DC Studios CEO James Gunn’s much-publicized Superman: Legacy reboot movie. Legacy is due out in 2025 and it’s quite plausible that Warner Bros. and DC would want to streamline the live-action incarnations of the Man of Steel. This would likely ultimately result in the cinematic version being propped up and Tyler Hoechlin’s TV hero being left by the wayside.
Whatever the case may be, Superman & Lois still has a few episodes left in its third season, with new episodes airing on Wednesdays.
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