The CW’s President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz is making no promises about Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights, or All-American: Homecoming…but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be cancelled. The trio of shows are among The CW’s highest-rated series, but they’re also expensive, and The CW does not have streaming rights, so it’s difficult to make them turn a profit. Since Nexstar took over majority control of The CW in 2022, they have slashed budgets and cancelled shows in order to try to figure out a way to make the network profitable — something that previous owners Warner Bros. and CBS did not have to worry about, since they could fall back on home video, merchandise, and streaming revenue.
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The CW started as a merger between The WB and UPN, with their repective parent companies each taking control of 50% of the new network, and providing content produced by their in-house studios (Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios). Nexstar doesn’t have those streams, so they have to figure out how to make a profit from licensing and advertising, which is getting harder and harder as fewer and fewer people watch live, linear broadcast TV.
“We’re still looking at those analyzing these shows…and looking at our budgets in 2024,” Schwartz said at a press conference today, where The CW announced their fall schedule. “We love all those shows, and they all do very well for us in different ways. We will be making decisions on those probably sooner than later.”
He particularly expressed frustration with a lack of control over the streaming in reference to Superman & Lois, which he called one of the network’s “strongest” shows. If renewed, the series will air at midseason or over the summer of 2024. Rumor has it Warner Bros. Discover’s Max streaming platform may save at least Superman & Lois, if not both, if The CW declines to renew.
The CW released their fall schedule today, with only a small number of returning shows and much of the content coming from low-cost unscripted and acquired series. While some of these shows are sure to find a strong connection to the audience — The Spencer Sisters and Sullivan’s Crossing in particular have actors that are likely to bring in some fans — there was one especially notable absence: In the fall of 2023, The CW will have no comic book adaptation on the air. This marks the first fall schedule without one since the 2011-2012 season, which was nestled in between the end of Smallville and the beginning of Arrow.
