Between both Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow being cancelled last year, Stargirl ending its three-season run in December and The Flash about to kick off its ninth and final season, it’s abundantly clear that The CW will no longer be the home for DC Comics shows that it once was. That being said, one series that still has an uncertain future is Superman & Lois, which returns in March. However, fans may want to pay attention to both co-creator Greg Berlanti’s new deal with Warner Bros. Television and The CW’s alleged plans for clues about what fate may await Superman & Lois.
Let’s start off with what’s going on with Greg Berlanti. The writer/producer whose other DC TV show credits include Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Titans has signed a new four-year deal with Warner Bros. Television that sees Berlanti Productions acting as more of a studio within this corner of the larger Warners landscape. As stated out by THR, this new deal has Berlanti and his production company being “compensated for the success of the shows he delivers rather than his record output,” and DC Comics shows will not be the “focal point” of what he’s working on going forward, although let’s not forget that he’s still attached to the recently-overhauled Green Lantern series.
Now, since Superman & Lois already exists, then presumably that wouldn’t affect Greg Berlanti’s involvement with the show. Conversely though, because Berlanti’s new WBTV deal prioritizes quality over quantity, plus the fact that it’s mentioned in the article that he wants to focus on delivering more shows like The Flight Attendant and You. So if Berlanti is looking to deliver more fare that’s appealing to a wider audience, that could mean that he steps away from Superman & Lois, as The CW doesn’t get nearly as many eyes on it compared to something that’s available on streaming services like HBO Max and Netflix. Granted, Superman & Lois could continue without Berlanti involved in any way, but there’s also a scenario where he uses upcoming Season 3, or if we’re lucky, Season 4, to wrap things up on The CW.
Speaking of The CW, it was reported back in November that following Nexstar Media Group purchasing the network, the company is looking to undercut the minimum amount required to put together scripted series like Superman & Lois. Nexstar is also focused on making The CW profitable, which has resulted in many shows getting cancelled and more unscripted fare being set up on the network in the coming years. On that note, this same THR article says that there “will be fewer than five U.S. scripted originals” on The CW going forward. With such a diminished output of scripted material and how much it costs to make Superman & Lois, that doesn’t bode well for this show going past Season 3.
To be clear, Superman & Lois has not been cancelled, and even if it ultimately is, maybe there’s a chance that it could move to HBO Max. But right now, the cards aren’t stacked in its favor, so fans should tread cautiously in these coming months. As for what Superman & Lois Season 3 holds in store, among the concrete details that have been announced are Michael Bishop taking over the role of Jonathan Kent, and Chad L. Coleman appearing as Intergang leader Bruno Mannheim.
Superman & Lois Season 3 premieres Tuesday, March 14 on The CW, and once any official updates about the show’s future beyond this next batch of episodes is announced, we’ll pass them along. For now, keep track of when your other favorite shows are premiering/airing with our 2023 TV schedule.
