The CW commits to ‘Arrowverse’ despite show cancellations

Legends Of Tomorrow

The CW has confirmed that it remains committed to its expansive ‘Arrowverse’, despite axing a slew of shows from the DC superhero franchise in recent days.

The long-running Legends Of Tomorrow was cancelled last month after seven seasons on the network, as was Naomi, which just concluded its first, and now only, season earlier this month. Batwoman, meanwhile, has been dropped after its third season.

The ‘Arrowverse’ consists of several interlinked DC-inspired shows, produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. TV, and initially spun out from the now-concluded series Arrow.

The survivors of the recent cancellations include The Flash, which is broadcast internationally on Sky Max in the UK and Stan in Australia, among others, Superman & Lois, which was picked up by the UK’s BBC late last year, and the upcoming Gotham Knights, as well as Stargirl, which The CW shares with Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HBO Max.

The cancellations come as The CW is in the process of being sold to Nexstar, while DC brand owner Warner Bros. has recently concluded its own merger and the new Warner Bros. Discovery management is reportedly keen to make the most out of its superhero properties.

Despite this cull halving the number of ‘Arrowverse’ shows on The CW and uncertainty as WBD readies its own DC plans, network chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz insisted on a recent pre-upfront call that the network was sticking with Greg Berlanti’s shows.

He said: “We plan to stay in this business no matter what the outcome is in the event of a sale or no sale. I think the Warner side realizes the value of having these properties up, DC Comics realizes the value of what it does for their marketability in terms of what these franchises are.

“Legends created a whole new life for characters they may not have even existed or used; they had not seen the light of day. We have brought enormous value to DC and Warner Bros. in terms of realization of the universe Greg Berlanti and his team have created.”

Now heading into its ninth season, The Flash has become the elder statesman of The CW’s DC universe, surpassing Arrow as the network’s longest-running ‘Arrowverse’ show.

Pedowitz said the CW did not have “any determination whether this may be the final season,” but confirmed upcoming plans to discuss the show’s future with Berlanti and fellow EP Eric Wallace.