Superman & Lois is ending after its fourth season debuts this fall. CW President Dennis Miller and Entertainment Chief Brad Schwartz offered insight into why the network is saying goodbye to one of its most popular shows.
As it turns out, Superman’s greatest weakness isn’t kryptonite – it’s himself. Even though Superman & Lois has been a top-performing show, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to end the series ahead of its new project, Superman: Legacy by creator James Gunn, set to release in theaters in 2025.
“They don’t want a competing Superman product in the marketplace,” said Schwartz, according to The Wrap.
This is quite a hit for The CW, losing one of its more popular scripted series. The network is instead looking to fill the primetime slot with live sports, which Miller said was “the easiest place to start.” The network signed to air LIV Golf and acquired the rights to Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball. This October, WWE NXT joins The CW, and in 2025, it will secure the streaming rights to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And the network also brought back Inside the NFL last September, which hasn’t been on broadcast television in 47 years.
The CW made a name for itself by targeting the young adult demographic and tailored its lineup to fit its audience. The CW, now under new owners Nexstar, is shifting away from that typical viewership and is focusing on shows that can attract a broader audience. As part of its transformation, it slashed 10 shows in 2022 and another four last year.
The network is readying new scripted series to fill the boots of its former flagship programs to reach profitability by 2025. Canadian shows Wild Cards and Sullivan’s Crossing fit better with the new network strategy and have done well with audiences since their debut.
Schwartz said such shows bring an air of nostalgia reminiscent of The CW days of yore.
“They kind of remind you of old CW, like pre-superhero CW – Gilmore Girls, Hart of Dixie, Everwood, One Tree Hill,” said Schwartz. “We were like, ‘Those are workings, let’s do more of those.”
Nexstar kept only four of The CW’s original shows, Walker, Superman & Lois, and All American, as well as the spinoff All American: Homecoming, and discarded the rest of the lineup. Superman & Lois is one of the network’s biggest audience drawers, averaging 819,000 viewers for its third season, according to The Wrap. Walker is another top performer, netting an average of 690,000 viewers during its third season. All American and All American: Homecoming are The CW’s most watched series for adults 18 to 49. All American was the most watched series on digital and across all platforms, said Schwartz.
“The CW affords us an opportunity to play offense and defense,” said Miller. “We can broaden the programming.”
The fourth and final season of Superman & Lois debuts this fall on The CW. Schwartz said the last season is “very high quality” and will offer disappointed fans a “satisfactory” ending for the series, though he warns to bring tissues. He said the fourth season is “incredible” and cements the series as “one of the best shows on TV.”
Superman & Lois debuted in 2021, initially conceived as a spinoff of Supergirl as part of the Arrowverse. It was later confirmed to be its own standalone universe. The CW doesn’t have the rights to prior seasons, but those are available to stream on Max.