The CW President Brad Schwartz Says Fate Of ‘Superman & Lois’ Mostly Dependent On Cost: “It’s Expensive [And] Doesn’t Make Money For Us”
The fate of Superman & Lois has yet to be decided but new information reveals that the cost of the show isn’t justifiable. The Arrowverse and DC television on the network overall are going away after two decades of being a staple — counting Smallville and The WB years — so it seemed like the last ones standing would be canned.
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However, there is hope of a reprieve for the former on Max when Warner Discovery’s new streaming choice is up and running. Things aren’t quite so for the other and its demise could be imminent. For now, these are educated guesses, but their judgment will be passed down in no time according to The CW’s new President.
Head of the network Brad Schwartz said at a press conference covered by TVLine that he and the people at CW have a soft spot for both shows and “We’ll be making decisions on those sooner [rather] than later.” He also made it rather clear, and to no surprise, which of the two is looked upon more favorably.
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“Superman & Lois, creatively, is very strong,” Schwartz said. “It does well in broadcast, it does well in digital… but it’s expensive [and] doesn’t make money for us. And we don’t have the rights to the prior seasons. You need to have a library [for people to find a show]… and the prior seasons are [on HBO Max].”
So it will come down to cost and profit with Superman & Lois, as well as rights, giving credibility and a basis for the idea that Max will inherit the show. The platform would be able to afford it and is growing its DC profile, despite canceling Doom Patrol and Titans, with The Batman spinoffs — including Penguin and the gestating Arkham series.
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The CW, so far, has only renewed All American and Walker, which are hits for them, while they’ve let go of Stargirl, The Flash, Kung Fu, Nancy Drew, Riverdale, Walker: Independence, and The Winchesters — which has a campaign to save it. The network is leaving room for two to three scripted series on its schedule, and that could be good news for one bubble series.
Similarly, the fate of Gotham Knights — a show that couldn’t be further apart from Superman & Lois, in terms of quality — has not been decided yet with the restructuring of The CW but it might be the one to benefit, as odd as that sounds.
The lowest-rated show ever belonging to DC or The CW, it is a disaster based on every measure. Even the target audience turned against the show, but it has one thing going for it: as bad as it is, GK is still cheap to produce. Executives tend to like that.
Which show gets saved? Are you pulling for Superman & Lois? Tell us in the usual place.
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