Superman & Lois was renewed for Season 4 earlier this week, but like the other shows returning to The CW for the next TV season, it won’t be immune from budget cuts. In addition to Season 4 being comprised of just 10 episodes, the leading lineup of characters is being significantly trimmed down. Dylan Walsh, who plays Sam Lane, was the first to go, and now six more actors have been cut from the main cast.
Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck and Sofia Hasmik have all been axed as series regulars. Of these actors, Chriqui’s Lana Lang, Valdez’s Kyle Cushing, Navarrette’s Sarah Cortez and Parks’s John Henry Irons had been part of the Superman & Lois main cast since the beginning with Walsh, while Buck’s Natalie Irons and Hasmik’s Chrissy Beppo started out in recurring/guest capacities. On that note, Deadline reports that there’s “hope” for these actors to recur or guest star in Season 4, “subject to interest on their part and availability.”
So with seven actors out, plus Chad L. Coleman’s Bruno Mannheim not sticking around following his Season 3 arc, who does that leave us in Season 4? Well, obviously Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch will continue on, respectively, as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, and Alex Garfin and Michael Bishop will stick around as their sons, Jordan and Jonathan. Additionally, it’s stated that Michael Cudlitz, who will finally debut as Lex Luthor next week, has been promoted to series regular in Season 4. So that leaves just five lead actors for the next chapter of the Superman & Lois saga, and while it’s entirely possible a few more could join them, it’s pretty clear the main cast won’t be anywhere near as large as it used to be.
Again though, just because seven actors aren’t series regulars anymore doesn’t mean viewers won’t see their characters anymore. It just means that those who do decide to return for Season 4 won’t be seen nearly as often; maybe they’ll just appear on and off throughout the season, maybe we’ll only see them once or twice. At this point, I’m just wondering how Superman & Lois will explain why so many of the show’s familiar faces aren’t around as much or just completely absent. One option that comes to mind is that perhaps the Kents will move back to Metropolis, as almost all these other characters are Smallville denizens.
Hopefully with this much cast trimming and the reduced episode order, enough costs have been trimmed that the show’s VFX budget won’t be impacted. At this point, there’s been no announcement of when Superman & Lois Season 4 will arrive, but there are still two episodes left to go in Season 3. This season’s penultimate episode, “Injustice,” airs next Tuesday, June 20 at 8 pm ET on The CW. Look through our 2023 TV schedule to see what other shows you’re interested in checking out.
