Batwoman has officially gotten the news that fans have been dreading ever since the Javicia Leslie-led superhero series was not among the many shows renewed by The CW back in March. After surviving behind-the-scenes shakeups – including a recasting of the leading lady – the show has ended, with the Season 3 finale now serving as series finale. While this is unfortunate news for fans, showrunner Caroline Dries does have a kind message.
Caroline Dries broke the news of the Batwoman cancellation on Twitter, commenting that it's "sad" but putting a positive spin on the show's ending. She posted:
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. ❤️April 29, 2022
It's not the message that viewers who have been dying to know what happens next after the Season 3 finale in the 2021-2022 TV schedule were hoping for, but the message of love and gratitude is nevertheless nice to see despite the bad news. It marks the expansive Arrowverse continuing to shrink, following the ends of Arrow, Supergirl, and Black Lightning, with the fate of Legends of Tomorrow uncertain after its Season 7 finale back in March and Grant Gustin expected to end his time on The Flash with Season 9 next year. (That is not confirmed at this point, and it's also conceivable that the Scarlet Speedster series could continue without Barry Allen.)
For now, the one thing that is guaranteed is that Batwoman will not be back in the 2022-2023 TV season, and Caroline Dries is not the only one from the show to share a message in the wake of the cancellation. The Twitter account for the Batwoman writers room posted:
Thank you fans, friends, crew, cast. We will always love you, we will always root for you, and we will never forget you. #Batwoman fans, we are eternally grateful. It was a fun ride and you made it so much better by our side.April 29, 2022
Neither The CW nor production company Warner Bros. Television have released a statement commenting on the cancellation at the time of writing, but Batwoman wasn't winning the highest ratings throughout its third season. SpoilerTV reports that the Season 3 finale back in March earned less than an 0.1 in the ratings, and just over 415,000 viewers in Live+Same day totals.
The average season numbers weren't much better for Live+3 day or Live+7 day totals, with the Season 3 averaging of 0.1 in Live+Same, 0.1 in Live+3, and 0.2 in Live+7, according to Season to Date numbers from SpoilerTV. The Season to Date averages for viewership weren't impressive either, with Live+Same totals of 0.458 million, Live+3 of 0.674 million, and Live+7 of 0.755. Even though The CW isn't exactly the network known for having the highest ratings or largest audiences, those numbers definitely meant that a Season 4 wasn't guaranteed.
The show does deserve credit for telling a different kind of story than had been done in the Arrowverse previously, and surviving the shocking departure of original star Ruby Rose to find a fantastic replacement in Javicia Leslie. The actress hasn't posted her own message about the cancellation just yet, although she did did retweet Caroline Dries' tweet. Sadly, Leslie's previous Twitter post was a celebration of National Superhero Day, just one day before Batwoman would officially get the axe.
Only time will tell whether or not the Batwoman cancellation bodes badly for Legends of Tomorrow, which is waiting on renewal or cancellation. Batwoman fans can also revisit the three seasons of the series streaming with an HBO Max subscription.
