Supergirl season 6 will see the story of Kara Danvers come to a conclusion, and bring an end to The CW's superhero TV series - but why? The first season of Supergirl premiered on CBS in 2015, and it proved a hit with viewers. The show originally felt separate from the rest of the Arrowverse, but it joined the rest on The CW from season 2 onwards, and ever since then the narrative has carefully woven Kara Danvers' story closer to the other heroes. Crisis on Infinite Earths completed the process, merging the different realities so Kara now lived on the same Earth as the likes of Flash and Batwoman.
All of which makes the news Supergirl will end after season 6 rather surprising. All parties involved appear to have agreed with the decision, and star Melissa Benoist issued a touching statement on social media. "To say it has been an honor portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement," she wrote. "Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled and speechless." The final season will consist of 20 episodes, and she's expressed excitement as she prepares to begin production on what may well be the end of her journey as the Girl of Steel.
No official reasons have been cited for the decision, but ratings undoubtedly played a major part. Ratings dropped precipitously through Supergirl season 5, and although The CW is less a slave to ratings than other networks, these certainly do count for something. According to Deadline, delays in production were another factor in the decision, persuading all involved things just weren't going to come together beyond season 6. All the Arrowverse shows have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but Supergirl has also had to work around Melissa Benoist's pregnancy; there are reports season 6 will even begin filming without its star, with Benoist joining later. Benoist's home life will be changed dramatically after the birth of her child, which may make the punishing filming schedule of starring in a network TV series unnecessarily arduous for her.
The Arrowverse is going through a dramatic time of change right now. Arrow came to an end shortly after the epic Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, and since then there have been a number of high-profile departures, with Ruby Rose stepping down as Batwoman and Hartley Sawyer being fired as the Elongated Man after he made offensive comments on social media. But it's not all been bad news, because the Arrowverse is launching a Supergirl spinoff series Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin's Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as his wife Lois Lane.
Supergirl may be coming to an end, but that doesn't necessarily mean Kara Danvers will be written out. She could very well cameo in Superman & Lois, much as Hoechlin's Superman has made infrequent cameos in her own show; and Benoist may well be willing to make herself available for crossovers. This may mean Supergirl is given a pleasant, fulfilled status quo to enjoy, rather than ending her story in some grand act of sacrifice like Oliver Queen - but those particular details remain to be seen.