Cancellation Watch: Doom Patrol May Now Be in Trouble at DCU, Can Fans Save That Show as Well as Swamp Thing?

Doom Patrol had its debut on the DC Universe streaming channel back in February to much acclaim, currently holding a 95% Fresh Rating and 95% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. There were also early rumors floating around that the show received a second season renewal before its first season had started, but there was never an official confirmation of that. Now, following last week’s cancellation of Swamp Thing and rumors that the DCU service could be in trouble, the future of Doom Patrol looks less certain. Geeks World Wide writer Thomas Polito shared on Twitter that DP could be the next DCU series to go:

Doom Patrol is next on the chopping block. No decision has been made yet though. pic.twitter.com/3h2HSQlAb8

— Thomas Polito (@thomas_polito) June 10, 2019

He does not site an official source, but he did talk with people close to the production of Swamp Thing to get a behind the scenes perspective on that show’s cancellation. What he learned was the Warner Bros. execs were not happy with the direction of the murk-monster’s series and they have more of an interest in following the format of The CW’s long-running shows like The Flash and Arrow. The quirky Doom Patrol does not quite fit into that formula, so its days could be numbered as well.

In addition to this, the DCU streaming service could be on the chopping block, leaving several shows orphaned. I had heard early rumors that it was not drawing in the expected number of subscribers, and the much larger WarnerMedia platform is currently in the process of ramping up. Once that goes live, its very possible that the larger service could gobble up the niche-leaning DCU, but not necessarily take everything with it. The Titans series, which was the first DCU original and has proven very popular, would likely switch platforms.  But the status of Doom Patrol, the upcoming Stargirl, and possibly even Young Justice could be iffy at this point.

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Despite all these corporate shenanigans, fans do not need to sit on the sidelines helplessly and watch their favorite shows get cancelled.  We have already learned that social media can be a powerful tool, and a Call to Action on the social networks could help Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and more.  A fan uprising could keep these shows going on DCU as long as it is viable and/or assure that they switch over to the WarnerMedia service as Titans almost certainly will.  As an alternative, HBO is part of the AT&T / WarnerMedia conglomerate (AT&T is buying up everything that Disney hasn’t grabbed yet) and could be an option for those shows due to their more mature content.

But it will take a lot of noise from fans to make anything happen.  The best approach would be a social media campaign that encourages others to sign up for DCU to watch both Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and more.  That brings more subscribers to the service and goes straight to the bottom line (corporate execs may not understand their own television shows, but they do understand money).  Young Justice fans should be enlisted in this effort as well because that show has not received a fourth season renewal yet, and they already have plenty of campaigning experience.  Corporate shifts along with the Peak TV crunch continue to take a toll on the many shows out there, but fans do have a means to combat that and make their voices heard.  So for those who want more of Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Young Justice, etc., the time is now to make the Call to Action on the social networks.

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