Broadcast TV Superman & Lois - Season 3 (The CW) (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Looks like The CW's list of affiliates will be shrinking next season:

8 Large Markets Are Losing The CW | Cord Cutters News

Recently Warner Bros. Discovery has sold majority control of The CW to Nexstar. Now some large affiliates in 8 markets are dropping The CW and becoming independent stations starting September 1st, 2023. CBS stations in Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Tampa, Sacramento, San Francisco...

cordcuttersnews.com

The current CW affiliate in Reno has done better than the previous one, a low-wattage UHF station who had all kinds of transmission problems, including broadcasting in blue for over a week and did not retransmit to the local TV tower (how we get Reno TV stations OTA here in Hawthorne). That's not to say that the current station doesn't have issues. The CW broadcasts on KOLO-TV 8.3, owned by Gray Television Group and is primarily an ABC affiliate (ch. 8.1), and has a habit of cutting into shows late with PSA's or local ads, sometimes even breaking away long before they are supposed to, running more local ads. Currently, though, nearly all of the local Reno TV stations are not being rebroadcast to us, as some of the equipment got damaged during the winter storms and they are waiting for the snow to finally clear way up there on the mountain so they can even drive to the tower to conduct repairs.

TV Hill, circa April 2021:


TV Hill as of April 16, 2023:

 

[NeilO]

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" felt like it should be closer to the end of the season. Just episode 8 of 13 this season.

A lot came out and I am wondering whether we are going to first see Lex Luthor this season or next. I'd bet that Lex Luthor will be a big part of next season's storyline.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's interesting watching John Henry sort of revert back to who he was when we first met him at the beginning of the series. The darkness doesn't feel entirely out of left field, because we've seen it from him before. Now he has a whole support system with his daughter and the DoD and the Kent family and the community of Smallville. But it also means that his daughter is in danger, and that makes him react in a more emotional way than I think he otherwise would.

I'm glad they're not bringing Lois to the brink of death, only for some last minute science fiction miracle cure. But I also appreciate that the light at the end of the tunnel with regard to her treatment comes with its own complications. A double mastectomy is a difficult thing for a lot of women in Lois's situation, and I don't know that I've seen this much time devoted to it in a show like this before.

Apparently the new owners of The CW only want to keep one DC show for next season, and it's between this and "Gotham Knights". This gets far better ratings, but the money is on "Gotham Knights" because it's a lot cheaper to make. I'm enjoying that show more than I expected to, but there's no question that I'd rather have this one back than that one.

 

[jayembee]

I'm glad they're not bringing Lois to the brink of death, only for some last minute science fiction miracle cure. But I also appreciate that the light at the end of the tunnel with regard to her treatment comes with its own complications. A double mastectomy is a difficult thing for a lot of women in Lois's situation, and I don't know that I've seen this much time devoted to it in a show like this before.

The show gets better and better with this sort of thing. My wife and I both loved the scenes of Lois and Lana's conversation.

About 12 years ago, my wife had fibroid tumors that required a hysterectomy. She'd already reached an age where she'd come to terms with the idea that she'd never have children, but after the hysterectomy there was absolutely no question about that, and she took it very hard.

My first bought with cancer was breast cancer (yes, male breast cancer is a thing) on my right side. I had a mastectomy. My wife was quite taken aback about how unconcerned I was about the prospect. Intellectually, she knew that, as a guy, the loss of a breast wasn't as big a thing as it would be for a woman, but she still had trouble wrapping her head around my seeming indifference.

My second bought with cancer was a completely unrelated, non-metastatic tumor in my left breast nine years later. I've had genetic testing done, but it shows nothing in my genes that would account for my history. Just lucky, I guess.)

Apparently the new owners of The CW only want to keep one DC show for next season, and it's between this and "Gotham Knights". This gets far better ratings, but the money is on "Gotham Knights" because it's a lot cheaper to make. I'm enjoying that show more than I expected to, but there's no question that I'd rather have this one back than that one.

I, too, am surprised that GK has turned out better than I expected. I figured it probably wasn't going to go past the first season, so I figured I might as well watch it. After the first episode, I was inclined to quote Opus the Penguin in his role as a media critic ("Well, it wasn't that bad, but Lord it wasn't good.") but it's improved over the course of the season so far. I'm not sure I'll want to continue with it if it gets renewed, though. We'll see.

