When it comes to the DC Extended Universe, it would be fair to say it is in a bit of a predicament. Since the merger, Discovery is looking to revisit the DC slate in hopes of crafting a unified DCEU within one universe, akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While most of DC’s previously announced films look to be relatively safe, with the exception of Wonder Twins, the same can’t be said for DC’s television shows. With that in mind, we look at the current state of DC TV and try to guess how the merger will impact the remaining series.
The Arrowverse
When it comes to the Arrowverse, what shows remain are far from safe, especially as the CW was recently revealed to never have been profitable. The chances of many of the beloved superhero shows surviving are even more limited if the CW does go up for sale.
The CW has already said goodbye to series like Arrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning and will now say farewell to Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. This leaves only Superman and Lois, Stargirl, Naomi and The Flash, which already looks to be reaching the finish line with its upcoming ninth season.
Superman and Lois, Stargirl, and Naomi are series that do not find themselves very involved with the overall universe unlike the rest of the Arrowverse. While Stargirl has yet to be renewed for a fourth season ahead of Season 3’s debut, Superman and Lois is already set to return for a third season. This, of course, could result in the series potentially ending after Season 3, or it could meet a similar fate to Wonder Twins and be axed before things get moving on production. The upcoming debut of the Justice Society in the DCEU could also spell bad news for Stargirl, whose whole thing is the JSA, and with the strange rules surrounding the use of certain characters in other mediums, the series could meet its end. Naomi is another detached series that could continue onward, but is currently airing its first season and has yet to score a renewal for season 2.
Many will notice that over the past few years, the CW has attempted to get multiple new Arrowverse series like Green Arrow and The Canaries, Painkiller, and Wonder Girl off the ground but to no avail. Gotham Knights is the only one that’s actually been able to film a pilot that was not a spinoff from another pre-existing show, but even that has yet to even secure a series order. Justice U, the David Ramsey-led series that would see him reprise the role of Jon Diggle and train new superheroes has also yet to film a pilot, which means it could also see the chopping block.
HBO Max
HBO Max has become the adoptive home of multiple DCTV series like Doom Patrol, Titans, and Harley Quinn. While a show like Green Lantern could very much still happen, especially as casting has been announced, shows like Strange Adventures and Superhero High appear to be dead in the water. We’ve heard nothing on either of them since they were announced, which seems to suggest they’ll be meeting the chopping block.
The harder question here is the fate of Doom Patrol and Titans. Both series have been running for multiple seasons now and feel like they could come to an end very soon. With Warner Brothers Discovery looking to consolidate and unify its DC Universe, these shows definitely feel like they could indeed be canceled as casualties of war.
Projects that will most likely be safe are those pertaining to Justice League Dark and what Matt Reeves has in the works like The Penguin. Shows like Constantine and Madame X are products of a deal between J.J. Abrams production company and Warner Bros Discovery, they feel like safe bets due to the fact they could contribute to the unified DC the new leadership wants and that they all lead into a big Defenders-like crossover event.
Peacemaker will most likely be fine, as it seems highly unlikely that the series will be canceled following its success and how great James Gunn has been for the DC brand since releasing The Suicide Squad. While a series like Michael B. Jordans‘ Val-Zod series seems likely to be canned as it would take place in another universe and just does not seem like it would be a priority for the new leadership moving forward. And animated series like Young Justice and Harley Quinn will most likely remain unaffected due to these series being a completely separate entity from the other live-action series.
The TV side of things feels like it is going to see much more of a shakeup as the overhaul moves forward at DC Entertainment and Warner Bros Discovery. The new leadership would be smart to evaluate each project and look for the aspects that work and see if they can’t integrate some of these characters into their prime universe.
