SUPERMAN AND LOIS SEASON 4 (2024)

February 06, 2024

by Neil Cole

The Man of Steel had a great night at the recent 51st Annual Saturn Awards
winning two coveted awards during the course of the evening including "Best
Superhero Television Series" for the hit CW television series, "Superman &
Lois".

The series, which is heading into it's fourth and final season, took home the
award for the second year in a row beating out other nominees including "Doom
Patrol", "The Flash", "The Sandman", "Secret Invasion", "She-Hulk: Attorney-At-
Law", and "Stargirl".
The award for "Best Film Home Media Collection" went to the highly-praised
"Superman 1978-1987 4K Collection" from Warner Home Video which beat out
competition from the "Arsene Lupin Collection", "Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster
Collection", "Mr. Wong Collection", "Shawscope: Volume Two", "Universal
Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror, Volume 2", and "Warner Bros. 100th
Anniversary 25 Film Collection: Vol. 4 (Thrillers, Sci-fi, Horror)".

Unfortunately, the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim animated series "My

Adventures with Superman" which was nominated for "Best Animated
Television Series or Special" lost to the Disney+ animated series "Star Wars:
The Bad Batch" while also facing competition from "Chainsaw Man", "Gremlins:
Secrets of Mogwai", "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio", "Harley Quinn", and "Star
Trek: Lower Decks".

The 51st Annual Saturn Awards took place February 4th, 2024 at the LA
Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. For a complete list of
winners, please visit SaturnAwards.org.
TV News

BY
ANDY BEHBAKHT
With the Arrowverse coming to its end in 2024, the first major update on
Superman & Lois season 4 finally emerges after several months.

Lois Lane herself, Elizabeth Tulloch, shares an exciting update on Superman &
Lois season 4, revealing that filming is about to begin.
The season 4 premiere, titled "The End & The Beginning," is written by
showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent Fletcher.
The premiere episode will be directed by Gregory Smith, who has previously
worked on Superman & Lois.

Superman & Lois season 4 gets closer to finally happening as Lois Lane herself
shares a big update about the final season of the DC TV show. While The Flash
season 9 was the end of the Earth-Prime side of the Arrowverse, the franchise
is officially ending in 2024 with Superman & Lois season 4. Superman & Lois
will be the last DC TV show on The CW, which has been the home of DC
superhero series since 2006 with Smallville.

At the time of this article's publication, The CW has yet to announce an air date
for Superman & Lois season 4. However, following the end of the Writers Guild
of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, Superman & Lois season 4 is
officially getting ready to start filming as Elizabeth Tulloch shared the title page
for the final season premiere on Instagram.
Superman & Lois Season 4 Update
Titled "The End & The Beginning," the Superman & Lois season 4 premiere was
written by the showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent Fletcher. "The End & The
Beginning" will be directed by returning Superman & Lois director Gregory
Smith.

Superman and lois cast guide

Superman & Lois is the latest Arrowverse series to join The CW and this is
every new and returning character that will be part of the DC TV cast.

What We Know About Superman & Lois Season 4

While Superman & Lois season 4 is happening, there will be significant changes
taking place as the show goes into its final season. One of the conditions for
Superman & Lois to get renewed was a major trimming of the budget, which
affected both the cast and their episode order. For the first time since Arrow
season 8, Superman & Lois will only have 10 episodes for its final season, as
the previous seasons had between 13-15 installments.

Michael Cudlitz, who debuted as Lex Luthor at the end of Superman & Lois
season 3, will be back, this time as a series regular. However, seven
established series regulars will not be back in full capacity, as Wolé Parks (John
Henry Irons/Steel), Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana
Lang), Dylan Walsh (Sam Lane), Erik Valdez (Kyle Cushing), Inde Navarrette
(Sarah Cortez), and Sofia Hasmik (Chrissy Beppo) were affected by the budget
cuts. Some of them will, however, appear in a handful of episodes during the
final season.

In terms of storylines, the Superman & Lois season 4 premiere will pick up right
where the season 3 finale left off as Clark was in the midst of his battle with
Doomsday. Whether or not other Arrowverse players will have any role in
Superman & Lois season 4 remains to be seen for now. Hopefully, as
Superman & Lois season 4 starts filming this week, The CW will start making
announcements for the final season in terms of what viewers can look forward
to in the Arrowverse's final show.

Source: Elizabeth Tulloch/Instagram

January 6, 2024
Since Tyler Hoechlin first stepped into the role of Superman on the small screen
in 2016 in the second season of The CW’s “Supergirl” series, Tyler has worn
various versions of Superman’s costume, and he is most likely to be the one
Superman actor to have donned the most versions of the costume to date. In
this article, I will give a detailed analysis of each of the Superman costumes that
Tyler has worn from his time on “Supergirl,” through The CW’s annual
superhero crossovers, and onward into his own “Superman & Lois” series.

