There's some interesting scheduling news from The CW today. When the Arrow-verse shows return in 2018 to finish out their seasons, Supergirl will be remaining on Monday nights. But Legends of Tomorrow will also be on Mondays ... in Supergirl's slot. Yep, the two shows are going to be trading off that Monday 8 p.m. ET time period throughout the spring.
Here's how it will go: Supergirl will return January 15th, and run for four weeks before giving up that hour to Legends of Tomorrow on February 12th (since Legends' old spot at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays will be taken over by Black Lightning). It will then run for nine straight weeks, before Supergirl takes it back over on April 16th, where it will finish out its season through June.
This is interesting for a couple of reasons, the main one being that The CW (and most broadcasters) rarely air consecutive weeks of episode after the return from the midseason break. It's very frustrating for viewers, and there is a clear correlation between a show taking random weeks off and a downturn in overall viewership. It really kills the momentum to have, say, The Flash on for two weeks, then off for two weeks, then back for four, then off for one, etc. And that will probably still happen for The Flash and Arrow. But The CW is telling us that won't be the case with Supergirl and Legends, even though yes, the second half of Supergirl's season will be split into two blocks.
Speaking of that Supergirl break, is the series going to follow 3 mini-arcs instead of one big one? There are two overarching stories this season: the rise of Reign, and the return of Mon-El along with the formation of the League. Last year, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showed us how a broadcast show can split its season up into 3 smaller arcs that each dealt with a different foe, rather than one Big Bad that lasts for 22-episodes. Could Supergirl be doing something similar?
Regardless, both Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow has have excellent seasons, so while it'll be a little bit of a shame that we won't get them both each week, it'll make it easier to be sure we're caught up with them both!
For more 2018 premieres, check out our TV Premiere Date Calendar.
