By J.Leonard
Last week, The CW cancelled half a dozen shows, but four of them hurt fans the most. The shows in question were Charmed, Legends Of Tomorrow, Roswell, New Mexico and Batwoman.
First, let us say that The CW has been very invested in it’s shows, virtually renewing all of them for the past few years, so this comes as a total shock, especially that they are the fan favorites for multiple seasons now.
The context of the cancellation might have to do with the fact that The CW is being sold. Are working theory is that the potential new owners don’t want to pay for these expensive shows. Granted, the ratings are not as high and Charmed went thru a creative change when on of it’s original stars quit the show after three seasons (much like on the original, when Shannen Doherty left her role, after three seasons). Although fans have welcomed the new addition, the show has taken a hit in ratings.
The rebooted Charmed premiered on October 14th, 2018. The show’s first season was to consist of 13 episodes, but the success of the show had the network add on five extra episodes, and later another nine, bringing it to 22 episodes. The CW also gave the series an early season 2 renewal at the time. The series also set itself apart from the original by getting rid of the Elders early on and preventing the three sisters from have access to their full powers for multiple seasons, and the coveted “Book of Shadows”. This season marked the first season without original actress Madeleine Mantock, who played Macy Vaughn, and they introduced a new “sister” played by Lucy Barrett. However, unlike the original series, where a half sister called Paige completed the Charmed Ones, this new “sister” does not seem to be related to the other two, and the reason for that was revealed in last week’s episode. Writers have confirmed via Twitter that they have written an ending that could serve as a series finale and that fans will be satisfied with the conclusion, the series finale is scheduled for June 10th, 2022.
Batwoman as seen it’s share of casting issues starting with the departure of Batwoman at the end of the first season. Ruby Rose, who originated the role of Kate Kane/Batwoman, made the decision to not return for season 2. Javicia Leslie was cast in the role of Ryan Wilder, who eventually takes over for Kate as Batwoman, she is believed dead for the most part of season 2, but the show surprised fans with a recast, in the form of former Krypton star Wallis Day, but this was to conclude Kate’s story and she left the show and left the responsibility of being Batwoman to Ryan. The show revamped it’s cast in season 3 with the addition of Ryan’s biological mom and brother. The move to cancel the series after the season finale aired is unusual cause the viewership remained steady from season 2. Going to press we have not yet finished the third season of the show.
Roswell, New Mexico has been cancelled, but season 4 as not premiered yet (it will premiere on June 6th). The show as already a huge cult following, especially with the characters played by Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars) and Michael Vlamis, Alex Manes and Michael Guerin, who fans call the couple “Malex”. Although being popular the ratings took a hit when the show was moved from Tuesday’s 9PM to Monday, and then moved an hour on the same day again. The show also took a turn in another direction with the story, making this more of a continuation than a reboot. The show gravitates on themes of acceptance of others, especially race and sexuality.
The last but not the least, Legends Of Tomorrow, part of the Arrowverse for the last seven seasons, was also cancelled. The show premiered on January 21st, 2016, and brought back Arrow fan favorite Caity Lotz in the role of Sara Lance. Victor Garber brought over his The Flash character of Martin Stein over as well. Although the cast changed quite frequently from season to season, the fun aspect of the show is what marked the difference between the other shows. The series ended its run-on March 2nd, 2022, with 110 time travelling episodes.
On May 17th, 2022, we ran on a poll on Twitter to determine what cancellation hurt the most.
38.3% said Roswell: New Mexico hurt the most. Followed by Batwoman at 23.4%. Coming at third was Legends of Tomorrow at 21.3% and finally Charmed with 17% of the voters¹
At press time, no shows had been saved or moved to a online platform.
¹ Source: https://twitter.com/_tvcanada/status/1526561706285182977
Poll ran from May 17th to 24th 2022 and had 47 votes.
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2022 The CW Cancellations