Superman Costume #1 – The More Things Change, the More They Stay the
Same
Tyler’s first Superman costume consisted of vibrant traditional colors of red and
blue – vibrant blues for his suit and solid red for his cape – the colors that
Superman’s costume is renowned for. Starting from the heel of his boots,
Superman’s boots are of a space age design, bulky yet protective, especially on
his shins. Moving up to the belt, the suit has no red trunks, but, in its place,
there is a belt of solid red with hints of yellow and burgundy. The hexagonal belt
buckle is also a solid red color. Moving further upward to the Superman
insignia, Superman’s “House of El” family crest is of a traditional design – an
upside down diamond-shaped construct with the traditional red color for the
diamond and S shape, and yellow behind the S. At the outside of the diamond
are four small notches that, we come to learn, are used to attach an additional
plate with wires to cover Superman’s crest to protect him from Kryptonite
attacks. From there, moving further up, are cape attachments. Two metal clasps
attached to leather straps hold down and secure Superman’s cape, a design
that differs from the traditional cape “under tuck” neckline, a neckline that is
most likely the lowest of its design. The cape, instead of a cloth material, is
made of what appears to be of a kind of soft leather, and its length reaches
down to the heels of the his boots.

Superman Costume #2 – Superman in Black

Superman Black Costume
In The CW 2018 winter crossover “Elseworlds” event, Tyler Hoechlin played a
supervillain known as “John Deegan” (also played by actor Jeremy Davies) who
took the form of Superman and wore a black costume. This costume would
carry over to Tyler Hoechlin’s own Superman series “Superman & Lois” for an
evil version of the character from another universe. This costume is of a general
design similar to his primary red and blue costume from the “Supergirl” series,
but with some noticeable differences. First, the color is black with slight hints of
white. This includes the boots, which are more of a traditional design instead of
the “spaceman” style of his first costume; and they are also black instead of the
traditional red color. Moving up to the belt, like his previous costume, the belt
buckle is of the same polygonal shape. However, the color is black and the belt
cord has hints of white. Past the belt, and up to the “S” crest, we see that there
is a mix of both white and black borders for the diamond. As with the previous
costume, there are four small notches outside the borders of the diamond.
Inside of the diamond is a solid black “S”, with a solid white background. Moving
up to the cape, like the earlier costume, there are bulky leather strap cape
attachments, with buckles to keep the cape in place. Moving further up to the
neck, there is a novel collar added to the costume (this is a first in the design of
a live action Superman costume).

Superman Costume #3 – Retro to the Max

Fleischer Costume
On February 23, 2021, “Superman & Lois” premiered with a super surprise for
its viewers. For the first couple of minutes into the TV show’s premiere, Tyler’s
Superman was shown wearing the classic Max Fleischer Superman costume
(from the 1940s Superman serials). Starting at the boots, we see a traditional
design departing from the clunky spaceman style that was seen in the
“Supergirl” series and in The CW’s “Elseworlds” and “Crisis on Infinite Earths”
crossovers. The color of the boots is a classic red. Moving up to the costume
itself, a solid sky blue is used for the legs, torso, chest, and arms of the
costume. However, this costume is the only one so far to incorporate the classic
red trunks. Along with the trunks, there is a red belt with a gold or yellow oval
belt buckle. On the chest is the inspired cartoon classic Max Fleisher Superman
emblem – a yellow bordered diamond with a big red “S” with a black
background. The red cape is now attached under the neckline of the costume in
a classic style. The fabric cape looks to be made of a cloth material rather than
the leather texture from previous costumes. Also, the length of the cape has
been raised from the level of the heels to the level of the calves. The neckline,
too, is higher than in the previous red and blue costume.

Superman Costume #4 – Another Upgrade

Season 2 Costume

As Tyler’s Superman progressed through the remainder of the first and second
season of “Superman & Lois,” he transitioned to a costume that vastly differed
from the costume that he had worn on “Supergirl,” in the crossovers, and in the
beginning of the “Superman & Lois” series. Like his Fleischer costume, the
boots were of the traditional red boot design. Moving up, we see that the
primary color of the costume is what can be described as a navy blue or royal
blue shade. There are no red trunks, but, instead, a red belt. However, unlike
the costume that Tyler had worn in the “Supergirl” series and crossovers, this
belt has similarities to the belt that Superman wore in the Rebirth comic books.
The contour of the belt has a bit of a “v” curvature to better form itself to Tyler’s
waist, a solid red color is used for the belt strap with hints of yellow, and the belt
buckle is a red diamond shape with a slight swirl of yellow within its center.
Moving up to the “S” insignia, Superman’s logo is now smaller than on his
previous costumes. The design of the insignia is the traditional one, but the red
diamond with red “S” is of a burgundy color with a yellow background. Unlike his
previous costumes, the insignia’s design appears to be part of the stitching of
the fabric, rather than a separate pattern that was added on. [A side note about
the insignia area: This costume was met with some criticism, due to the
appearance of what seems to be a bit of added padded muscle to the chest.]
Moving up to the collar, the neckline is higher than all of Tyler’s previous
costumes at the base of the neck. As with his Fleischer costume, the red fabric
cape appears to be tucked under his neckline.

