Details about the cancellation of CW's Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow have been revealed in a new report. Batwoman just wrapped up its third season on the struggling network, while Legends of Tomorrow finished up its seventh season before being canceled. In terms of ratings, Batwoman was underperforming, with viewership down 20 percent from its second season, while Legends of Tomorrow was on the higher end of the ratings spectrum, ranking 9 out of the 19 CW show roster.
Batwoman had its share of controversy early on. The show kicked off with star Ruby Rose in the lead role of Batwoman/Kate Kane before her abrupt exit after Batwoman season 1. Rose was replaced by Javicia Leslie, who wore the cowl as a newly-created Batwoman character, Ryan Wilder, all the way through Batwoman season 3, although ratings never seemed to rise in any significant way. Legends of Tomorrow fared better on controversies, acting as a kind of catch-all for a myriad of mostly lower-tier DC characters with a number of crossover events with other Arrowverse shows helping to keep its momentum.
Both shows were cancelled in the wake of the WB/Discovery merger, which has seen a ripple effect throughout all facets of WB's properties, be it film or television. In a new report from THR, the cancellation of both Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow is explained as being a result of studio space. Apparently, CW CEO Mark Pedowitz wanted to bring back both shows for another season, but WB/Discovery, currently cleaning house as part of their restructuring after the merger, decided that they "no longer wanted to pay the leases on the studio space, which expired on May 1, prompting the April 29 cancellations."
Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow aren't the only cancellations at the CW and throughout WB, as Charmed, Dynasty, Roswell, New Mexico, The 4400, In the Dark, and Naomi all got the axe as well. The biggest factor in these cancellations, however, isn't so much ratings as it is with Warners and CBS Studios divesting in The CW, as the network is currently shopping for new owners. The loss of $1 billion via the Netflix streaming deal that ended in 2019 has also had a major impact on the CW, which won't reach a stable environment until they are picked up by a new owner.
The CW's model has always been to create low-cost scripted programming, but with competition from streaming, which typically has bigger budgets and bigger talent, the market is getting increasingly crowded. The Marvel and Star Wars shows on Disney+, as well as HBO Max's Peacemaker, and Prime Video's The Boys have made the comparison exceptionally difficult for CW in terms of quality in terms of comic book-based content. While CW has a loyal fanbase for shows like Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, the ability to compete with low-cost programming is a challenge and one that isn't going to slow down. Hopefully, the network can find a middle ground (or even high ground) with new owners, but without the revenue to support the growth (and budgets) it needs to compete, it will continue to struggle.
Source: THR