The CW went on a slash and burn this season with a pending sale in the works, and among the shows that got the ax were three Arrow-verse entries: Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Naomi. With Supergirl and Black Lightning wrapping up last season, that is five shows in that franchise bowing out since last year. That currently leaves only three active Arrow-verse entries: The Flash, Superman & Lois, and Stargirl (the upcoming Gotham Knights is not linked to the franchise). The first of those could be wrapping up with its upcoming ninth season, and there has been no word on a fourth season of Stargirl (its third season premiere has been shifted to Fall). So with an ever-dwindling number of shows and nothing new in the works, is the Arrow-verse on its way out?
Kicking off with Arrow in Fall of 2012, this franchise of DC Comics-based shows grew to the point that it had as many as eight separate shows airing in one season (after Stargirl was retconned into the universe following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event). And even more shows were planned at one point, making it look like The CW would become the Arrow-verse channel. Last season saw Supergirl and Black Lightning come to an end (with final seasons for both announced in advance), but there were talks of more shows on the way with hints towards a Green Lantern and Justice League series. All of that appears to be on the back-burner, though, now that The CW could be on the verge of a sale to Nexstar or another buyer.
The writing certainly appeared to be on the wall when both Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman wrapped up their current seasons with a hint of finality. That was followed by the creative teams for both shows encouraging fans to lobby for renewal on the social networks. The fans definitely responded, but that did little to influence the network execs and both shows were cancelled, followed a couple of weeks later by the axing of freshman entry Naomi.
The remaining three Arrow-verse shows are the highest rated entries in the franchise, but it is unclear how much longer they will remain on the air. There had been talks of The Flash wrapping up with its ninth season for a while, and that still seems like a very real possibility at this point. Stargirl was shifted to Fall for its third season debut, but not given the reassurance of a fourth-year renewal. Superman & Lois has been a strong performer for the network and it could stick around for a couple more seasons (a fourth-year will get it close to a syndication-friendly count of episodes), but will it become the lone-standing Arrow-verse show?
I’m sure many fans are wondering why the cancelled shows did not just shift to HBO Max seeing as Warner Bros. owns them and the streaming service. But that goes back to the lucrative deal The CW made with Netflix years ago. That network’s shows were shifting to the streaming service for an encore run once they wrapped up their seasons, and Netflix was paying good money for that. The exclusive deal ended a couple of years back, but Netflix still has the streaming rights to shows like Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and The Flash. It is unclear how long they will keep those, but I am guessing at least a couple more years.
It would certainly seem that HBO Max would be the logical place to carry on the franchise, but that streamer may not be interested in moving in that direction. If they were, they almost certainly would have snatched up Batwoman and Naomi after the cancellations because they have the streaming rights to those shows. There may also be complications with bringing in characters from shows where Netflix owns the streaming rights, so something like a Justice League series or any sort of cross-over may not work while the franchise is split across streaming platforms.
So what is the future of the Arrow-verse at this point? It’s pretty murky if you ask me.
I believe that Superman & Lois will carry the torch for at least a couple more seasons, and Stargirl could hang on as well. There is nothing new officially in the development queue despite the fact that I thought a Justice Leagues series might be in the works. I would love to see a Brave and the Bold-style team-up show and/or a Showcase-style anthology, but those seem unlikely as well, in part because of the platform conflicts. There are rumors that the John Diggle-led Justice U series could still happen, but it was not mentioned for the 2022-23 season. Perhaps once the Netflix rights lapse for shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, HBO Max will be interested in ramping the franchise back up. But in the absence of that, I expect that The Flash will be speeding towards the horizon soon and one or two Arrow-verse shows may be all we have with new episodes on the schedule for the next year or so.
Are you still watching the Arrow-verse shows and do you want the franchise to continue on a new venue? Chime in with your thoughts below.
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Asides for the Flash, the other two shows that still remain haven’t got that much of a connection to the Arrowverse. Besides, who wants an Arrowverse without the paragon of destiny in it?
I hope we get Legends of Tomorrow back. It just made the world a better place and life more fun.
I’m a big fan of the arrow verse shows but I particular legends of tomorrow. I think it’s diverse cast and witty humor make it one of the best shows known to mankind. I think that is a huge mistake that they are canceling it given how well received it has been especially in later seasons. They left a show and a massive cliffhanger and I think it is only right to give it at least a couple more seasons so that everybody’s story like can be played out correctly. I am really sad that it was canceled and I think what the right thing to do in the situation would be to rectify it with an additional season.
Legends of Tomorrow didn’t deserve to be canceled without proper closure. The show is amazing and the cast and crew (and fans) deserve better after being apart of something for 7+ years.
Since Legends Of Tomorrow ends with a very obvious (and interesting) cliffhanger, I would very much like the show to go on.
The only Arrowverse show I am still watching, or rather rewatching, is Legends of Tomorrow. The news of it’s cancellation were shocking because, not only had the ratings gone up but it was a fan favorite. It was an inclusive and socially diverse show, not to mention the poster child for representation. It had and still has enormous potential because of how many storylines there are to be explored, not to mention it has a gigantic and dedicated fan base, as proven by the worlwide campaign that is in place, to try and save it. I would love for someone to pick it up and give it a new home, somewhere where it would be treated with the respect it deserves. It would make the fans extremely happy but also provide the new network or streaming service, with a loyal and profitable fan base.
“Are you still watching the Arrow-verse shows and do you want the franchise to continue on a new venue? Chime in with your thoughts below.”
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LEGENDS OF TOMORROW AND I HOPE WITH ALL MY BEING THAT IT’LL BE PICKED UP BY ANOTHER NETWORK!
I think with the CW it’s coming to an end, they’ve destroyed everything that was fun and exciting about it. Hopefully we can have HBO or Netflix to pick up Legends to give it a new light and let it show off just how brilliant it is.
Legends of Tomorrow was cancelled in its prime, one of the most unique shows in the Arrowverse and on TV in general. If Netflix, Amazon or HBO could bring them back, it’d be incredible. There are so many more Legends story to tell because they don’t repeat the same tropes over and over again – they keep it fun, positive and exciting which is so rare now!
Really want legends of tomorrow to be saved and renewed for another season!!!!
I watch the flash ,superman and lois ,and stargirl,i was watching supergirl ,and dc legends to miss those two
The arrowverse is slowly dying but the CW is falling off very quickly. Outside of the arrowverse the only other show I watch is All American. I won’t be watching much of the CW anymore. I do hope once that Netflix deal is over, HBO Max/WB bring back legends and Batwoman. They more than anyone deserved one last season.