Superman Costume #5 – How Bizarro

Bizarro Costume

In season two of “Superman & Lois,” Tyler also played the role of his
Superman’s counterpart, Bizarro, a being from a parallel universe. Bizarro
Superman’s costume is basically the same design as Tyler’s first and second
season costume, but with a few modifications. The colors of the entire costume,
including the boots and belt, have been muted. The diamond crest is reversed,
the colors of the diamond as well as the “S” are toned down, and the yellow
background is a faded yellow. The cape is torn in multiple areas. In addition,
Bizarro wears a pendant that belongs to his world’s Ally Allston in hopes of
preventing her from acquiring it and ultimately becoming Parasite.
Superman Costume #6 – The Man of Tomorrow
Season 3 Costume

The most recent version of Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman costume has some
improvements over his previous ones. While the traditional colors of red and
blue remain, the costume has less muscle padding, giving Tyler more of a
natural muscle silhouette. The boots are relatively the same, but with an “M”
formation in the front of the shins. The belt is now a solid red, and the belt
buckle (which resembles Superman’s diamond crest) is entirely red. However,
looking closely there is a lined tracing of Superman’s “S” insignia hidden within
the red colored belt buckle. Moving up to the chest insignia, the design hasn’t
changed much except for its size (slightly bigger). Also, instead of it being a
rather two dimensional part of the fabric pattern, the insignia is now made of a
separate textured material, giving it a 3D design that pops out of the costume.
And finally we look at the collar. It is now lowered – not to the extent where it
had been in the “Supergirl” series, rather, lowered to a traditional style for
Superman. The cape is tucked in, and reaches as low as the back of the calves
of the boots.

As we look forward to the fourth and final season of “Superman & Lois,” it is yet
to be revealed whether Superman will continue using the same costume as
seen in the show’s third season, go back to wearing a previous costume, or
wear a new costume entirely. What fans can expect is that Superman will
continue to be who he has always been in any costume – a hero who stands for
hope and gives hope, and will continue do so for his final adventure.
Author: Michael Moreno

KryptonSite offers ten hopes for Superman & Lois Season 4 in 2024.

December 31, 2023

By Craig Byrne
2024 is almost here, and at some point in the new year we will be getting the
fourth and final season of the Superman & Lois TV series. The CW has not yet
announced a premiere date, but especially considering the new season hasn’t
started filming yet, it may be late Spring or Summer before we see our favorite
characters again for one last 10-episode run.

To celebrate the new year, though, we’re listing our Top Ten Hopes for the final
season of the series…. things we’d like to see or not see in 2024. Here goes!

#1. Superman Lives… though I’d also accept a “Reign.” Sure, the Season 3
finale didn’t look too encouraging there, but it’s not like The CW’s new budget
would be so cheap that they’d get rid of Superman. The show is called
Superman & Lois, after all! We better see Tyler Hoechlin and that “S” again
pretty swiftly… though if they want to do a “Reign of the Supermen” with Tyler
playing an Eradicator and a Cyborg version of Superman, I might allow it. We’ve
already got John Henry Irons/Steel and surely The CW casting folks could find a
fun Superboy. This story has never been fully adapted in live action and it’s a
key part of my Superman comics reading experience. (If you’ve never read
“Triangle Era” Superman comics, you are missing the best of Superman’s 85-
year run!)

#2. No more Superman vs. Superman. Now, obviously if they did “Reign of the
Supermen” I’d take this wish away, but in three seasons + Crisis and
Elseworlds crossover appearances, Superman & Lois has managed to have
Tyler Hoechlin fighting another Tyler Hoechlin Superman like 8 different ways,
or playing different “evil” versions of Superman. Enough with that already! It’s
the same trap The Flash would run into with different speedster villains every
season. Variety can be good, and while part of me would love to see other
Superman actors from across the multiverse show up, such as Brandon Routh
or Tom Welling, I’m honestly pretty Multiverse-d out at the moment.

#3. Other Kryptonite. Blue, red, rainbow… we haven’t seen too many variations
of these on Superman & Lois, and it might be cool, and so specially Superman.

#4. Continued presence for some no-longer series regulars. Like many, I’m
bothered by the demotions of several actors who were series regulars on the
series, now being guest stars. With a few exceptions, we don’t know how much
they will show up again… but it would be a real shame to not have John Henry
and Nat around, and while I am 100% against more Jordan and Sarah angst, I
really want Sarah to stick around. They’re a part of the tapestry that makes the
show good, just like the Kents are.

#5. A better costume for Jordan. He looks like a huge dork with those goggles…
sorry, Alex. Give him something cool!

#6. Let the family be happy! Sometimes I feel like Lois and Clark hate their
children, with the amount of times they yell at them every episode. After how
emotionally taxing Season 3 was especially, I hope the Kents get to have fun
sometimes. Remember the time they were painting the house together and
Superman had to go do a save with paint all over his hand? That was charming
and cute. More please.

#7. Metropolis and the Daily Planet. The Daily Planet is as important to the
mythos as Lois, Clark, Perry, and Jimmy are. A return to the great metropolitan
newspaper would put Lois back at the top of her game, especially now that the
paper isn’t owned by a bad guy anymore (that we know of… I mean, Lex Luthor
might try something). If the Planet isn’t available, WGBS will do! And hey…
maybe if Jordan is following his father’s side of things, Jonathan could take an
interest in journalism and start working with his mom?

