The Warner Brothers Discovery merger has not been too kind to many departments at WB, but The CW has arguably been hit the hardest. The once-great Arrowverse has been greatly reduced to four shows at the moment. With the cancellation of Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, it hasn't looked good for shows like Stargirl or The Flash surviving this merger in one piece. However, ahead of WB’s Upfront this week, The CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz reassured fans that the network will still be making superhero shows in the future.
According to Variety, Pedowitz stated in a press call, “[We’re] staying in the superhero business. We are staying working with Greg Berlanti, who has masterminded creatively The CW DC Universe.” This is where Pedowitz pointed out that Stargirl Season 3 is premiering this fall with The Flash and Superman & Lois returning in the midseason with DC’s new series Gotham Knights. However, Pedowitz did allude to the string of recent cancellations:
“So we’re not as robust as we were in the past, but still very much there. We started with one — this was ‘Arrow’ 10 years ago — we have now moved to create a whole bunch of superheroes. And we’re proud of it and we plan to stay in that business. No matter what the outcome is, with any event of 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 to their marketability, in terms of what these franchises are.”
Nexstar recently acquired a major stake in The CW which, on top of the Warner Brothers Discovery merger, has put a lot of the network's scripted series at risk. The last month at The CW has been a bloodbath. After years of their shows feeling like they never get canceled, the recent events have been a bit jarring. Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Naomi have shown DC fans that no show is safe. However, as Pedowitz talked about, there is still content to look forward to. The Flash is about to speed into Season 9 and both Superman & Lois and Stargirl are two of the best superhero series on any network or streamer. On top of that, Gotham Knights seems to be a pretty promising show set in the Batman universe.
For the last decade, the Arrowverse has been giving DC fans a lot to smile about. While series like Supergirl, Arrow, and Legends are no longer saving the day, they played an important role in pushing the superhero genre to the place it's in now on television. The Arrowverse is also still a part of the multiverse, which Pedowitz pointed out as well, as Ezra Miller’s Flash met Grant Gustin’s Flash on the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover in 2020.
This recent shift, on the surface, has given The CW a chance to refocus on quality over quantity. While we wait for future verdicts on shows like Stargirl, The Flash is currently finishing up Season 8 while Superman & Lois is currently in the back half of Season 2. You can catch up on those two DC shows on The CW app right now.