The CW Exec Reveals Why They Saved Superman & Lois

The CW could not escape the Warner Bros. Discovery crisis. After years of dominating the market for teen series and the superhero genre, the network gradually began to suffer the consequences of the popularity of streaming platforms, losing some of its most valuable titles.

In 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, Arrow came to an end, marking a before-and-after for the shared universe of series based on DC characters. Despite the fact that The Flash, which at that time and until its end was the most popular show in the Arrowverse, was still on the air, the impact of Arrow‘s end for The CW cannot be denied.

And that was not all. In November of that same year, another of the network’s biggest hits also aired its final season. Supernatural, after becoming the longest running series in The CW history, ended with its fifteenth season and ended up marking the end of an era for the channel.

The panorama became increasingly worse, ending great series like Supergirl, canceling popular titles like DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and announcing the sudden endings of two of its strongest productions: The Flash and Riverdale, with the latter about to release its last episode. However, there were shows that managed to survive the crisis and the question is why those in particular?

Related: Superman & Lois Season 4 Release Details Revealed

Superman & Lois Is One The CW Biggest Stars

There is no doubt that the series starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch has achieved great popularity, thanks to the chemistry between its protagonists, the good development of the story and a level of production that stands out above other CW shows.

That is why, along with All-American, its spinoff, and the remake of Walker Texas Ranger, Superman & Lois got its long-awaited renewal for a fourth season, just after other series like Gotham Knights or the Supernatural spinoff, The Winchesters were canceled.

Speaking with The Wrap, The CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz revealed why they chose those four series to continue on their screen after so many cancelations:

“Homecoming and All American specifically are a large percentage of our streaming. Those shows are monsters. It was very easy to focus on those four as our biggest shows and best performers. And then it was also easier to have conversations with CBS and Warner about ‘How can we make these shows work for everybody?’ because there was a successful track record. CBS and Warner Bros. know what they make on them internationally, know what they make from their Netflix and HBO sales. We know how they do for us. They can project what a library of 60 or 70 episodes is going to make for them forever. You can put all the math together and be like, ‘Is there a path for us as partners?’ For those four shows? We made it happen.”

But despite having been renewed, Superman & Lois will suffer the consequences of the current crisis of The CW. For its fourth installment, the series will lose much of its star cast to reduce costs and continue telling the story of the Kent family.