Every CW TV show that has been cancelled in 2022. The CW, which was created in 2006, is a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros. following the respective demise of both UPN and WB. The network was renowned for its diverse slate of TV shows, including the Arrowverse series like The Flash and Supergirl, The Vampire Diaries, and Jane the Virgin, among several others.
The CW was one of the rare networks that renewed most every show in its line-up from year to year. Cancellations were few and far between, with an ending show getting a heads up about its cancellation well in advance, which allowed the writers of series like Arrow and Supernatural to craft fitting finales that offered up some closure. In what many online are calling the Red Wedding, a reference to Game of Thrones, The CW cancelled a whopping nine shows, seven of them all in one day on May 12.
It was an unprecedented move from a network that came to be reliable for retaining the majority of its shows over the years. While The CW officially renewed The Flash, Superman & Lois, Nancy Drew, Kung Fu, and more, the cancellations amount to around half of the network’s lineup and include two beloved Arrowverse shows and a Vampire Diaries spinoff. Here is every TV show cancelled by The CW so far this year. (Note: All ratings mentioned have factored in the Live+7 ratings, which include DVR and VOD viewings within the first seven days of a show’s initial airing in addition to live viewership).
Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022)
After seven seasons on The CW, Legends of Tomorrow, which was a spinoff of The Flash and Arrow, was cancelled. The superhero series was an outlier in the Arrowverse, focused on an ensemble of misfit time travelers whose motto was screwing up the timeline for the better. The series averaged 860,000 in weekly viewership and maintained a 0.2 in demo. Despite lower ratings — at least when compared to other broadcast networks — Legends of Tomorrow lasted for seven seasons because of The CW’s Netflix deal, which debuted the latest seasons a week after they concluded on the network, and foreign sales. According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, CW CEO Mark Pedowitz wanted to renew Legends of Tomorrow, but the show was ultimately canceled because the WB didn’t want to pay to lease its studio space anymore.
Batwoman (2019-2022)
Batwoman initially followed the vigilante adventures of Kate Kane, Batman’s cousin. However, following Ruby Rose’s exit after season 1, Javicia Leslie took over the title role as Ryan Wilder, an original character created for the show. For the show’s remaining two seasons, the story focused on Ryan becoming Batwoman, her fight for justice, and her work with the Bat Team and sometimes villain Alice, Kate’s twin sister. Batwoman season 3, now its last, averaged 760,000 live viewers with a 0.2 in demo. Unlike Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman’s streaming deal landed it at HBO Max following each season ender. However, it wasn’t Batwoman’s ratings that put it on the chopping block. Pedowitz also wanted to renew the show, but WB no longer wanted to pay its studio lease, which expired two days after its cancellation was formally announced on April 29.
Naomi (2022)
Naomi was the latest superhero series to land at The CW. Unfortunately, the DC adaptation was short-lived and its cancellation came just two days after its season 1 finale aired. Naomi followed its titular character who, after an appearance by Superman on her world, discovered she was an alien with powers. Season 1 was filled with self-discovery and Naomi truly coming into her own to embrace her destiny, one that would allow her to save her home planet. Naomi was the fifth most-watched series in 2022, averaging 520,000 viewers in season 1. While the exact reason for the series’ cancellation hasn’t been confirmed, it’s more than likely due to The CW’s potential sale.
Legacies (2018-2022)
Legacies, one of two The Vampire Diaries spinoffs, was cancelled after four seasons. Its cancellation marks the end of The Vampire Diaries universe on The CW, which has been ongoing since the parent show debuted on the network in 2009 and included The Originals spinoff as well. Legacies follows Hope Mikaelson — the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall who was introduced in season 5 of The Originals — as she attends the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, an institution for supernatural beings. Legacies averaged 760,000 weekly viewers in season 4, though the decision to ax the show was ultimately a financial one. Because WB and CBS ended the Netflix deal in 2019, Legacies was no longer considered profitable.
Dynasty (2017-2022)
Dynasty was famously the lowest-rated network drama for a long time (with an average 410,000 weekly viewers and 0.1 in demo in season 5). It also went through a number of recastings over the course of its five-season run. A reboot of the 1980s series of the same name, Dynasty follows two rival wealthy families — the Carringtons and the Colbys — as they clash, become romantically involved, and feud over wealth and business in Atlanta, Georgia. Dynasty was likely cancelled after season 5 because the Netflix/CW deal ended and international sales, which the respective studios profited from, were no longer as lucrative as they were once because WB and CBS shifted focus to growing HBO Max and Paramount+, which meant the rights to shows had to remain with the parent companies.
Charmed (2018-2022)
A reboot of the 1998 series of the same name, Charmed followed a trio of sisters who discovered they were witches after their mother’s death. The CW series ran for four seasons, with its season 4 finale (airing June 10) now serving as its series finale. Charmed season 4 averaged 650,000 viewers. But again, its cancellation is most likely due to The CW potentially being up for sale, as well as the loss of the Netflix deal, which Charmed was a part of.
Roswell, New Mexico (2019-2022)
The CW cancelled Roswell, New Mexico before season 4 (now its final season) aired in June. The series followed Liz Ortecho’s life in the town of Roswell following the death of her sister years prior. She falls in love with Max, who is an alien having hidden his powers from the town’s citizens for years. The series doesn’t have updated ratings for season 4, but it was likely cancelled due to The CW’s impending sale and the lack of profitability from the now-expired Netflix deal.
In The Dark (2019-2022)
In the Dark is the rare show on this list that has historically aired during the summer season on The CW. The series, which follows a blind woman, Murphy, who investigates the murder of her friend following the disappearance of his body. Unfortunately, it’s also been axed by The CW, which cancelled In the Dark ahead of its season 4 premiere. The series averaged a 0.2 in demo in season 1, but that dropped to 0.1 in subsequent seasons. In the Dark, like so many CW shows, was also likely cancelled due to the network’s potential sale and the lack of profitability following the conclusion of the Netflix deal.
4400 (2021-2022)
Like Naomi, 4400 was also canceled after just one season. The series, a reboot of the 2004 drama of the same name, received a 13-episode order and premiered in the fall of 2021. 4400 was so named after the amount of individuals, all marginalized in some way, who disappeared abruptly and seemingly for no reason over the course of a hundred years. In the present day, they reappear without a single memory regarding what happened or why. The series averaged 732,000 weekly viewers in season 1. Unfortunately, 4400 was yet another casualty of The CW’s seemingly unclear future.