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Superman & Lois Season 4 News Raises Arrowverse, Series Red Flags

Yes, Superman & Lois returning for a fourth season is good news - on the surface. Digging into the details, we have some serious concerns.

Published Tue, 13 Jun 2023 08:17:13 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Even with The CW's Grant Gustin & Candice Patton-starring The Flash set for its final run, Arrowverse fans had some hope back in May that maybe the book wasn't being closed on the shared DC television universe. Speaking with EW, The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace revealed, "I'm going to have lunch with [Superman & Lois showrunner] Todd [Helbing] in the next couple weeks. And I'm going to tell him, 'If you get a fourth season, you've got to sneak some Arrowverse in there. You are now carrying the torch.'" And from what Superman & Lois showrunner Todd Helbing had to add, things began to sound even more promising: "I will say this, it sure is a lot easier now that the other shows aren't on the air, people's schedules are a lot easier to work around, so … maybe. I would love to bring Grant on, and I think it would be a lot of fun to have Candice [Patton]'s Iris with [Elizabeth Tulloch's] Lois Lane. So we'll see." And then, less than a month later, the good news came down – the Tyler Hoechlin & Elizabeth Tulloch-starring series would be back for a 10-episode fourth season. But is it really good news for Arrowverse fans? And should fans of the show also be concerned? The Devil may very well be in the details…

Based on the initial & follow-up reporting from Deadline Hollywood (so final details may shift a bit), it seems some serious concessions were made for the fourth season to happen. Nexstar Media Group's The CW will be paying less of a licensing fee to Warner Bros. TV and getting a slice of the show's streaming, which means WBTV will be fronting a larger chunk of the cost. And because WBTV isn't in the business of losing money, for the deal to be financially advantageous, there's going to need to be cuts to the production budget as well as to the number of series regular & supporting cast members (as well as salary adjustments, except for the leads). But the biggest red flag was this from DH's report: "In addition to trimming the cast, the series likely would lean more heavily into its core premise as a family drama going forward while still honoring its superhero roots." Do you see where the concerns are?

First off, this isn't meant as any disrespect to Helbing, Hoechlin, Tulloch, or the cast, production crew & creative team behind Superman & Lois – they've made magic in the midst of some brutally rough financial & health times. But everything I just listed above has my radar screaming that we might see the series end up limping its way toward its finale instead of going out in a blaze of glory. The show's ability to create an intimate connection with our core cast while embracing a large & active ensemble cast doesn't seem to be something that will be affordable. And the "still honoring its superhero roots" line is translating to me to mean that we shouldn't be expecting nearly as many epic action scenes with impressive effects for this final go-around. And when it comes to the Arrowverse, I'm wondering how feasible that could actually be now that Helbing is staring down a shortened season with what appears to be budget & cast cuts on the way (though nothing is official). As Wallace faced with The Flash, Helbing & the creative team will have their hands full just trying to land the plane when it comes to the existing storylines already in play.

Just so we're clear? I really, really hope I'm wrong. Because if I am, I will be back on here with a follow-up proudly proclaiming just how wrong I was. Here's hoping I get proved wrong…

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