Superman is impervious to most things, but the one thing he can’t withstand is a slashed budget and dwindling ratings. Though it didn’t share an official connection with the Arrowverse shows, Superman & Lois’s cancellation after its fourth and final season in 2024 will mark the end of the DC era on The CW network.

The writing has been on the wall for the show since the fourth season was ordered by the network back in June. The budget for Superman & Lois was heavily cut, with several of the series regulars seeing their screen time significantly reduced and the total number of episodes being cut down to ten.

Superman & Lois is equal parts family drama and superhero battles, with an older Man of Steel and Lois Lane raising two sons together. It will be the of this long-running slate of CW shows to feature DC characters, a tradition that dates back to Smallville in 2002-2011. Ultimately, it is a victim of the network’s efforts to produce lower-cost original programming. Superhero battles are heavy on visual effects and, as a result, demand a higher budget.

To meet the new budget restrictions, only four of the twelve Season 3 regulars – Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop, and Alex Garfin – will be returning full-time for the fourth season. The rest of the cast has either been cut or been downgraded to recurring roles. The final season of Superman & Lois currently doesn’t have a release date due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes that have shut down most of Hollywood for the past several months.

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