Superman & Lois Killed By James Gunn’s DCU

It seemed a reasonable theory that it had more to do with The CW’s change in ownership, as the network’s other superhero shows were also being given the boot, perhaps indicating the new owners wanted a change in direction for the channel. The long running Arrowverse was another casualty, and Gotham Knights was given the axe.

However, new information coming out reveals that in actuality, it was Warner Bros. who wanted to end Superman & Lois, not the CW. In fact, it sounds as if the CW viewed the show as one of its stronger originals and that they were open to seeing it continue onwards. As stated by The Wrap, CW executives wanted to cut costs, but did not view Superman & Lois as a loss.

CW entertainment chief Brad Schwartz stated, “We went to our partners at CBS and Warner Bros., and we just were like, ‘We’re partners on these things, you sell them randomly around. Here’s our economics…’ We can’t keep losing the amount of money we were on the shows.” He went on to address the shows they did want to keep (All American, All American: Homecoming, Walker, and Superman & Lois). “Very collaboratively, everyone got together and we pushed these four shows forward.”

Schwartz went on to explain that Superman & Lois was performing well for the network. With Superman being one of DC’s most popular heroes, it certainly makes sense that the strong fanbase his character has built up over the years would translate to the small screen. So why did Warner Bros. say it was time to end things for the show?

It turns out the answer is not Superman fatigue, but simply a change in creative direction. Superman: Legacy is coming up on the horizon, and Warner Bros. did not want two of their products being forced to compete against each other for the attention of fans. Unfortunately for fans of Superman & Lois, this meant the upcoming film was given priority.

This should not be overly surprising to DC fans, as almost the entire DC cinematic universe is also undergoing a reboot after a series of films that disappointed both critically and in terms of financial returns. James Gunn will be helming the new vision for DC’s movies, with Superman: Legacy being one of his first big announced projects. This is part of an overall strategy by DC to right the ship for their adaptions in the public eye, and streamline them to avoid confusion as to what is still canon

However, it is not all bad news for Superman & Lois fans. The show is not being abruptly pulled with no warning. The creators have been given permission to give the show one final, abbreviated fourth season to wrap things up and hopefully provide closure for viewers who have been fans of the show.