New reports suggest that CBS' Supergirl could move to The CW.
Supergirl is one of the few series on CBS that has not yet received a series renewal or cancellation. Although a renewal once seemed likely, after the show's ratings fell during the last half of the season, there's been no word on whether it will return in the fall.
Part of the problem is budget: each episode of Supergirl sets CBS back about $3 million. And for a major network, the ratings decrease is a concern. That's a pretty high budget - one of the highest ever for a new series. That means that CBS might not want to give Supergirl a second season because it simply costs too much.
But there's potentially another plan in place. ComicBookResources.com reports that Supergirl could get moved to The CW, which would put it on the same network as other DC Comics properties, such as Arrow, The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. That would mean a huge budget cut for the series, but as The CW has shown, it can do a lot with superhero-based shows without breaking the bank.
Moving Supergirl to The CW would make a lot more sense than leaving the series on CBS or canceling it. First, the show has a dedicated fan base. Its ratings may seem low for CBS, but for a network like The CW, those ratings are actually good. It would also put the show on the network where other DC superheroes exist, not only delivering it to an audience that wants it (unlike CBS' audiences, which tend to trend toward police procedural dramas), but also offering up more possibilities for crossover episodes. Sure, CBS gave us a Supergirl/The Flash crossover, but did so in a way that continued to keep their universes completely separate.
There's just one problem, though. A potential move to The CW might only be rumor. ComicBookResources.com also reports that it spoke with a talent rep who said that there is "zero fact" in this speculation.
Comic book fans already lost one DC Comics character to a major network when NBC didn't pick up a second season of Constantine, and those fans became even more disappointed when that series didn't go to The CW, although John Constantine, the character, did appear on one of the best episodes of Arrow this season. Here's hoping that we don't have to lose another great superhero character to the major networks.