Beyond that, it appears the Kent Farm house is taken down. It could just be
relocated, or they might just use stock footage from here on out, but if it’s gone,
it might be worthwhile to go to a new setting for Season 4… returning the Kents
to Metropolis. Also – let’s see the show’s version of Jimmy Olsen, now that we
know the show isn’t on Earth-Prime.

#8. An actual conclusion. We know Season 4 is the last; the show isn’t moving
anywhere else, and The CW isn’t renewing it after the ten episodes of Season
4. For those of us who have stuck with the show for all four years and 50+
episodes, I want a satisfying ending. Don’t leave us on a cliffhanger. Imagine if
the 2023 strikes made the studio and network decide “we’re not doing Season 4
after all.” That would have sucked.

#9. A set visit for KryptonSite. Set visits seem to have fallen by the wayside, but
it would be so cool to visit and interview the cast as we go into Season 4.
Apparently there was a trip considered prior to Season 3, but we weren’t
included on that list.

#10. A flash forward. As DC welcomes David Corenswet as their new

Superman, combining with my own personal hopes for a happy ending, I’d love
to get a glimpse into the future to see Clark and Lois happy decades from now,
their children continuing their legacy. The Superman and Lois of Earth-
WhateverThisIs deserve it.

There are surely other things that could have made this list — “Uncle Tal,” a
Jordan Elsass cameo, and Supergirl being high on the list — but I’m sticking to
ten with this one. What do you think? Leave your wishes for the final season on
the KryptonSite Forums – registration i

Filming dates for Superman & Lois Season 4 have been revealed.
December 25, 2023
By Craig Byrne

KryptonSite has obtained some production information for the upcoming fourth
season of Superman & Lois.

Currently, Superman & Lois Season 4 is scheduled to begin filming on

Thursday, January 11, 2024 and it will end on April 22. This is, of course, the
final season of the popular series, and those dates are always subject to
change. A premiere date for Superman & Lois Season 4 is not yet announced,
though we are assuming it will air Summer 2024 at the soonest.

In addition to the filming dates, KryptonSite has learned that Gregory Smith is
scheduled to be directing the Season 4 premiere. Gregory Smith was the
director for the most recent season finale, so he’s a great choice to helm
whatever is coming next.

The cast list for Superman & Lois Season 4 is a bit shorter than previous years,
as many of the series regulars have been let go due to budget considerations.
With that said, many of those who have departed are expected to show up as
guest stars in the ten-episode season. Currently, the fourth season will star
Tyler Hoechlin (Clark/Superman), Elizabeth Tulloch (Lois Lane), Alex Garfin
(Jordan Kent), Michael Bishop (Jonathan Kent), and Michael Cudlitz (Lex
Luthor). Be sure to follow us on Twitter at @SupermanLoisTV or @KryptonSite
for more Season 4 updates as they come in!

December 14, 2023

The Hollywood Health & Society (HH&S) has presented The CW’s “Superman
& Lois” with a Hollywood Sentinel Award in recognition of the breast cancer
story covered in the show’s third season.

In the Season 3 story Lois Lane is faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer and
must undergo chemotherapy and a mastectomy. Elizabeth Tulloch, who plays
Lois Lane on the series, attended the WGA Sentinel Awards earlier this week,
accepting the award on behalf of the cast and crew of “Superman & Lois”.

“It was such an honor for Superman & Lois to accept a Hollywood Sentinel
Award for Lois’s breast cancer storyline at the WGA Sentinel Awards,” Tulloch
wrote on Twitter. “The EPs, writers & I worked very closely this season with
oncologists, surgeons, survivors, & the families who love them.”
Bitsie Tulloch
Season 4 of “Superman & Lois,” which will be the last for the series, will have a
10 episode count. No premiere date for Season 4 has been announced as yet.

Adam Holmes
December 1, 2023
Last month, it was announced that Superman & Lois will be ending on The CW,
but even before that news came in, it’d been made clear that Season 4 is
delivering some major shakeups. Chief among them was the fact that seven
actors had been cut from the main cast, and Dylan Walsh was the first of this
group to be revealed. However, if you’re like me and enjoy seeing Walsh play
Sam Lane, you’ll be glad to know he’s reportedly still set to appear in the final
season.

According to the Be More Super podcast, Walsh is set to appear in two

episodes of Superman & Lois Season 4, although it’s unclear if these will be
towards the beginning or end of the season, or if said episodes will even be
grouped together. Either way, assuming this information is accurate, at least we
have another former main cast member from the show who’s set to pop their
head in for this last round of superhero action. Back in July, Inde Navarrette
shared that she’ll reprise Sarah Cortez for three episodes, as well as stated that
“a few other people” would join her in stopping by Season 4 as guest stars
rather than main cast members.

It’s especially good to hear about Sam Lane supposedly appearing considering
that his fate was left uncertain in the end of the Superman & Lois Season 3
finale, a.k.a, “What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger.” Sam was supposed to
go on a date with a woman he met online named Gretchen, but it turned out that
she was working for Michael Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor, who was finally introduced in
the episode prior, “Injustice.” Gretchen abducted Sam and delivered him to
Luthor, but we never saw whether he was killed or just left tied up somewhere.

