Posted in: HBO, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: bctv daily dispatch, doom patrol, harley quinn, hbo max, opinion, peacemaker, streaming, television, Titans

Peacemaker Might Be Safe But Are HBO Max's Other DCU Shows? BCTVDD

When you shelve a reportedly near-completed $90M film, you're going to get a lot of people's attention. And that's exactly what President & CEO David Zaslav's Warner Bros. Discovery did this week with its once-upcoming Leslie Grace-starring Batgirl feature. But if you've been following things on the streaming/cable side, then you know "DISCO Dude's" hacking-and-slashing has been going on for some time. A change in leadership has seen J.J. Abrams' relationship with the streamer (and multimedia company) reportedly sour, with the shelving of Abrams' sci-fi drama series Demimonde for HBO not exactly helping the situation. And what about cable stations TBS, TNT & truTV? They've seen scripted series that were given green lights suddenly being shelved and a move away entirely from scripted series for whatever remains of the three networks. Or like the case with TBS' Chad, your season's pulled & you're canceled the same day you were supposed to return to screens. Which brings us to Thursday, August 4th, and WBD's very, very important earnings call later this afternoon. Like, "Wall-Street-Is-Watching"-important. Because today's the day that we're supposed to get a clearer picture of what Zaslav's vision is (and if there will still be an "HBO Max" when the dust settles). Unfortunately, with so much speculation being reported as fact from sources who clearly have agendas of their own that they need the media to spin for them), there's no way of knowing if today ends with a "To Be Continued…" or a "red wedding" for a lot of shows, from Titans, Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol & Young Justice, to the in-development "Green Lantern" & "Strange Adventures" series, J.J. Abrams' "Justice League Dark" project, a ton of animation, and more. So while it seems like Peacemaker is safe (for now?), what about your other favorites?

IMPORTANT: Just to give you a sense of how up-in-the-air things are, our rundown of DCU shows that are in play, and our thoughts on their chances are based on the assumption that WBD will still have a streaming entity in place that still deals in scripted content. We need to note that since one of the rumors out there is that WBD will merge Discovery+ and HBO Max into one streaming entity that will focus more on unscripted content, live events, and more. Seriously. We're at the point now where we don't know what the streamer will look like, let alone what content it will actually be able to stream.

"Titans": An interesting one because of how the show has evolved and how it could serve as a springboard for a streaming universe. If this was its first or second season, I wouldn't have much hope. But with the buzz surrounding the fourth season, its chances of survival have also improved. That said (as we've seen with Netflix), streamers have been known to look at shows with season counts at 2+ as being ripe for wrap-ups.

"Harley Quinn" & "Noonan's": Streamers learned how important an animation slate is to have during things like a global pandemic… but has "DISCO Dude"? Staying on good business terms with Kaley Cuoco and her growing production banner may not be a bad thing, either. But that said? I would be surprised if Noonan's actually makes it to series.

"Doom Patrol" & "Dead Boy Detectives": Yeah. Ouch. On a personal level, I hate saying this, but I'm not holding out hope for Doom Patrol. I want to be wrong on this, but if I had to choose between this and other "inherited" shows like Harley Quinn, Titans, and Young Justice? Our beloved dysfunctional superhero team doesn't make the cut (and "Dead Boys" will be DOA).

"Peacemaker": And yet, in the midst of all this? James Gunn reassured fans that a second season is safe so fans can "calm down." But what about the other reported projects he has in play? And does Gunn have more of a heads-up about what's to come from WBD than we realize? Hmmm…

"Young Justice": I can use pretty much the same arguments here that I used for Harley Quinn, including the show's strong fanbase following. But again, WBD might view four seasons as a long-enough run for the animated series. This is an interesting one…

And now? A quick "cute break" before we continue…

"Batwheels": Cute, pre-school, adorable… and completely disposable. Though, from a merchandising standpoint, it does get that Batman marketing in kids' faces at a young age. Do not ever underestimate that…

"Batman: Caped Crusader," "My Adventures With Superman" & "Legion Of Super-Heroes": Sorry, Brian Michael Bendis, but we don't see an animated "Legion" making the cut. If "DISCO Dude" has any appreciation for how strong & influential the Batman: The Animated Series fanbase is, then "Caped Crusader" could make the cut. As for the Jack Quaid-voiced "Superman"? That's a fence-sitter, though none of these series is helped by the perceived disappointing box office performance of DC League of Super-Pets.

