The CW has cancelled one of its superhero shows, Batwoman, after three seasons. The news comes after the drama faced several setbacks, most notably when its initial lead actress, Ruby Rose, left after its first season, and the third season ended on a cliffhanger, Variety is reporting.
The series’ showrunner, Caroline Dries, also shared the news yesterday afternoon on Twitter, writing: “Just got the sad news that #Batwoman will not be seeing an S4. I am bummed, but full of gratitude. What an honor to make 51 episodes. So many inspiring, brilliant people contributed to this series. Thank you producers, cast and crew. Thank you, fans! We love you.”
Batwoman began airing on The CW in 2019 with Rose originating the titular character. But she decided to leave the drama unexpectedly after its first season, which she later credited to unsafe working conditions and issues with the production, Dries and one of her co-stars, Dougray Scott.
MacGyver actress Javicia Leslie was then brought onto the show in 2020 as a new character to take over the role of Batwoman. The series also starred Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson, Victoria Cartagena, Robin Givens, and Nick Creegan.
Leslie commented about her time on Batwoman in a sentimental Instagram photo carousel. She posted photos of herself on the drama’s marketing material, behind-the-scenes footage and fun moments she shared with her co-stars.
“I was taught that words have power and we speak our life into existence. Well, I spoke this role into my life, and what an honor it has been to watch it play out exactly how it was meant to,” the actress wrote on her social media profile. “Family, this Bat Team is ours…HERstory was made and it can never be taken.”
Dries developed Batwoman for television, and based the project on the characters from DC. She executive produced the show with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Productions, as well as Geoff Johns, Chad Fiveash and James Patrick Stoteraux. Warner Bros. Television served as the series’ studio.
The news of Batwoman‘s cancellation comes three weeks after Discovery merged with Warner Bros., following AT&T’s divestment of the mass media conglomerate. It also follows the news that the newly created Warner Bros. Discovery was considering an overhaul of DC Entertainment.
The drama’s cancellation also comes after viewership for the project went on a steep decline. It fell from 1.8 million viewers during its pilot’s premiere on October 6, 2019 to approximately .41 million for the Season 3 finale, which aired on March 2, 2022.
With Batwoman‘s cancellation, the only remaining DC shows on The CW are The Flash and Stargirl. The Flash was renewed for a ninth season in March, and Stargirl‘s third season will premiere later this year. However, Fiveash, Stoteraux, and Batwoman writer Natalie Abrams are also currently preparing the pilot for Gotham Knights for the network.
The CW’s future in scripted series has been in question for some time, as Nexstar is currently in talks to purchase a majority stake in the network. The CW has renewed multiple shows along with The Flash, and has three pilots in contention, including Gotham Knights. However, if Nexstar’s purchase goes through, the series may not continue after their next seasons.