So, if you’ve been paying attention to the news the last couple weeks, then you know there’s just a bit of uncertainty drama surrounding CBS’s superhero series, Supergirl, starring Melissa Benoist as the titular hero.
The ratings for the show have not been ideal for the network, averaging between 3-7 million viewers. However, it’s one of their most expensive series to make, costing in the range of three million dollars per episode, so the math doesn’t add up for the network. As such, they are trying to figure out some cost saving measures to keep it on the network.
One of those options, which is sounding more likely, is to move production out of Los Angeles to Vancouver next season. According to Deadline, while “many are not thrilled about the potential move,” it’s something they may have to do to cut costs. All of Greg Berlanoti’s other DC Comics shows — Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow — all shoot in Vancouver already and, when starting up production on the series last year, they briefly discussed shooting Supergirl there as well. However, they instead decided to take advantage of the new California tax credits to keep production jobs in the state.
They applied for the tax credit with the state, assuming that they would get it since they were spending so much — and then the state denied their application, which bumped up their costs considerably. Since they were already moving forward with production here, they were bound to Los Angeles, but now they have the chance to move and will most likely take it.
The other possibility that CBS may take advantage of is dropping the show all together and allowing it to live on its sister network — The CW, which is where all of the other DC shows live. This is, obviously, something that a lot of fans would love to see as that would make any narrative cross-overs that much easier and more accessible. Not only that, but The Flash typically tops out at three million viewers, so Supergirl could bring a much larger audience to the smaller network.
A decision will be made soon as TV Up-Fronts are in New York in a couple weeks and they’ll need an answer by then to pitch the show to advertisers.
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