"Green Lantern" & "DC's Strange Adventures": We read that some scripts were submitted, and we know names like Finn Wittrock (as Guy Gardner) are attached, but we're not feeling good about their fates. If it comes down to one, then it's clearly "Green Lantern" since that can easily be used for shared-universe-building spinoffs. But damn, things have been quiet on that front for some time…

"The Penguin" & "Untitled Arkham Series": The Colin Farrell-starrer is definitely happening, and I have good vibes about the "Arkham" series if "DISCO Dude" was being honest about wanting to build bonds with the creative community again. Because having The Batman director Matt Reeves enjoying playing in your sandbox is a pretty good thing to have (especially with sequel work starting soon).

"DC Super Hero High": … maybe? Or maybe I'm just starting to feel a bit depressed about all of this, so I need to throw out a lifeline of hope. But if we're being honest? I forgot that this was even still in play, so… yeah.

"Untitled Justice League Dark Series," "Justice League Dark: Constantine" & "Madame X": Well, if you believe what was reported not that long ago, "DISCO Dude" and his WBD team aren't too happy with what sources say is Abrams taking "squatter's rights" on characters and not doing anything with them. Thing is? We're not sure "DISCO Dude" is wrong, and it has been quite some time with nothing more than talk of scripts being seen. While the IPs will remain very viable, I can't see them staying in Abrams' hands for very much longer.

"Untitled Val-Zod Series": I think this one is all about Michael B. Jordan and how things are going with him professionally on both sides of the camera. Jordan hasn't minced words when it comes to his interest and commitment to the project, and much like what we said with Reeves? Having Jordan as part of your creative line-up is a winning move… but will "DISCO Dude" see it that way? I could see this going the franchise-building film route instead of streaming series

And let's not forget about those "satellite" DCU shows that used to have HBO Max as their "golden parachute." In particular, it raises questions about what the fate of The CW's Superman & Lois and DC's Stargirl will be after the reported sale to Nexstar Media Group if the streaming landscape alters that dramatically. As for Ava DuVernay's Rosario Dawson-starring DMZ, I can't help feeling that will be left a one-and-done, despite its critical success (though HBO would feel like a logical fit for it should it continue). But just so we don't end on a down note? A look back to a simpler time in the DCU:

Now here's a look at today's BCTV Daily Dispatch, a rundown of what we covered over the past 24 hours:

American Horror Stories S02E03 Promo: "Drive" Sounds Like Good Advice

Titans Star on "Devastating" Batgirl News as HBO Max Decisions Loom

Moon Knight: Mohamed Diab, Oscar Isaac Having Season 2 TikTok Fun?

Ironheart: RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Shea Couleé Joins MCU Series

NXT 2.0 Recap 8/2: We Have New NXT Women's Tag Team Champions

Mind MGMT Series & More Part of Netflix, Dark Horse Entertainment Deal

AEW Dynamite: To The Chadster, Every Match is a Dumpster Match

American Horror Stories Releases S02E03 Teaser Confirming Cast

Star Wars: Andor "Great, Scurrilous" Take on "Trumpian World": Shaw

AEW Expands Talent Relations Department, Will Maybe Return Calls Now

Triple H Promotes False WWE Narrative About Wrestling History

Big Sky: Deadly Trails Promo Confirms New S03 Name, Teases New Mystery

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Teaser Confirms August 18th Premiere Date

DC's Stargirl Season 3 Key Art: Someone's Keeping an Eye on The JSA

What We Do in the Shadows S04E06: Nandor's "Perfect" Vampire Wedding?

Star Trek: SNW EP Rod Roddenberry Believes Dad Would Be "Very Proud"

Beavis and Butt-Head Slouch Again In This Behind-the-Scenes Cel

The Lord of the Rings: TROP BTS Featurette Is All About Fellowship

She-Hulk Director on Jennifer Walters, Matt Murdock/Daredevil Dynamic

Better Call Saul Isn't Done With Walt & Jesse Quite Yet: Bob Odenkirk

The Orville: New Horizons – Anne Winters Discusses Charly's Influence

Peacemaker: James Gunn Confirms Season 2 Safe Post-Batgirl Debacle

The Driver: Skeet Ulrich Joining Giancarlo Esposito for AMC Series

Game of Thrones: Kit Harington & More Set for December LA Convention

Obliterated: Kimi Rutledge to Lead Action Comedy from Cobra Kai EPs

The Orville, The Flash, Alien, AHS, WWE & More! BCTV Daily Dispatch

Here's a look at today's BCTV Daily Dispatch "Long-Distance Dedication": Green Day with "Are We The Waiting / St. Jimmy":

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