The CW Cancels Fan-Favorite Series, Ends Era Ahead of Season 4 Premiere

The CW has canceled yet another show. TVLine reports that DC series Superman & Lois will be ending after its upcoming fourth season. The end of S&L officially marks the end of The CW's long-running DC era, which first started with Smallville back in 2001 and continued with Arrow and the Arrowverse in 2012. News of the cancellation comes after the drama has had to undergo some major budget cuts. After the series was renewed over the summer, it was revealed that the renewal came with some conditions. Not only was the main cast severely cut down from 13 to five, but the episode count will only be 10 as opposed to the average 13-15 the first three seasons had.

Recently, it was also revealed that Superman & Lois had to make budget cuts in the writers' room, cutting nearly half the staff. The reason for the cancellation is unknown, but it didn't seem like it would be going anywhere anytime soon, even with The CW's deteriorating scripted content. Earlier this year, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran said that the series was expected to run for "one or two more seasons," as reported by Variety. It's possible that budget cuts has made it hard for the drama to continue, even despite being one of the highest-rated series on the network.

Starring Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch in the titular roles as the super and power couple, Superman & Lois premiered on The CW in early 2021. Despite their characters having previous connections to the Arrowverse, it was confirmed that the series is not part of the Arrowverse and is, in fact, in a different multiverse. Alex Garfin, Michael Bishop, and Michael Cudlitz are also series regulars as Jordan and Jonathan Kent and Lex Luthor, respectively. Erik Valdez, Wolé Parks, Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Tayler Buck, and Sofia Hasmik were also on the main cast for the first three seasons. Bishop replaced Jordan Elsass as Jonathan Kent beginning with the third season.

 "Over the last three seasons, Superman & Lois redefined both the superhero genre and family drama as Tyler, Elizabeth, and the entire cast effortlessly portrayed these classic characters with new layers of depth and complexity that had never before been explored in the Superman universe," CW president Brad Schwartz shared in a statement. "We are grateful for the years of hard work and graceful storytelling from the show's writers, producers, actors, and crew, as well as our terrific partners at Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions. As Superman embarks on his final flight, the team is leaving us with an absolutely epic 10-episode must-watch-every-minute farewell to one of the most legendary CW families ever."

With the SAG-AFTRA strike continuing, there is no premiere date as of yet for Season 4 of Superman & Lois. It is expected to come sometime in 2024, though. The first three seasons are available to stream now on Max.