Last year saw multiple live-action DC TV shows on The CW being cancelled, including Batwoman, Legends of Tomorrow, Stargirl and Naomi, not to mention The Flash soon entering its ninth and final season. Now it’s time for HBO Max to get in on that action. It’s been announced that Titans and Doom Patrol have both been cancelled, and HBO Max has shared a statement about both of these series ending with their current fourth seasons.
Both Titans and Doom Patrol originated as DC Universe originals in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but when that platform transitioned into the comics-only service now called DC Universe Infinite, the shows were made exclusively available to HBO Max subscribers. Alas, their time is coming to an end, though per THR, the producers on Titans and Doom Patrol “saw the writing on the wall amid all the changes with DC Entertainment” and formatted their respective endings in a way so that the fans won’t be left with any unresolved plot threads. HBO Max’s official statement on Titans and Doom Patrol’s cancellations reads as follows:
While these will be the final seasons of Titans and Doom Patrol, we are very proud of these series and excited for fans to see their climactic endings. We are grateful to Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television for making such thrilling, action-packed, heartfelt series. We thank Titans showrunner Greg Walker, executive producers Greg Berlanti, Akiva Goldsman, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, Richard Hatem, and the team at Weed Road Pictures. For Doom Patrol, we celebrate showrunner Jeremy Carver and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, Chris Dingess and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. For four seasons, fans have fallen in love with the Titans and Doom Patrol, investing in their trials and tribulations, and in their legendary battles saving the world time and time again.
Originally developed several years earlier as a drama for TNT, Titans premiered on October 12, 2018 and followed the formation of a new Titans team following the old one dissolving years earlier. The show’s starting lineup consisted of Brenton Thwaites’ Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing, Anna Diop as Koriand’r/Kory Anders/Starfire, Teagan Croft as Rachel Roth/Raven and Ryan Potter as Gar Logan/Beast Boy. As Titans progressed, the team became a mix of the old guard and the newcomers, including including Curran Walters’ Jason Todd (the second Robin, who later took a villainous turn as Red Hood), Conor Leslie’s Donna Troy/Wonder Girl and Joshua Orpin’s Connor Kent/Superboy, to name a few. Titans Season 4 kicked off on November 3, 2022, and this chunk of the series has seen the heroes dealing with villains like Mother Mayhem and Brother Blood, and Titus Welliver even showed up in the premiere as Lex Luthor.
Although Brendan Fraser’s Cliff Steele/Robotman, April Bowlby’s Vita Farr/Elasti-Woman and Matt Bomer’s Larry Trainer/Negative Man were introduced in Titans’ fourth episode, the Doom Patrol series ended up following versions of these characters from a different Earth. They were joined by Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis/Crazy Jane, Jovian Wade as Victor Stone/Cyborg and Timothy Dalton’s Niles Caulder/The Chief, and Michelle Gomez’s Laura De Mille/Madame Rouge officially joined the team at the end of Season 3. Doom Patrol Season 4 premiered on December 8, 2022, and the threats this season have included the return of the were-butts, Doctor Janus and Mister 104.
With Titans and Doom Patrol on their way out, that leaves Pennyworth (which started out on Epix) and Peacemaker as HBO Max’s only remaining live-action original DC shows. HBO Max also still has a Green Lantern series in the works, although it will now focus on John Stewart rather than multiple Emerald Knights. Although this latest round of cancellations comes a few months after James Gunn and Peter Safran were put in charge of DC Studios’ film, TV and animation efforts, although the decision to end Titans and Doom Patrol reportedly was made before they arrived.
Titans and Doom Patrol still have the latter halves of their fourth seasons coming up, but premiere dates for neither have been announced yet. Look through our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows you can keep entertained with until these DC shows return for heir final lap.
