Posted in: CW, Opinion, Preview, TV, TV | Tagged: cw, doomsday, opinion, superman, superman & lois

Superman & Lois Season 4: Did CW Executive Actually Watch S03 Finale?

CW's Brad Schwartz says you don't have to watch previous seasons to enjoy Superman & Lois Season 4. Did he watch the Season 3 finale?

When it comes to Brad Schwartz, CW's President of Entertainment (and someone who still seems to have "'Arrowverse'-on-the-Brain"), we haven't exactly been his biggest fan in terms of how things went down leading up to us learning that Elizabeth Tulloch, Tyler Hoechlin, Michael Bishop, Alex Garfin & Michael Cudlitz-starring Superman & Lois would end its run with a 10-episode fourth and final season. Last week, we learned that the show would be moving to Thursday nights at 8 pm this fall (with The Librarians: The Next Chapter following) to end its run. Around that same time, Schwartz shared with TV Line his impressions of what he's seen so far.

"I have watched nine of the 10 episodes, and [they are] f***king awesome. It is weekly-event television. Greg Berlanti and the producers have constructed 10 bangers. They really go for it. I've cried twice watching [the episodes], and I haven't even gotten to the finale yet. It's Emmy-worthy. And, by the way, you can watch this final season without having watched the previous [seasons] and still be emotionally invested in what is happening. It's a wonderful, 10-episode, contained arc." Though he hasn't seen the finale, Schwartz did read the script – adding, "People are going to be blown away."

You understand why we're asking the question we asked in the headline, right? Look, we're glad to see Schwartz doing his part to sell a final season that we're sure will do nicely for the network. Those are some really nice things he had to say, and we're curious to see what the full-season overarching storyline is going to be. But S03E13: "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger" (directed by Gregory Smith and written by Brent Fletcher & Todd Helbing) ends with (MAJOR SPOILERS WARNING!) Superman (Hoechlin) and Doomsday running at each other on the surface of the Moon with what looks to be one final, fatal battle – and then the season ends on that huge cliffhanger. Are they going to just write it off with some kind of time jump or something like that? Because having an epic build-up like that – only for it to get a quick write-off in the fourth season opener – would be a righteous disservice to the creative team that crafted three seasons of evolving excellence.

Earlier this year, Schwartz had some news to share during the Television Critics Association Winter Press Event about the final season. Noting that the series return would be "wasted" during the summer, Schwartz confirmed that the series will hit screens for its final run this fall. Teasing that the upcoming season is "going to blow your minds, Schwartz added, "I watched the first episode last night. It will make you cry."

But that wasn't the only bit of news that Schwartz made during the event, also noting that Superman & Lois was going to end with its fourth season no matter how well it did. Why? "They don't want a competing Superman product in the marketplace," Schwartz explained, referencing Warner Bros. Discovery & DC Studios' Superman: Legacy, written and directed by DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn. During a rollout of their short-term & long-term plans for their new DCU in January 2023, Gunn & Co-CEO Peter Safran said that they expect the series to run for "one or two more seasons" – with Gunn adding, "It's a show everybody likes, so it's going to keep going for a little bit."

Heading into the final season, the series faces an abbreviated episode count (10 episodes), reductions to the production's budget & writers' room, and departures of series regulars Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck & Sofia Hasmik (though some are already set to appear recurring or as guest stars). Yvonne Chapman (Kung Fu, Avatar: The Last Airbender) has joined the cast as Amanda McCoy, a trusted ally of Cudlitz's Lex Luthor. CW's Superman & Lois is expected to kick off its final season sometime this fall. Douglas Smith (Big Love, Clarice) has been cast as Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen, an extroverted 20-something known for being the 'life of the party' around the office. Despite being work colleagues with Clark, he's been unable to get him out of his 'awkward' shell. Unaware of Clark's super-secret, Jimmy's still determined to become his pal.

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