The Arrowverse is getting even smaller in 2021. After Arrow wrapped as the show that started it all on The CW in early 2020, Supergirl is heading toward its series finale in the upcoming Season 6. Fortunately for any who are reeling from the unexpected news, Melissa Benoist has shared a message about the end. The leading lady said:
To say it has been an honor portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement. Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled and speechless. She’s had that impact on me, too. She’s taught me strength I didn’t know I had, to find hope in the darkest of places, and that we are stronger when we’re united. What she stands for pushes all of us to be better. She has changed my life for the better, and I’m forever grateful. I’m so excited that we get to plan our conclusion to this amazing journey, and I cannot wait for you to see what we have in store. I promise we’re going to make it one helluva final season.
Melissa Benoist's message on Instagram follows the news that Supergirl is coming to an end. Supergirl stands as the first female-led series in the Arrowverse, with Batwoman following a few years down the line and Legends of Tomorrow serving as more of an ensemble. The good news is that she promises a "helluva final season," but the bad news is that few may have expected Supergirl to be the next show to go.
Like the rest of the ongoing Arrowverse series, production on Supergirl for the 2020-2021 TV season was delayed due to pandemic precautions, and Deadline reports that Supergirl was aiming to delay production further to accommodate Melissa Benoist's pregnancy. She is currently expecting her first child, with husband and former Supergirl co-star Chris Wood. The goal was reportedly to begin filming without Benoist, who would then join production at a later date.
Supergirl has also not exactly been a ratings juggernaut in the years since it moved to officially join the Arrowverse, although it was never expected that the show would pull in the same kinds of numbers on The CW as it did on CBS before the network switch. The move to Sundays didn't help, likely because The CW previously did not air any new scripted content on Sunday nights, and it was paired in the 2019-2020 season with a freshman series in Batwoman.
The decision to end Supergirl was reportedly made by Melissa Benoist, the producers, the studio, and the network, due to the delays and ratings drops. The upside to the end of the series is that, unlike the situation with Arrow, Supergirl has received a longer-than-expected final season.
The sixth and final season will run for 20 episodes, and while that is shorter than almost every season aside from the fifth that was cut short, it is longer than other broadcast series are expected to run due to late starts. The writers have already begun developing storylines for those final 20 episodes, and production may begin in Vancouver as early as next week.
The end of Supergirl won't mean the end of Kryptonian superheroes on The CW, as Superman and Lois is slated to premiere in 2021 as well. The Man of Steel will replace the Girl of Steel. And who knows? Assuming Supergirl doesn't end with Kara dying or leaving Earth, maybe she could pay her cousin a visit every once in a while. Supergirl is more or less responsible for launching the latest Arrowverse spinoff.
In fact, with Supergirl's connections to so many other Arrowverse shows thanks to the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event that ended with Oliver Queen condensing the multiverse and joining Supergirl and Black Lightning into the Earth already occupied by Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, perhaps other Supergirl characters could simply jump to other Arrowverse series when the final credits roll in 2021.
All of this said, I'm actually quite surprised that Supergirl is the first Arrowverse series to go after Arrow. I was expecting The Flash to wrap next, either in Season 7 or in Season 8, following Arrow's example. The Flash does score significantly higher ratings than Supergirl, however, so perhaps it will simply stick around for as long as Grant Gustin is willing to continue playing the Scarlet Speedster.
Be sure to vote in our poll below about the end of Supergirl! If you want to relive Kara's journey so far while waiting for the beginning of the end, you can find the first five seasons of Supergirl so far streaming on Netflix. For some viewing options to pass the time until the Arrowverse returns to The CW with new episodes, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!
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