‘Superman & Lois’ Axes Half Its Cast After Season 4 Renewal

Change has been inevitable for this version of the Man of Steel, as it was recently announced that Superman & Lois would come to an end through a fourth and final season. The episode count was reduced just to allow the series to bring its story to a close without leaving the characters with incomplete journeys. But now, it looks like th scale of the season will be even smaller than originally thought, as Deadline reports that some of the supporting cast members won’t be returning for the show’s conclusion, setting the stage for a very small departure for the beloved series where they can only appear in geust roles depending on their availability..

Dylan Walsh, who played Lois’ (Elizabeth Tulloch) father over the course of the series, won’t be returning for the final installment in a supporting capacity. Added to that, Emanuelle Chriqui, who was in charge of portraying Lana Lang throughout the story, will also be saying goodbye to the CW production as a regular cast member. And they won’t be the only characters not being able of bringing their arcs to a close, since Erik Valdez‘s Kyle Cushing is also set to disappear from the upcoming episodes’ supporting cast. While it will be sad to see these characters in a smaller fashion, a smaller budget was necessary in order for the network to produce ten final episodes for the show.

What made this iteration of the iconic DC characters was so special was how Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois’ lives were explored in a way that focused on how they related to their roles as citizens besides their side jobs as saviors of the planet. And if the new approach wasn’t enough, this time they were in charge of raising a family, as their two sons were always there to get in trouble. Clark even had to become a mentor for Jordan (Alex Garfin), since he was the only one of his sons who inherited Kryptonian abilities. The family’s love kept them united while they saved the world.

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A New Threat is Coming

While some of the supporting cast members will be reduced to some sort of glorified cameo, one of them has been promoted to series regular for the final season. It couldn’t be a Superman adaptation without his nemesis, and Michael Cudlitz will see his role as Lex Luthor go from a supporting character to one of the main faces in the cast. Time is running out for the Kent family, and having to deal with the leader of Lexcorp will decide their fate at the end of the day. Let’s just hope they can save their home in time, before the super villain ruins the life they have built for themselves.

You can check out Collider’s interview with Tyler Hoechlin below: