CBS is getting out of the superhero business.
The network’s foray into the comic book world ended today when Warner Bros. TV confirmed that season two of Supergirl will be moving to The CW. The Melissa Benoist-starring show joins Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow as Greg Berlanti-produced comic book properties on The CW, making this a more natural fit.
Still, it’s disappointing given that the show represented a bold move on a few levels for the staid CBS. First, it’s a major network drama starring a woman as a superhero. The list of superhero vehicles starring a woman is not exactly a long one. Marvel’s Jessica Jones and Agent Carter (which was just cancelled) don’t have the name recognition of Supergirl, and DC’s Wonder Woman film is still more than a year away.
Second, superhero TV shows have traditionally not had the critical or commercial success of their big-screen counterparts. Marvel can make two tentpole films a year, but Agents of SHIELD still isn’t appointment viewing.
Supergirl will also move its production north, from Los Angeles to Vancouver, where it will join the other The CW superhero shows in production. She’ll now at least share a channel with The Flash, who starred in a widely praised and successful crossover episode.
The show's ratings started fast but quickly faded, never climbing above a 2.0 Nielsen rating after the second episode. Supergirl averaged a 1.3 rating for its season, about the same as The Flash on The CW. Still, it was CBS' highest-rated first-year drama.
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