The upcoming Legends of Tomorrow season 7 finale won't be a complete ending, says co-showrunner. The 2021-2022 TV season has taken an interesting turn when it comes to The CW properties. Typically during Q1 of past years, the network has already renewed several of their shows in advance, allowing creative teams to plan out their next season properly. However, 2022 came with a big game-changer as WarnerMedia and Paramount (f.m.a. ViacomCBS,) who co-owns The CW, are putting the network up for sale. As of January 28, Nexstar was a possible buyer, although it's unclear if the two studios would retain a minority stake or sell it altogether.
Legends of Tomorrow season 7 is one of two Arrowverse shows finishing their seasons, with the Batwoman season 3 finale set to air right after it. The time-traveling DC drama, which crossed 100 episodes this season, is one of the remaining Arrowverse series that began during the franchise's pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths era. Despite past reports claiming otherwise, The CW has not greenlit Legends of Tomorrow season 8 just yet. Currently, the third-longest running Arrowverse spinoff, Legends of Tomorrow season 7, has several arcs that it needs to finish, including stopping the Evil Gideon once and for all.
As Legends of Tomorrow awaits The CW's renewal decision, executive producer Keto Shimizu clarifies that the Wednesday finale isn't a series closer. In a new interview with TVLine, co-showrunner Shimizu discussed what went into crafting the Legends of Tomorrow season 7 finale. The writers wanted to end the season on a massive note while setting up plot points for a potential eighth season. Shimizu admits that it's a gamble due to the team not knowing if Legends of Tomorrow will be back next season, sharing the following:
“Just because of the timing of everything, we had to just go forth and create a story that felt satisfying and exciting for us as writers and thinking [about] the fans and what they would want to see… but not having any idea of whether or not we would continue this story afterwards. But that being said, we chose to take the route of optimism and to tell a story that is propulsive into a future season. It’s certainly a gamble. But it’s a gamble that we were more than willing to take because we wanted it to be crystal clear to anyone watching this season finale that it was meant to be just that — a season finale, not series finale — and that the writers intend to tell many more [stories] going forward."
At this point, it seems unlikely that The CW wouldn't make Legends of Tomorrow season 8 a priority regardless of what happens with the sale. The network has in previous years mostly been good about making sure that their veteran shows get at least one more season to get a proper series ending. If Legends of Tomorrow season 8 is ordered as the final season, The CW may take a page out of Arrow's book by only airing ten or fewer episodes. The Arrowverse shows have been a massive cornerstone for the network since 2012, with Legends of Tomorrow being one of them, which is why chances for a cancelation after the upcoming season 7 finale are slim.
Even though there are no concrete details for what Legends of Tomorrow season 8 would look like, the upcoming finale is setting up at least one central mystery. Scrubs star Donald Faison joins the Arrowverse drama in the finale in a mystery role. While his identity is being kept under wraps, the popular theory is that Faison has been tapped to play Booster Gold based on his specific character description. If Legends of Tomorrow season 8 is a go, Faison is said to be part of it in some capacity, per his original casting announcement. Hopefully, once Legends of Tomorrow season 7 has aired its finale this week, viewers won't have to wait too long to learn about the show's fate.
Source: TVLine