The CW: Here’s When The Flash, Riverdale, and More Arrive on Netflix

The landscape of film and television has been impacted pretty heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic, with countless release dates and production schedules being thrown out of whack. As more people spend time at home social distancing, streaming services like Netflix are becoming even more useful, especially as they get updated with more and more content. If you’re someone who uses the streaming service to catch up on certain network shows – particularly, those on The CW – the next month will probably be pretty eventful.

On Wednesday, Netflix released its monthly list of movies and shows that will be arriving on the service in May, and it included quite a few of The CW’s currently-airing shows. Much of this is due to some of the shows being forced to have shorter seasons during the pandemic, with Riverdale and The Flash being confirmed to only have nineteen episodes in their latest installments. (Both Supernatural and Legacies are slight outliers at the moment, as they have officially postponed finishing their seasons for sometime later this year.)

If you want a handy guide to keep track of when The CW’s shows are hitting Netflix (and other streaming services) in the near future, you’re in luck. Scroll through to find out, and let us know what show you’re most excited to see in the comments below!

Arrow and Black Lightning – Already Available

If you’re already looking for some newer content from The CW to stream on Netflix, the most recent seasons of two of the network’s superhero shows are already available. This includes Arrow‘s eighth and final season, which wrapped up in February with an emotional series finale.

The third season of Black Lightning is also available, allowing fans to check out the series’ official introduction into the Arrowverse (as well as quite a lot of other plot twists and turns).

Charmed – May 9th

The sophomore season of Charmed is set to hit Netflix on May 9th, exactly eight days after the Season 2 finale airs on The CW. The newest batch of episodes showcase a whole new adventure for The Charmed Ones, as the series got new showrunners and focused more on its supernatural side. 

Riverdale – May 14th

Riverdale has been a bonafide phenomenon for The CW over the past few years, partially thanks to the series’ success streaming on Netflix. If you’ve been waiting to stream the show’s fourth season, it will be available on Thursday, May 14th.

The newest stretch of episodes weave in some larger-than-life mysteries, namely in the form of Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) seeming to be dead in a flash-forward sequence. Trust us, the truth behind that plotline – as well as a dozen-or-so other things in Riverdale – has to be seen to be believed.

The Flash – May 20th

The Flash is also set to suffer a shorter season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Season 6 wrapping up in an episode on May 12th. The latest season will be available to stream on Netflix shortly after, on Wednesday, May 20th.

The newest season pits Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin) against some pretty formidable foes, starting with the ferocious monster Bloodwork, and ending with the massive conspiracy surrounding Black Hole. In the process, Barry is forced to face the fact that…you know… he’s doomed to die in “Crisis on Infinite Earths”.

Supergirl – May 2020

While a handful of The CW’s finale dates have still not been publicly announced, Netflix does include Supergirl‘s Season 5 among its May listings, which certainly seems to hint that it will debut sometime within the month.

The season chronicles the newest adventures for Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), as well as her team dealing with the fallout of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. Plus, you absolutely have to check out the show’s 100th episode. 

Legends of Tomorrow – TBD

Legends of Tomorrow did have the benefit of filming its fifth season this past fall, which makes the question of when its finale will air – and when it will hit Netflix – a little up in the air. At this point, it’s safe to assume that it will arrive on Netflix sometime in June, although things can always change.

The newest season follows the Legends on a fight against a series of “encores” — historical figures throughout history that have been released from Hell by Astra Logue (Olivia Swann). In the process, you can expect some heartwrenching goodbyes, some squee-worthy character moments, and a lot of weirdness.

Nancy Drew – CBS All Access

One of The CW’s freshman series, Nancy Drew, wrapped up its season earlier this month… but don’t expect it to be on Netflix anytime soon. The series has an exclusive streaming deal with CBS All Access, and while a debut date hasn’t been officially announced, previous reports have indicated that it would be 30 days before the show’s second season starts. In the meantime, the entire first season is available to stream for free on The CW’s website.

Nancy Drew follows its 18-year-old titular character in the summer after her high school graduation. After the sudden passing of her mother derails her college plans, Nancy is stuck in her hometown for a year, where she briefly swears off of working as a teenage sleuth. This gets complicated when Nancy is seen as the prime suspect in a socialite’s murder.

Batwoman and Katy Keene – HBO Max

The network’s other two freshman shows – Batwoman and the new Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene – will also be wrapping up their seasons in the coming months, but will not have a streaming home on Netflix. Instead, both series will be available exclusively on HBO Max, a new streaming service that launches May 27th. While neither series has an HBO Max debut date, as with Nancy Drew, it could be 30 days before each show’s second season starts. Both shows are available to watch in their entirety on The CW’s website.

Batwoman follows the journey of Kate Kane, who comes to terms with her life as Gotham’s lesbian crime-fighter. Katy Keene follows its titular character, Riverdale‘s Josie McCoy, and their friends, as they all try to make a name for themselves in New York City.