Superman & Lois ratings soar high as largest DC series audience since 2019

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Superman & Lois premiered on The CW on Tuesday with a 90-minute series debut and it looks like the latest DC offering is flying high for the younger-skewing network.

Superman & Lois scored a 0.4 in the 18-49 demo and 1.71 million viewers. This is the largest audience for a DC series since the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover episode of The Flash which aired on December 10, 2019. The series also scored the second-best CW premiere since the October 2019 debut of fellow DC series, Batwoman. 

The demo score is right in The CW's sweet spot for the shows on their network. In fact, last night's premiere matched the Nielsen Live+Same Day fast-affiliate demo score of the debut of Walker, which drew 2.43 million viewers on January 21, 2021. Superman & Lois' total viewers didn't reach those heights but it's still a solid launch and bodes well for the future of the series. It should be noted that a second 30-minute episode, which was a sneak peek of what's to come and interviews with the cast also did well with a 0.3 demo rating and 1.28 million viewers.

Superman & Lois had a good week leading up to its series premiere. Beginning last week reviews began trickling out for the show and they were pretty positive. As of this writing, the show has an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and its consensus reads "Though it may be a bit too grounded for some viewers, Superman & Lois draws strength from unexpected places – without skimping on the action – to carve its own path in a crowded superhero universe."

Superman & Lois follows Clark Kent/Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) as they return to Smallville after they are fired at the Daily Planet. Also along on this journey are their sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin) as they are all reunited with Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui), her husband Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez), and their daughter Sarah (Inde Navarrette). Life seems pretty idyllic in Smallville until it's all upended when The Stranger enters their lives.

Did YOU watch the premiere of Superman & Lois?