The CW Swiftly Cancels Another Show

The CW has cut the safety line on another show, this time a low-rated spinoff that they had hoped would grab that Riverdale magic just a smidge. Tom Swift has been axed by the network, leading to countless puns being spilled in coverage of the news. Not even this article is safe.

The show is not fully dead just yet, but the signs are fairly grim. Swift, a spinoff of Nancy Drew, only recently premiered on May 31, with six episodes airing to this point. It quickly earned the distinction of being the network’s least watched series on TV, pulling in 535,000 viewers in Live+7, with similar numbers landing on streaming.

The series was an attempt at some diversity spotlight, with a predominantly black cast joining the series after a “backdoor pilot” on Nancy Drew last season, introducing Tian Richards as Tom Swift. According to Deadline, the network was onboard with the series creatively, but just can’t devote the resources to the series given its performance.

It also seems that the show is another casualty of the potential majority shift to Nexstar Media Group as it becomes closer to completion. The company will take a majority 75 percent stake in the network, while Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery will hold 12.5 percent. Under Nexstar, the network could look a lot different and focus on more “wholesome” shows, similar to Pax or The Family Channel in the older days.

There is still hope for the series. CBS Studios is currently trying to extend options to the cast to begin a search for a new home for Tom Swift. The show follows the titular character and billionaire inventor who ends up searching for his missing father in a world filled with conspiracy and unexplained phenomena. Ashleigh Murray, April Parker Jones, Marquise Vilson, Christopher B. Duncan and LeVar Burton also starred alongside Richards.

Tom Swift is the latest series to end at The CW. Riverdale and a few other popular shows are working toward their final episodes, but others didn’t get the chance. The Roswell reboot, most of the DC Comics series, and the Charmed reboot were also casualties of the new direction for the network.