Summary
Superman & Loismight be coming to an abrupt end with its fourth and final season following some tough decisions behind the scenes, but that doesn’t mean that the show’s creators are going to let the series go out with a whimper.
WhileSuperman & Lois’titular characters debuted as part of the interconnected universe that was the Arrowverse, a barrier of separation between their family drama and the over-the-top antics of the mainline franchise had been clearly erected, with the official word even placing the show’s setting in another universe entirely. While the more grounded and insular storytelling would do wonders for the characters and the show’s popularity,Superman And Loiswould end after season four on The CW, closing the curtain on the show and the expansive franchise that it finally represented in time for DC Studios boss James Gunn to introduce fans to the new, rebooted DCU on the big stage and on the small screen.
As a result of this abrupt and unfavorable cancellation,Superman And Loishad to make some big sacrifices to stay on the airfor its final season, with the slash to cast and budget causing confidence in a satisfying final season to plummet even further. However, the show’s cast and crew had zero intention of letting things end in a slump, andComicbookgot the story on the important work being done in the season’s first arc from showrunner Todd Helbing. “You have Superman in the show, and nobody’s going to be able to compete with him on that level,” Helbing explained. “In order to make everybody else become their own version of a hero, you have to put them through the wringer. There’s a couple of things that we’re trying to do is to show the audience that all of our characters are going through their own journey. They all have their own hurdles they had to jump, and it’s how they respond to those challenges that makes somebody heroic or not. I think in the last season, the death of Superman really is going to highlight all those characteristics from the rest of our characters.”
The show indeed went there, with its very first final season episode showing fans Superman’s fatal encounter with Doomsday in a poignant moment that the show managed to surpass very quickly with the sacrifice of General Sam Lane, putting it all on the table and taking a shot in the dark to bring back the world’s greatest hope. “When they outlined a little bit of what was going to happen — because season three was incredibly emotionally intense with the cancer stuff — and then when they said, ‘Superman’s going to die in one, and your dad dies in three,’ I was like, ‘Guys! Again?’” leading lady Bitsie Tulloch remarked when asked about the arc in the same interview. “And it was crazy intense because they had said, ‘You’re going to be there when your dad dies.’ And that scene in particular…for me, as an actor, that scene in the parking lot at the DoD with Doomsday and my father was just pure anguish, truly.” While the show has been on the more serious side from the beginning, this first arc makes it clear as day thatSuperman & Lois’sfinale will close out the Arrowversewith all the gravitas it can.
With the end of season four, it’ll be made final thatthe legacy of the Arrowverse is now in Gunn’s handsas the new DCU sets about building a new canon with the characters and concepts thatArrow, The Flash,and all the other Legends of Tomorrow spent years bringing to the fans.Superman & Loismight not have been fortuitously timed enough to be seen as a real and tangible part of that legacy, but the show’s curtain call seems insistent that it be seen off with high regard, and fans would be well served not missing a beat.
Superman & Loisis currently airing on The CW every Monday, with prior seasons available to stream on Max.
