What Would Have Happened To Supergirl If The CW Hadn't Taken It

Fans of CBS’ Supergirl had a tough couple of weeks while waiting and waiting for news about the future of the series. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, and many felt Kara Danvers deserved a second season of adventures in National City. Luckily, we finally found out whether or not Kara would be back when news came out that Supergirl would indeed be getting a second season… on The CW. The renewal feels an awful lot like a last-minute Hail Mary that The CW happened to catch, so it’s hard not to wonder what would have happened if Supergirl hadn’t found a new home. Luckily, CBS head honcho Les Moonves has the answer.

It’s great to own two networks. Supergirl fits better on the CW. If they didn’t go there, we would’ve probably taken it back.

Les Moonves’ reveal to Deadline that Supergirl might have had a future at CBS even if the co-owned CW hadn’t taken it is a solid show of faith in the series. The first season of Supergirl kicked off to massive ratings, but numbers dropped significantly as time wore on. The average for Season 1 was a 2.4 rating in the 18 – 49 demographic and 10 million viewers. Those numbers weren’t high enough for renewal to be a sure thing on CBS, but they’d be fantastic for The CW.

Supergirl definitely does fit in with the programming on The CW. The CW’s biggest shows are currently dramas based on DC comics. Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow have created a multi-show universe in which characters can cross over at any given time. The Flash himself already popped over to Supergirl when he accidentally sped into Kara’s parallel world, so the Supergirl connection to the Flarrow-verse already exists. Supergirl is in a different universe and is very different from the shows in the Flarrow-verse; we’ll have to wait and see how often they might be able to crossover.

The CW looks like the biggest winner in the Supergirl move, but CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller has stated that CBS has benefited from the arrangement, as well. Evidently, the move is a winner all-around.

We worked out a great deal. And who would say we wouldn’t have picked it up if it had not gone to The CW?

CBS passing Supergirl to The CW was a big move, and it’s nice to know that Supergirl may still have had a future even if the deal had not worked out with The CW. Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic about what the increased possibility of crossovers may mean for all four shows on the CW. I’m definitely on board for more perky ice cream excursions between Barry and Kara, but only time will tell if the network will figure out ways to have her meet up with Oliver Queen on Arrow and the crew on Legends.

Supergirl won’t be back on the airwaves for a while, so check out our schedule of summer TV premiere dates to see what you’ll be able to watch in the meantime.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).