 

[NeilO]

I'm glad they're not bringing Lois to the brink of death, only for some last minute science fiction miracle cure. ....

Apparently the new owners of The CW only want to keep one DC show for next season, and it's between this and "Gotham Knights". This gets far better ratings, but the money is on "Gotham Knights" because it's a lot cheaper to make. I'm enjoying that show more than I expected to, but there's no question that I'd rather have this one back than that one.

I heard such awful stuff about the first episode of GK, that I didn't even bother spending any time on it. I had enough on my DVR these days anyway. Probably still won't try it. There hasn't been a Batman related show on TV in many years that I've been able to stay watching.

It was another strong episode. Though it looks like somehow the Bizarro Superman does have some kind of cure for Peia. It will be interesting to see how that works.

 

[NeilO]

Another good one this week.

One question is how much trouble will come from Kyle.

I was just looking something up and noticed that they have already cast Lex Luthor. So, I presume we will see him this season.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I found myself thinking last night that while Sarah is far from the first girl with a clingy ex-boyfriend, most of them don't have super-strength and heat vision.

But despite their dust up, it rang true to me that Sarah kept Jordan's secret. After all, she would have died if he hadn't intervened to save her. And even though Jordan desperately needs to move on and expand his social circle, he didn't let his jealousy toward the former mayor's son keep him from saving the boy's life.

Lois's journalistic ethics were highly suspect with the way she used the DoD's extrajudicial detention of Pia to try and extract a scoop. I'm glad it didn't pay off, even though Pia breaking out of a secret DoD facility is a major story in its own right.

One question is how much trouble will come from Kyle.

In fairness to him, the Kents have basically convinced his family to lie to him for months. It would have been bad enough if just Lana had known, but his daughter also knowing makes it that much worse. That's bound to create a lot of resentment.

At the same time, it at least makes Jonathan's life easier. Regardless of whether Kyle ends up punishing him for lying to him, at least he doesn't have to keep this massive family secret from his boss anymore.

I figured that when the wrote Candice out, it was because the actress had landed another role elsewhere. But apparently they're going to commit to this long distance relationship.

 

[NeilO]

Lois's journalistic ethics were highly suspect with the way she used the DoD's extrajudicial detention of Pia to try and extract a scoop. I'm glad it didn't pay off, even though Pia breaking out of a secret DoD facility is a major story in its own right.

I don't see it really as trying to get a scoop, but trying to get the truth and undoing a wrong that was done in the past. She helped put Lex Luthor away for a crime he didn't commit. Now, I think what she should have first done was accept Peia's offer of telling her about these crimes that Lex did commit. Get that information so you can have him put away correctly.

 

[jayembee]

In fairness to him, the Kents have basically convinced his family to lie to him for months. It would have been bad enough if just Lana had known, but his daughter also knowing makes it that much worse. That's bound to create a lot of resentment.

Lying by omission, yes, a case can be made that they lied to him. But it also wasn't their secret to tell. And the Kents didn't convince anyone, explicitly or implicitly, to lie about Clark's and Jordan's abilities. Lana and Sarah both have enough wisdom to understand that if Clark (and Jordan) don't mind who knows, they'd reveal themselves publicly.

It makes me think about the big deal that was made in the comics three years back, when Clark Kent reveals to the world that he's Superman. Partly, it was due to complications from rumors getting around that Lois was cheating on her husband (Clark) by having an affair with Superman. In the wake of this, he went to his closest friends (who weren't already in the loop) to apologize to them for not letting them in on his secret. He ended up surprised when Jimmy Olsen confessed to knowing it for quite a while (I don't recall what he said as to how), and said he wasn't upset, as he figured that Clark had a good reason.

And that's really the point. Kyle wasn't told because, quite frankly, he didn't need to know. Jordan told Sarah because he didn't want to keep lying to her, and hoped (maybe) that coming clean would change how she felt about him. And Clark told Lana, because he felt that they'd been friends for pretty much their entire lives, and he decided that she should know the truth. Kyle, however, was apparently not his BFF, and therefore there's no reason to tell him.