Now granted, there is the slim possibility that Luthor did order Sam to be killed,
and Dylan Walsh will only reprise his character through flashbacks, visions,
dreams, that sort of thing. But the optimist in me is thinking that Sam will make it
out of this predicament alive. However, then there’s the matter of explaining
why he won’t be as regularly present in his daughter, son-in-law and grandsons’
lives this season, though that goes for a lot of other characters on this series
too.

Among the things we know about Superman & Lois Season 4 is that the main
cast will solely consists of Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Alex Garfin,
Michael Bishop and Michael Cudlitz. In addition to this smaller lineup, the final
season will consist of just 10 episodes. No plot details have been revealed yet,
but we can at least count on the fight between Hoechlin’s Man of Steel and
Doomsday to be resolved.

As things currently stand, Superman & Lois’ final season isn’t expected to
premiere on The CW until sometime in the summer portion of the 2024 TV
schedule. We’ll keep our ears open for more updates, but remember that in the
meantime, the show’s first three seasons can be streamed with a Max
subscription.
November 15, 2023
It looks like the fourth and final season of “Superman & Lois” may be moving
away from Smallville.

A farm on River Road West in Ladner (British Columbia, Canada) had been the
permanent filming location of the Kent Farmhouse in Smallville for three
seasons of the TV series “Superman & Lois”. Now that set is gone!

The Superman Homepage received confirmation from the Ladner Business

Association that the Kent Farmhouse, which has been an integral part of the
series, serving as the backdrop for key moments in the lives of Clark
Kent/Superman and his family, has been taken down.

It’s unclear if this means they won’t be using the Kent Farmhouse location in
Season 4 or if they’ll be using existing footage for any exterior shots… It may
also signal a possible move back to Metropolis for the Kents, especially in light
of Lex Luthor’s recent injection into the storyline.

As the production team works on bringing the fourth season to life, fans will
have to wait patiently for more details on how the absence of the Kent
Farmhouse will shape the storyline. Whatever the reason, change is on the
horizon for “Superman & Lois”.
With a total of 10 episodes, the fourth and final season of “Superman & Lois”
will premiere some time in 2024.

Adam Holmes
November 13, 2023

Tyler Hoechlin's Superman floating in the air.

Although the main Arrowverse continuity wrapped up in 2023 with the

conclusion of The Flash, there is a holdover tied to The CW franchise that’s still
airing. Superman & Lois premiered on February 23, 2021, and while it was
originally believed to take place in the same universe as The Flash, Arrow,
Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Supergirl and Black Lightning (those last two
being post-Crisis retcons), the Season 2 finale revealed this show actually took
place in a different reality. Nevertheless, S&L collected a lot of fans over its first
three seasons, and they can look forward to a fourth season airing on their
small screens.

So what’s on the docket for Superman & Lois Season 4? That’s what we’re here
to go over, as a decent amount of information has been shared with the public
about what’s in store for this next batch of episodes.

It was reported by outlets like THR in June 2023 that Superman & Lois Season
4 was moving forward. However, at the time of this writing, an official premiere
date hasn’t been announced yet. Like so many film and TV show productions in
Hollywood, the show has been impacted by the 2023 writers and actors strikes.
While the former has concluded, meaning that the writers (more on them later)
can finally start crafting Season 4’s story, obviously shooting can’t begin until
the actors are back at work.

Perry Sook, CEO of Nextstar Media Group, the company that now controls The
CW, discussed the program and more during a quarterly earnings call with Wall
Street analysts that took place in August 2023 (via Deadline). The exec stated
that the longer these strikes went on, Superman & Lois, as well as fellow
renewed series All American, All American: Homecoming and Walker, would
“get pushed further and further into 2024.” Then the following October, THR
stated that the earliest S&L Season 4 would premiere is sometime in summer
2024 “to allow time for visual effects work.”

You can’t have Superman & Lois without its titular two protagonists, so
naturally, Tyler Hoechlin and Elisabeth Tulloch will respectively reprise Clark
Kent/Kal-El and Lois Lane in the new episodes. The two actors originally played
the main Arrowverse’s versions of Clark and Lois, most notably in the
"Elseworlds" and "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossovers, but now, they keep busy
the days playing these other versions of the characters.

It would also be weird if the drama series continued but the main protagonists’
sons weren’t around anymore. Well, fans don’t have to worry about that either,
as Alex Gavin and Michael Bishop will be back as twin brothers Jordan and
Jonathan, respectively. Bishop took over as Jonathan in Season 3 following
Jordan Elsass’ departure after Season 2.
Michael Cudlitz debuted as Lex Luthor in Superman & Lois Season 3’s
penultimate episode, with this version of the longtime comic book villain being
freed from prison after 17 years following the discovery that he’d been framed
by for the murder of Boss Moxie by Bruno and Peia Mannheim. Luthor didn’t
waste anytime enacting his revenge plan not just on Superman (which we’ll talk
more about in the next section), but also on Lois, whose reporting on this crime
played a big role in him being thrown behind bars.

