The future SUPERGIRL is up in the air right now… And that's not some clever pun. That's the literal truth.
The CBS series based on the DC Comics superheroine finished its episode for Season One, and, while results have been mixed – the fans that watch seem to like it, but they have found themselves cut in half from the amount that tuned in for the show's premiere – the network has yet to re-up for a second season.
One of the main factors that seems to be weighing on CBS is the price tag of the show. Currently, the network pays a $3 million licensing fee per episode for the right to air SUPERGIRL, one of the highest licenses ever for a brand-new show. And with ratings that are merely okay for a show that expensive, CBS may be having second thoughts about continuing SUPERGIRL on their airwaves. To put further pressure on any sort of deal being struck between CBS and Warner Bros, Television, CBS is set to announce their fall schedule in a couple of weeks at their upfront presentation… and, unless they can find some more favorable terms, that may leave SUPERGIRL off their slate, and WB TV with nothing rather than something.
Here's where things get really interesting though… SUPERGIRL could end up on The CW, which is a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros. (CBS does program the network.) The CW is already home to various superhero shows, like ARROW, THE FLASH – who recently had a crossover with SUPERGIRL and LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, and once was the landing spot of the Superman series SMALLVILLE. Their demographics also may be more favorable towards SUPERGIRL than the viewership of CBS. In fact, rumors of such a leap have been making the rounds in fan circles for months, because, on paper, it seems to make perfect sense.
However, the problem with such an arrangement once again comes down to the cost of the show. Shows on The CW typically don't pay such hefty licensing fees, and, because the network doesn't draw the bigger numbers that CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox do, the budgets of their shows are usually much less than what SUPERGIRL has been operating on. Therefore, in order to shift networks, SUPERGIRL may have to make cuts in order to survive elsewhere… which may wind up affecting the quality of the show.
It certainly is a dicey situation that has a ticking clock working against it… but it shouldn't be too long before we gain some clarity on SUPERGIRL's future home. That is, if she has one at all in a couple of weeks.