We interrupt our normally scheduled Saturday programming to bring you . . . Cancellations. The Network Executioner was busy yesterday as three shows were sent to the chopping block, two from The CW and one from Netflix.
The CW is not a network known for cancelling its shows, and in the past I have dubbed it the “Happy Net” because it usually issues blanket renewals around January or February. But there is currently a sale pending that will change the prior joint ownership structure where CBS and Warner Bros. shared control of the programming. One or both of those may bow out once the sale is final and the new owners will have the majority stake. Leading up to that, the existing network execs are making decisions on which shows will remain on the lineup going into the 2022-23 season. The Flash, Superman & Lois, Kung Fu, and Riverdale have been renewed. Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman are the first to fall and more could follow.
LoT co-showrunner Keto Shimizu broke the news of that show’s cancellation on Twitter yesterday afternoon:
Well, folks. It’s been an incredible run. However, the CW has let us know that there will be no season 8 of #LegendsOfTomorrow. We are heartbroken, but also immensely grateful for the amazing work our cast, crew, and writers have contributed to the little show that could.
— Keto Shimizu (@ketomizu) April 30, 2022
Among the remaining Arrow-verse shows that had not been renewed, I considered Legends of Tomorrow most likely to return for another season. Since it is a team-up series, it can pick up characters from other shows that have ended and it has a rather versatile format. It is also the only genre entry from the current season on the linear networks that saw its rating grow year-over-year. And The CW previously had an unwritten rule that its longer-running shows would receive a final year announcement in advance instead of outright cancelling them. But the upcoming sale apparently caused them to go in a different direction with LoT. It did wrap up many of its storylines with its seventh season finale (apparently the creative team knew that cancellation was possible), but there were plans to continue the show into an eighth year and possibly more. With a total of 110 episodes, the show will have a chance to live on in syndication runs.
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The cancellation of Batwoman was a little less surprising as that one had also wrapped up many of its storylines and it has typically been one of the lower-rated Arrow-verse entries. The showrunner, Caroline Dries, was also the one to break the news:
Just got the sad news that #Batwoman will not be seeing an S4. I am bummed, but full of gratitude. What an honor to make 51 episodes. So many inspiring, brilliant people contributed to this series. Thank you producers, cast and crew. Thank you, fans! We love you. ❤️
— Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) April 29, 2022
That show had been through its share of struggles with series lead Ruby Rose leaving after the first season, though Javicia Leslie was able to step in and take over as Batwoman and was well-received by most fans. There was another unwritten rule at The CW over the past ten years or so that any show making it past its second season was guaranteed to go for at least four years. That did not hold up in this case, and Batwoman will be the first drama series cancelled after running three seasons on the network (Veronica Mars ended after its third season, but the first two aired on UPN). I had originally thought that the show might switch to HBO Max for a fourth season, but it does not look like that will be an option. There were campaigns launched to convince network execs to renew both Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman, but apparently those did not have much impact.
There are two more Arrow-verse shows still waiting for word on their fates: Naomi and Stargirl. The prospects for the former do not look good at this point because it is a freshman series and only had so-so ratings in its first year. Stargirl has been one of the network’s better-performing shows and could stick around because it fills up time on the Summer schedule. With the cancellation of Legends of Tomorrow and with The Flash likely wrapping up next year, I would not be surprised to see a Justice League series (teased in the Crisis on Infinite Earths event) showing up that can pick up characters from multiple shows. Whether that happens, though, will depend on how many hours the new owners will want to devote to the Arrow-verse going forward.
Over on Netflix, yet another show has fallen and I expect more to follow. After seeing a drop in subscribers in Q1, that streamer is in panic mode and appears to be responding with a slash and burn strategy. The superhero series Raising Dion was cancelled earlier in the week and now the workplace comedy with a sci fi twist Space Force has been grounded. The cancellation for that one did not come as a huge surprise as I already had it On the Bubble. Netflix was slow to announce a second season of the show, and when that debuted it only made it into the lower rungs of the streaming Top 10 for originals for a couple of weeks. With Raising Dion getting cancelled after pulling in over a billion minutes of viewing in one week, the prospects for Space Force looked grim. This was a high profile comedy with The Office alums Greg Daniels and Steve Carell involved, but it was expensive and it never performed up to expectations and did not get high marks from critics in its first year. And these two genre cancellations from that streamer may just be the beginning as it starts to purge its originals in response to its loss of subscribers.
We are headed into the final month of the 2021-22 regular season and more renewals and cancellations are on the way. You can see the status of all the currently airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
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Frankly, good riddance to both.
You really need to bring Shadowhunters back. It was brilliant. There are do many stories from the books and it was cut to early. There are so many people that want it back. Make their day and do it.