Gaming & Comics

The CW’s ‘Batwoman’ Is Canceled After 3 Seasons

'Batwoman,' starring Javicia Leslie, won't be returning for a fourth season after the Arrowverse shows struggled to maintain consistency during its time on air.

by Andrew Doxy

Published on April 29, 2022

3 min read

Showrunner Caroline Dries announced ‘Batwoman’ is canceled on Twitter

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. ❤️
— Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) April 29, 2022

Before the Batwoman was canceled, it had already experienced a turbulent history. The original character, Kate Kane, was the star of the show in the first season, played by Ruby Rose. Rose exited the show after just one season despite Kane’s character being set up to be a main pillar in the Arrowverse, a series of DC Comics-oriented shows that began with Arrow in 2012 set in the same universe.

After making the most of a complicated situation, the show refused to recast Rose’s character and instead had a new character – Ryan Wilder – take over the mantle of Batwoman. Wilder is played by Javicia Leslie, the current lead for the show. Unfortunately, the series will end after three seasons and 51 episodes.

Caroline Dries was the showrunner, and the show starred Leslie as Wilder as well as Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton, Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox, and Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore.

The production of the show was impacted by not only the departure of Ruby Rose but also the COVID-19 pandemic toward the latter half of the first season. The first season had 20 episodes, followed by 18 in Season 2, and 13 in Season 3, which will now be the final season after the 51st episode.

Greg Berlanti produced the show along with Sarah Schechter and showrunner Caroline Dries.

Despite ‘Batwoman’ getting canceled, the character may not be done for

The CW’s Arrowverse has developed into a sprawling universe full of properties beyond the canceled Batwoman. Characters from shows like Arrow that are now finished still continue to feature in other properties on The CW. For example, John Diggle has made a tour through shows like Batwoman and The Flash despite Arrow not being on air anymore.

Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder could still appear in some of the surviving shows, including The Flash, which was renewed for a ninth season as well as DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, or even Stargirl. Additionally, Superman and Lois, while produced by HBO Max, is still set in the same universe.

Perhaps Leslie’s character or some of the other cast members could appear in a crossover episode. With the number of CW shows dwindling by the year, perhaps the network will put on one final crossover to end all crossovers to send the Arrowverse out with a bang.

The show had its fair share of controversy after just one season

Ruby Rose’s outspokenness toward her time on Batwoman was very publicly documented as the star claimed unsafe working conditions on the set of the show. Some of Rose’s co-stars have publicly denied her claims and confirmed that Rose was fired instead of, in fact, leaving the show as she claimed.

Between the drama of switching lead characters after one season and the effects of the pandemic, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to expect Batwoman to be canceled since the show never really had its footing. With Batwoman getting canceled and other DC shows in the pilot stage, the future of DC properties on The CW is unclear.