The CW Cancels Another Popular Comic Book Series
And yet another one bites the dust.
Fans of the shows on the CW are having a pretty bad year, as another fan-favorite series is getting the boot after the next season. The CW just revealed its 2022-2023 broadcast schedule and it also has the news that Riverdale will be ending after its seventh season. The seventh season of Riverdale is set to premiere during the midseason lineup.
While Riverdale is a popular, long-running series, its cancellation isn’t nearly as surprising or sudden as some of the other recent cancellations. Riverdale has slowly dipped in the ratings and the actors (who are supposed to be playing high school kids) continue to get older, as people do. One of the seasons tried to combat this fact of life by doing a time skip, which wasn’t well-received. Fans of Riverdale should at least get a satisfying ending or some closure since the cancellation wasn’t unexpected.
Though Riverdale fans will likely get some closure, the same can’t be said for fans of the other comic-book shows on the CW like Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. Those shows both got the ax with plenty of plot lines left to resolve. This had led to fans begging for HBO Max to take the shows and give them the proper ending they deserve. Since the CW and HBO are both owned by WarnerMedia, this is always possible, but there haven’t been any rumors indicating this fan wish will come true.
Riverdale comes from Berlanti Productions, which is also the home of Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. Though these cancellations may be a blow to Berlanti Productions, Berlanti still has plenty of shows still going strong. Superman & Lois, Stargirl, and All-American aren’t expected to be canceled, and The Flash is still ongoing. The Flash is in slightly more unknown territory, as star Grant Gustin is only signed on for one more season. Unless Gustin signs on for more or they want to take the story in a different direction, we may be hearing of a Flash cancellation next.
Riverdale is based on characters from Archie Comics with a decidedly dark twist. The initial seasons were extremely popular and well-received, though that goodwill has waned as the show has gone on. The show has become even more ridiculous over the years, which some fans have enjoyed while others have been less thrilled. A couple of spin-offs, Katy Keene and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina were also produced by Berlanti. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina featured crossovers with the characters from Riverdale. These shows have both ended, so the end of Riverdale will mark the end of the Riverdale universe on television. Of course, there’s always the chance they could do another spin-off or even a reboot in the future.
Riverdale’s seventh season should begin in 2023, likely on the winter lineup. The show is currently airing its sixth season, which premiered in November of 2021. The finale is scheduled to air on May 29. Other CW series that won’t be continuing include Dynasty, Charmed, 4400, Naomi, and In the Dark.