So much groundwork was laid for Lex Luthor in the final chunk of Season 3 that
it would’ve been weird if he hadn’t returned for Season 4. Fortunately, not only
will that not be the case, but Michael Cudlitz will be a series regular alongside
Hoechlin, Tulloch, Garfin and Bishop.

Season 4 Will Resolve The Doomsday Fight

In Superman & Lois Season 2, a character fans initially thought was Doomsday
because of the bodysuit he was wearing actually ended up being the Supes
from the Inverse World, i.e. this show’s version of Bizarro. This version of the
Man of Steel was killed by Mitch Anderson when he was juiced up on X-
Kryptonite, but Intergang later stole his corpse on Bruno Mannheim’s orders
and managed to revive him. After Mannheim’s incarceration, this now-feral
Bizarro was found by Luthor and captured yet again, and the bald antagonist
learned that each time he killed the creature with X-kryptonite weapons, it would
keep evolving into something that became even harder to kill.

The result was, ironically, the creation of Doomsday, whom Luthor sent to kill
the main Superman as revenge for all the times the Man of Steel had interfered
in his criminal pursuits. The battle became so intense that Doomsday carried an
unconscious Kal-El out into space, but the hero woke up in the nick of time and
managed to get them onto the Moon by the end of Superman & Lois Season 3.
Needless to say, this fight will be resolved at the start of Season 4, though
what’s unclear is if Doomsday will continue to appear or if he’ll be permanently
defeated.
Remember when I said that Nextstar now controls The CW. Well, the change in
ownership resulted in a major overhaul that, as also previously mentioned,
resulted in all but four of the network’s originals being cancelled as The CW
starts pivoting to more unscripted shows, syndicated content and other cheaper
programming. But those remaining shows aren’t escaping entirely unscathed
either, as they’ve had their budgets significantly trimmed down. This resulted in
the writers room being cut down to just five people rather than eight, according
to Deadline, but the audience will notice the smaller budget reflected in more
noticeable ways.
Shortly after Superman & Lois’ Season 4 renewal was announced, Leslie
Borque Walsh posted on Instagram that her husband Dylan Walsh’s character,
Sam Lane, had been cut from the main cast due to “budget.” A day later,
Deadline reported that six more actors were cut from the main cast:
Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck
and Sofia Hasmik. A few weeks later, Navarrette shared on TikTok that she and
some of her casemates are set to appear in three Season 4 episodes as guest
stars, but it’s unclear which other actors will return and which ones won’t be.
Superman & Lois’ first two seasons consisted of 15 episodes each, whereas
Season 3 consisted of 13 episodes. Because of the budget cuts, Season 4 will
consist of just 10 episodes, making it one of the shortest seasons for a CW
show ever. Still, that will ideally be enough time to accomplish the final item on
this list.
On November 2, 2023, The CW announced that Superman & Lois was ending
with Season 4, though this move wasn’t entirely surprising. Along with the
budget reduction, The CW’s been drastically changing the kind of content it
offers following the Nexstar acquisition, which includes moving away from
scripted shows and delivering more unscripted programming, sports and shows
acquired from other sources. Additionally, the new DC Universe franchise is
launching in the next few years, and all the shows tied to that continuity are
available exclusively to Max subscribers. So the chances of this show
continuing into Season 5 were slim, but at least the writers have enough time to
craft a definitive ending rather than leave fans with any unresolved plot threads
due to a sudden cancellation.

So with the beloved show ending, we’ve reached the end of an era, as this will
officially mark the end of the Arrowverse. Still, there’s plenty left to be revealed
about final outing, so we here at CinemaBlend will let you know when more
details about Superman & Lois Season 4 are shared.
By Denise Petski
Senior Managing Editor

November 2, 2023

Bettina Strauss/ CW/Courtesy Everett Collection

The end is in sight for Superman & Lois. The CW series, starring Tyler Hoechlin
and Elizabeth Tulloch as the title characters, will conclude with its upcoming 10-
episode fourth season, marking the end of the DC series’ era at The CW. The
final season is slated to air on The CW in 2024.

“Over the last three seasons, Superman & Lois redefined both the superhero
genre and family drama as Tyler, Elizabeth and the entire cast effortlessly
portrayed these classic characters with new layers of depth and complexity that
had never before been explored in the Superman universe,” said Brad
Schwartz, President of Entertainment, The CW Network. “We are grateful for
the years of hard work and graceful storytelling from the show’s writers,
producers, actors and crew, as well as our terrific partners at Warner Bros.
Television and Berlanti Productions. As Superman embarks on his final flight,
the team is leaving us with an absolutely epic 10-episode must-watch-every-
minute farewell to one of the most legendary CW families ever.”

It has been tough going for Superman & Lois, combined with the strikes and
budget cuts that came with the series’ Season 4 renewal. As we previously
reported, those cuts impacted the writers room, which underwent downsizing for
the upcoming season, going from eight writers down to five.

