I asked Google why CW no longer produces TV shows like Smallville, Arrow and the Flash. Here's what it had to say.
The CW stopped producing superhero shows due to its acquisition by Nexstar Media Group and a strategic shift to attract older audiences, focus on more profitable unscripted and procedural content, and prepare for James Gunn's new DCU. The high costs of VFX for superhero shows also made them less financially viable for the network.
- Nexstar Media Group's Acquisition:After Nexstar acquired a controlling stake in The CW in 2022, the network underwent a content strategy overhaul to become profitable by 2025.
- New Content Strategy:The new leadership shifted the network's focus to programs that could attract a "bigger and broader," older audience, including unscripted series, procedural dramas, and broad-skewing comedies, rather than teen-centric shows or superhero content.
- Financial Viability:Superhero shows, especially those with significant visual effects (VFX) like Superman & Lois, were expensive to produce. As network television faced declining viewership and more scripted shows moved to streaming, the high budgets became a significant factor in canceling these costly series.
- DC Studios Reboot:The establishment of a new DC Universe under James Gunn meant a reboot of DC's film and television properties. To avoid competing with this new slate, DC Studios did not want The CW producing its own competing Superman products, leading to the cancellation of series like Superman & Lois.
- End of the Arrowverse:The long-running DC superhero universe, known as the Arrowverse, concluded with the end of The Flash and Superman & Lois. This marked the official end of the era of shared DC storytelling on The CW.