In early March, CBS Network CEO Les Moonves told the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference that the TV network planned on renewing “Supergirl” for a second season, but no official announcement has been forthcoming… and there’s a reason for that. It seems the show is in danger of being cancelled due to budget constraints.
The network would like the show to come back, sources close to the series say, but there’s a problem. The roughly $3 million per-episode price tag CBS pays to broadcast “Supergirl” – one of the highest license fees ever for a freshman show – isn’t quite justified by the ratings. Thirteen million total viewers tuned in to the heavily-promoted premiere back in October, but about half the audience bailed over the season, according to Nielsen.
That has set the stage for a last-minute stare-down between Moonves and Warner Bros. TV chief Peter Roth. CBS will announce its fall schedule in two weeks at the upfront presentations in New York, so the clock is ticking to hammer out a deal.
There are rumors circulating that CBS could do a deal to sell the show to The CW, where it would join fellow DC Comics shows such as “The Flash” and “Arrow”, but that appears to just be internet speculation at this point in time.
Will Supergirl fly for a second season? Stay tuned…