Superman & Lois, along with All American: Homecoming were renewed in June
after producing studio Warner Bros. Television agreed to deliver the new
seasons at a significantly lower license fee to make them feasible for the
network under its new lower-cost original programming model. For the shows to
still make financial sense for the studio, their budgets were slashed, leading to
cast reductions, with not all of the series regulars asked to come back full-time.

Superman & Lois also is more expensive than other CW original dramas due to
extensive special effects, so the cuts on the show were deeper. Only four of the
12 Season 3 series regulars, Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Michael Bishop
and Alex Garfin, are coming back for Season 4.

“While we’re sad to say goodbye to Superman & Lois at the end of Season
Four, we’re grateful for the time we’ve had with our amazing cast, crew, vfx
teams, editors, musical geniuses, and writers. Since the day this show was first
discussed, it was about family. And that’s what was created—on and off
screen,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent
Fletcher. “We’d like to thank our partners at Berlanti Productions, DC, WB and
The CW for their endless support and enthusiasm during this journey…and give
a very special thank you to all the fans for tuning in. We’re thrilled about what
we have in store in our final season, and can’t wait for everyone to watch as
Superman, Lois and all our heroes face off against the biggest threat in the
show’s history—Lex Luthor.”

RELATED: ‘Superman & Lois’: Dylan Walsh & Emmanuelle Chriqui Among 7
Cast Members Not Returning, Michael Cudlitz Promoted To Regular For
Season 4

Based on the characters from DC created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster,
Superman & Lois is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros.
Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Todd Helbing, Sarah
Schechter, Brent Fletcher, and Geoff Johns.
Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.

The news comes as producers Warner Bros. TV is clearing the decks of DC

shows to make way for the James Gunn era.
BY LESLEY GOLDBERG
NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane and Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent in Superman
and Lois.
It’s the end of an era: Superman & Lois will take one final flight on The CW.

The Nexstar-backed broadcast network on Thursday announced that the

upcoming fourth season of the DC Comics drama from exec producer Greg
Berlanti will be its final run. The 10-episode final season starring Tyler Hoechlin
and Elizabeth Tulloch will air sometime in 2024.

“Over the last three seasons, Superman & Lois redefined both the superhero
genre and family drama as Tyler, Elizabeth and the entire cast effortlessly
portrayed these classic characters with new layers of depth and complexity that
had never before been explored in the Superman universe,” said Brad
Schwartz, president of entertainment at The CW. “We are grateful for the years
of hard work and graceful storytelling from the show’s writers, producers, actors
and crew, as well as our terrific partners at Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti
Productions. As Superman embarks on his final flight, the team is leaving us
with an absolutely epic 10-episode must-watch-every-minute farewell to one of
the most legendary CW families ever.”

The decision to conclude the superhero drama comes as producers Warner

Bros. TV is clearing the decks of its DC Comics shows that fall outside of the
universe currently being constructed by James Gunn. Berlanti, who launched
The CW back into the superhero space with the Arrow universe of shows, laid
the foundation for what became a full slate of shows that helped to redefine The
CW under former CEO Mark Pedowitz.

Superman & Lois is the last of the Berlanti-produced DC Comics roster that
previously included Gotham Knights, Batwoman, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow,
Supergirl, The Flash, Black Lightning, Stargirl as well as made-for-streaming
shows Titans, Doom Patrol and Constantine (which originated on the now
defunct DC Universe before migrating to Max).

Gunn and Peter Safran were installed last year as co-head of DC Studios and is
following the Marvel blueprint of unifying its film and TV titles into one shared
universe, an opportunity that was off-limits to Berlanti during his tenure with DC.
Gunn and Safran are readying a Superman movie that the former will direct with
David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Other DC
characters played by Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle), Viola Davis (Amanda
Waller) and John Cena (Peacemaker) will continue in the shared universe. The
DC studio’s previous regime will end in December with the feature Aquaman
and the Lost Kingdom.
As for The CW, after Nexstar took on oversight of The CW from CBS Studios
and Warner Bros. TV (hence the C and W in its name) more than a year ago,
the company has effectively gutted its U.S.-produced scripted originals. Only
four shows remain on the network’s slate that were developed under Pedowitz:
Superman & Lois, All American and its Homecoming spinoff as well as Walker.
Premiere dates have not yet been determined given the ongoing SAG-AFTRA
strike.

“While we’re sad to say goodbye to Superman & Lois at the end of season four,
we’re grateful for the time we’ve had with our amazing cast, crew, vfx teams,
editors, musical geniuses, and writers. Since the day this show was first
discussed, it was about family. And that’s what was created — on and off
screen,” said executive producers and co-showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent
Fletcher. “We’d like to thank our partners at Berlanti Productions, DC, WB and
The CW for their endless support and enthusiasm during this journey…and give
a very special thank you to all the fans for tuning in. We’re thrilled about what
we have in store in our final season, and can’t wait for everyone to watch as
Superman, Lois and all our heroes face off against the biggest threat in the
show’s history — Lex Luthor.”

