Note: This article contains MINOR SPOILERS for the Arrow series finale.
The Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event brought major changes to the Arrow-verse with the demise of one lead character and the multi-verse getting merged into a single universe. These changes will impact how the shows interact going forward (making cross-overs much easier) and could also influence how much longer the individual shows will air. We do know that all of the Arrow-verse entries have been renewed for next season, with the exception of Arrow which is ending this year. But how much longer will the five remaining shows run?
The ratings for the Arrow-verse shows have continued to slip each year, but that is in line with the trend of same-day ratings declines we have been seeing across all of television. The CW still seems committed to the franchise as they have already greenlighted Superman & Lois (spinning off from Supergirl) for next season. That one appears to be following a path similar to the Lois & Clark series from the 90’s, though, as it will focus more on the relationship of the two leads and possibly less on standard superhero stories. There’s also another potential new show in the works with the female-led Arrow spin-off possibly joining the schedule next year as well. And the Arrow series finale hinted that Green Lantern could be joining the CW superheroes as well with [SPOILER ALERT!!!] John Diggle putting on the ring.
The Crisis event also set the groundworks for a potential Justice Leagues series, which could be a game-changer for the franchise. The network could end two or more shows next year and merge those characters into a new team series that also allows for characters from all shows to pass in and out. That might be a good landing-spot for the Green Lantern as well, unless he becomes part of the upcoming HBO Max series that is in the works. It may also be that the Justice League angle is the direction that future cross-overs will take, but the possibility is there to pursue that as an ongoing series as well and trim the superhero shows down to just two or three shows after next season.
The fact is that the Arrow-verse has been around for quite a while now (Arrow first debuted in Fall 2012), and the popularity of the shows is waning. It seems unlikely at this point that the network will continue adding shows without also rotating out some of the older entries that are not performing as well. Below is a look at the five remaining Arrow-verse shows (Black Lightning officially joined the fold after Crisis), ranking them from those most likely to stick around to those that could be on the chopping block.
The Flash (Renewed for 7th Season): This series remains the highest-rated of the Arrow-verse shows and I don’t expect it to be ending after next season. The only caveat to that is if they can’t work out a contract extension for Grant Gustin, but I am guessing that should not be too much of a hurdle. It’s possible that the show could end with its eighth season as Arrow did, but I don’t see it wrapping up sooner than that without other intangibles coming into play.
Batwoman (Renewed for 2nd Season): This show was not the breakout hit that I’m sure CW execs wanted, but it has performed well enough in its first season and is currently the network’s second-highest-rated series. Its ratings drop since returning from hiatus is a bit concerning, but we will have to see how it tracks as it wraps up its first season. If the viewership remains low next season, it’s not impossible that Batwoman could shift to Justice League or another team-up series. But I expect that it is on track for a third season at this point.
Black Lightning (Renewed for 4th Season): Over the past ten years, once a show has made it past its second season on The CW, it almost always sticks around for at least seventy episodes. If Black Lightning continues with sixteen-episode seasons, it will pass that mark in its fifth year. The seventy-ep threshold is not a guarantee (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wrapped up after 62 eps), but more often than not the network keeps the show going at least that long. Add to that the fact that BL generally gets high marks from critics and I would expect this one to be around at least two more seasons unless other factors come into play.
Legends of Tomorrow (Renewed for 6th Season): This show has typically been the lowest-rated of the Arrow-verse entries and it is probably one of the most expensive with the amount of sfx it employs. In the past, I figured the network would keep it running because of its team-up nature and the fact that characters from other shows could be easily folded in. But with Justice League looming as a potential ongoing and/or event series, Legends may no longer be needed. My guess is that the upcoming sixth season of this show will be announced as its last at some point.
Supergirl (Renewed for 6th Season): This once high-flying show has fallen on hard times the last couple of years. The ratings are down and it is currently tied with the two shows immediately above as the lowest-rated Arrow-verse entries. But a sixth season gets its more than enough episodes for an extended syndication run and the characters could easily be folded into a Justice League series if that materializes. With Superman & Lois joining the schedule next year, I’m thinking that The CW will consider that a saturation of Kryptonian characters, so I expect this show’s sixth season to be announced as its last.
Which shows do you want to see continue and which ones should the network retire? And does the Justice League series seem like a could idea or is that Arrow-verse overload? Chime in with your comments below.
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