‘Supergirl’ Canceled: CBS Leaves ‘Supergirl’ Off Renewal List, Creates Rumors About Cancellation
Supergirl canceled? That’s the rumor after CBS left the show off its renewal list. The odds of Supergirl getting canceled during its first season didn’t seem very high until a report from Entertainment Weekly came out on Friday, March 25. It was revealed that 11 shows have been renewed by CBS for the 2016-17 television season, but Supergirl was not on that list. That’s huge news, especially with the positive buzz that the Melissa Benoist show had received.
The 11 shows that did receive renewal notices from CBS are Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, Elementary, Scorpion, Madam Secretary, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans,Mom, 2 Broke Girls,Survivor, and The Amazing Race. Those programs join NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, which each received early renewal notices from the network. When a show does not get mentioned on the full list of renewals, there are three reasons why it could happen. Those reasons are that a show is ending, the show will get canceled, or the renewal is coming later.
A report on Supergirl ratings and whether it would get canceled or renewed came out earlier in the week. The most recent episode of the show aired on Monday, March 21, bringing in an estimated 5.995 milllion viewers. It was the fourth-straight episode where the viewer numbers had dropped, possibly putting the network in a very difficult position. CBS isn’t a network that keeps many shows around that fall below 10 million viewers for a full season run. That could put the show at risk of not receiving a late renewal as well.
The rumors of Supergirl getting canceled would have seem far-fetched after the debut episode aired on October 26. An estimated 12.955 million viewers tuned in for the series premiere. For the key demographic of 18-49 year olds, the one-hour program drew a rating of 3.15 on that first day. The numbers never reached that level again, as the viewership numbers dropped during each of the four successive episodes. The key demo ratings also dipped to 2.19 on episode two and kept falling to a 1.52 mark for the fifth episode.
Seventeen episodes of Supergirl have aired on CBS so far, with no indication that viewers are ready to come back to the show. This could be why CBS hasn’t made an official announcement on whether Supergirl is canceled or renewed just yet. The network could be waiting to see if the numbers go back up over the final three episodes of season one. The Supergirl ratings are trending in the wrong direction, though, so it might take some big numbers over the next three weeks for fans to get a second season.
For television viewers who haven’t been watching Supergirl on CBS, it is a one-hour drama about the adventures of Superman’s cousin. The first season covers her origins and the pitfalls of trying to become a superhero. The show got good marks with the critics early on and was one of the most buzzworthy shows that CBS put out this year. The network also put a lot of money into advertising it, but the viewers have started tuning out. The Supergirl cast includes Melissa Benoist (as Supergirl), Chyler Leigh (as her adopted sister), Jeremy Jordan, Mehcad Brooks, and Calista Flockhart.
If it does turn out that Supergirl is canceled due to low ratings on CBS, it is very possible that another network could pick the show up for future seasons. CW could be a good candidate, as the network already airs superhero shows like The Flash. Six million viewers would make the show a huge hit for CW, even if that isn’t considered a lot for a major network like CBS. It’s also possible that CBS decides to renew Supergirl if viewers tune in again to the next three episodes.
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