Supergirl fans rejoice! It has FINALLY been announced that CBS’ #1 new drama has been picked up for a second season. But for that to happen, some changes need to be made.
Recently there has been a lot of talk regarding the status of the female superhero. When it comes right down to it, this long, drawn-out announcement has to do with ratings and costs. The show’s budget will most definitely be impacted. The Supergirl pilot cost a reported $14 million and the per-episode cost is reportedly around $3 million. A lot of these expenses stem from filming the series in Los Angeles, producer Greg Berlanti told EW.com:
“The other thing I would say was incredibly hard, was just trying to do something of this scope and size, and, quite truthfully, in Los Angeles. It’s an expensive city to shoot in. These things don’t come cheap, and we didn’t want to do it if we couldn’t give it the scope that it really deserves.”
That being said, the show will end up relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where costs are less. Plus, The CW’s other superhero shows (Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) film there as well. How that will affect the look of the series compared to season one, as it pertains to city shots, landscape, etc.
All in all, this is a great move. CBS co-owns The CW with Warner Bros. so it didn’t really affect them. Fans can celebrate that this fresh new series will indeed be back, AND the possibilities for crossovers and a shared universe is exciting!
By the numbers:
Supergirl debuted in October 2015 to 13 million viewers and a 3.1 in the 18-49 demographic, but subsequently fell to approximately 6.11 million and a 1.3 by its season finale. Presently, including DVR playback, the show’s season has averaged around 9.8 million viewers and a 2.4 in the demographic, ranking in the bottom half of CBS’ programming in total viewers and 8th in the demo. Still, if the show’s audience carries over to its new network, those numbers would be terrific for The CW. The network’s current highest rated show, The Flash, has been averaging around 5.7 million viewers if you account for DVR.
