The War of 18-49, Superman and Lois

DC's Last CW Hope

By the time COVID-19 shut down production in 2020, the CW's generation of superhero successes was already fading fast, and their delayed returns in 2021 were another devastating blow that there was no recovering from. But that 2021 return didn't look so hopeless at the start, as DC Entertainment had one major card left to play: a Superman series. Superman and Lois self-started with a solid 0.37 demo (57 Plus) on February 23. It took a big drop to 0.27 the next week when its lead-in The Flash (0.30) returned, but it held up well for the next few weeks and was building on The Flash by the end of that March run.

Then it disappeared for two months, handing the post-Flash slot to the final season of Supergirl, and returned in May with a measly 0.13, just half of its final March episode. It bounced back from there, but the rest of its run took it deep into the summer, and that eventually took a toll. It ended the season on a 0.11, less than a third of its premiere rating.

The Empire Crumbles Around It

Superman and Lois got back on the air in January for season two, and with considerably more favorable scheduling (including an 8/7c slot), the show avoided the depths from the late summer in season one and was nearly able to match its season one Plus. It even managed to outrate the once proud The Flash, a trend that continued in season three when those two were the last vestiges of the DC superhero empire. While The Flash came to a quiet end that season, Superman and Lois managed to continue into a fourth season.

Then came the 2023-24 writers' strike, yet another mortal blow to the CW's scripted department. S&L did get back on the air, but not until fall of the next season. Though the series end was announced well in advance, it did become the CW's top scripted series in same day for the first time, passing All American, before finally shutting the door on the CW's superhero empire. Superman was left crawling back to the box office and a cool half billion dollars.

Adults 18-49 info by season:

Seas	Year	Slot	Avg	y2y	Lo	Hi	Results	Grade
1	2021	Tuesday 9:00	0.20		0.1	0.4	detail	B
2	2022	Tuesday 8:00	0.16	-23%	0.1	0.2	detail	B
3	Spring 2023		Tuesday 8:00	0.11	-32%	0.1	0.1	detail	C
4	Fall 2024	Monday 8:00	0.06		0.0	0.1	detail	C

Historical-adjusted ratings by season:

Seas	Year	A18-49+	Label	Now25	y2y	Lo	Hi	Premiere	Finale
1	2021	31	marginal(CW)	0.10		17	57	57	17
2	2022	30	marginal(CW)	0.10	-3%	22	45	45	24
3	Spring 2023	25	marginal(CW)	0.08	-19%	19	30	30	23
4	Fall 2024	20	flop	0.06		13	25	19	25
AVERAGE:		AVERAGE:	27	marginal(CW)

The War of 18-49 chronicles the ratings history of veteran primetime series. For more, see the Index.