Superman & Lois, like the three other holdover CW shows, underwent budget
cuts as Nexstar attempts to make the network profitable for the first time in its
history. (It’s worth noting that the network was created by both studios as a way
to monetize content internationally and via streaming deals, with both revenue
streams having since been cut off as CBS and Warners focus on their in-house
streamers and keep SVOD and international rights for themselves.) The series
cut the number of writers currently employed and has reduced its budget by
focusing more on family and less on action scenes that require expensive visual
effects.

BY
KEVIN ERDMANN
The CW's Superman and Lois television series has proven that the time has
come to fix a Superman movie problem that's persisted for almost 40 years.

SUMMARY
"Superman & Lois" has showcased that lesser-known villains can be just as
compelling as Lex Luthor or General Zod when given the opportunity to shine.
The CW show has introduced a range of lesser-known villains, often with
altered origins and powers, receiving positive feedback from viewers.
By saving the "big name" villains for later, "Superman & Lois" has allowed for
the emergence of new and interesting threats, putting the CW's live-action
Superman in fresh and unexpected situations.

The CW's Superman & Lois television series has proven the time has finally
come to start fixing an ongoing Superman movie problem that's persisted for
years. With Superman: Legacy on the horizon from James Gunn, a new live-
action Man of Steel for the big screen is imminent. To that end, Superman &
Lois has shown that there are other villains who should clash with the Last Son
of Krypton first (beyond the big names).
It's no secret that Lex Luthor has been the primary villain of Superman movies
for quite a long time across multiple iterations of the Man of Tomorrow.
Likewise, it's been 36 years since Superman hasn't fought someone on the big
screen who wasn't considered a "big name" villain (Superman IV). Conversely,
DC and the CW's Superman & Lois television series has shown that lesser-
known villains can be just as dynamic and compelling as Lex Luthor or General
Zod so long as they're simply given the time to shine.

Superman & Lois Proves Lesser-Known Superman Villains Are Engaging

Superman & Lois cast

Having spanned three seasons with a fourth (and likely final) season of
Superman & Lois on the way, the CW show has been a bit hit with DC fans.
Starring Tyler Hoechlin as Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane, the
iconic superhero and renowned journalist are married with two teenage boys,
having relocated to Clark Kent's hometown of Smallville to start new lives where
they can be closer as a family. However, new threats and foes have not
lessened despite their move from Metropolis.

Across the first three seasons of Superman & Lois, a collection of lesser-known
villains have made appearances. This includes Morgan Edge, The Eradicator,
Bizarro, Parasite, Bruno Manheim, Onomatopoeia, and more. However, many
of these villains have also been given altered origins and powers compared to
their comic-book counterparts, though many have been very well received. For
example, Superman and Lois' Morgan Edge was far more than the corrupt
corporate media magnate he is in the comics. In the CW show, Edge was
revealed to be the secret half-brother of Kal-El himself, and he also became the
show's version of the Eradicator as well.

Ultimately, the most important thing about Superman & Lois' villains is that
bigger foes such as Lex Luthor and Doomsday have only appeared recently at
the very end of Superman and Lois season 3. Saving the "big names" for later
on has allowed so many new and interesting threats to emerge for the CW's
live-action Superman, putting him in new positions beyond facing more
expected threats who've continually appeared to challenge the Man of Steel on
the big screen.

Why Superman Movies Keep Using Big Names Like Lex Luthor

DC Comics' Lex Luthor

Although General Zod and Doomsday are other big bads who've been used
more than once, Lex Luthor is certainly the biggest Superman villain who's been
used on screen the most. To a degree, this is understandable. Luthor is
certainly the most marketable villain as Superman's core arch-nemesis with a
classically compelling rivalry thanks to Luthor's brilliant intellect against
Superman's incredible strength and powers. It makes sense that DC would
want him to be featured on the big screen.

However, Superman & Lois proves Lex Luthor doesn't have to be continually
used over and over. Additionally, it's far more exciting that Michael Cudlitz's Lex
Luthor is set to have a bigger role in Superman & Lois season 4, having only
been mentioned and initially set up at the end of season 3 following so many
other dynamic villains. To that end, some of these villains such as Edge and
Bruno Manheim have connections and history with Luthor, and their initial
appearances have helped establish Luthor as a true big bad who's actually
anticipated. It's hopefully something the upcoming Superman: Legacy movie will
adopt as well.

Under-Used Superman Villains Perfect For The Big Screen

Split Image: Superman flying down a street; Rogues Gallery of DC villains

including Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Catwoman, Two-Face, Black Adam, and the
Riddler

Both Superman & Lois (and even Max's new animated series My Adventures
with Superman) have shown the true potential to be had with the rest of
Superman's rogue gallery. There are plenty of compelling villains who've yet to
get their time to shine in the movies such as Parasite, Livewire, Professor Ivo,
Metallo, and perhaps even Lobo who's been rumored for Superman: Legacy.
Each of them and more could certainly push the limits of Superman's powers in
ways that have never been seen before on the big screen with a live-action Man
of Steel.

It's worth considering that there's an added benefit to not using big-name
villains right away. Less recognizable foes mean more narrative freedom to
experiment with the origins and powers of these lesser-known foes as has been
seen with Superman & Lois. While he'll likely be featured, here's hoping Lex
Luthor is not the primary villain in the upcoming Superman: Legacy movie.