The only issue Kyle should have is with Chrissy dismissing him with regard to the story he tried to bring her. But it could certainly be argued that she had journalistic ethics to keep her sources private. She could've handled it better, certainly, by saying to Kyle, "I'll look into it," instead of pretending not to believe him.

 

[jayembee]

With respect to the idea of keeping or telling secrets...

There's Sam Lane. We know that he knows Clark's secret. The question is how many, if any, of the people who work under him also know. The second question is how many, if any, of Sam's superior officers know. There is an argument to be made that Superman's secret identity is significant national security information. Does he have an obligation as a general at the DoD to give this information to his superiors -- which, at least, would/could include the Joint Chiefs, SecDef, and POTUS. Could he be in serious trouble if one of them found out that Sam knew this secret, and kept it to himself?

(If it were the real world, and I was Superman, there are people who have been, are currently, or might become people in the government who might have the authority to know, but I wouldn't want to know.)

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Lying by omission, yes, a case can be made that they lied to him. But it also wasn't their secret to tell. And the Kents didn't convince anyone, explicitly or implicitly, to lie about Clark's and Jordan's abilities. Lana and Sarah both have enough wisdom to understand that if Clark (and Jordan) don't mind who knows, they'd reveal themselves publicly.

And I don't think that was the wrong decision necessarily. But family members keeping secrets from one another, even for a good reason, usually results in tension and conflict.

There's Sam Lane. We know that he knows Clark's secret. The question is how many, if any, of the people who work under him also know. The second question is how many, if any, of Sam's superior officers know.

That's a good question. I would guess that the Joint Chiefs know, the Secretary of Defense knows, and the President of the United States knows. Given the military's modern surveillance capabilities, I don't think there's any way that he could have prevented them from finding out. But if the President knows, he can specifically order the executive branch not to investigate further.

Given that Superman always appears in costume at the DoD, and we've only ever seen Clark dressed as Clark at the DoD when only Sam and Lois are present, I would guess that everybody under Sam doesn't know that Clark Kent is Superman.

 

[NeilO]

Kyle now learning the secret was handled well by the end of the episode tonight. I thought what he did worked for his character.

Next episode on June 20. I can only guess that they were behind schedule as it seems weird to skip a week. Or maybe Gotham Knights was as they are paired up. (They are both scheduling repeats next week.) 2 more episodes to the season.

It seems from the end of the episode and the preview that we are getting repercussions from what happened this season so far. I've no feeling how far they will take things in only 2 episodes. Will it just be setting things up for next season or will more get wrapped up? Looking forward to seeing what they do.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought this was a really strong conclusion to the Bruno Mannheim/Onomatopoeia arc. Every major character was testing, and the better angels of their natures prevailed.

I really loved the kindness that Superman displayed in this episode. He could save Pia, but he could be there with her at the end, help her avoid hurting anybody else, and then pass along her final words for her loved ones.

And I liked how John Henry Irons learned from his daughter's example. Natalie did the right thing, and he saw it and recognized it and pulled himself back from the brink.

Even Bruno Mannheim took responsibility for his actions, so that his son wouldn't have to pay for his choices.

Kyle now learning the secret was handled well by the end of the episode tonight. I thought what he did worked for his character.

I agree. I was pleasantly surprised. The show does a good job of letting Kyle be flawed without him being an outright bad guy.

It made sense to me that the events of the previous episode would cause Sarah to spiral. I appreciate the way the show portrayed Lana and Kyle learning from their daughter's previous mental health crisis. Lana saw what Sarah wasn't saying and zeroed on it, and Kyle was able to set aside his feelings of betrayal to do what was needed from him as a father. And during the family chat at the diner, Lana and Kyle don't excuse her bad behavior in the previous episode or dismiss the consequences that have resulted. But they do let Sarah know she is loved and that her family is there for her. Kyle is able to draw upon his own struggles with depression and share what worked for him.

Even Jordan not accepting Sarah's apology was a step forward. If he's not prepared to be friends with her on her terms, it's better that he be straightforward about it and steer clear rather than continually punishing her for no longer wanting what he wants out of their relationship.

It seems from the end of the episode and the preview that we are getting repercussions from what happened this season so far. I've no feeling how far they will take things in only 2 episodes. Will it just be setting things up for next season or will more get wrapped up? Looking forward to seeing what they do.

I would imagine that we're headed for some sort of cliffhanger with Lex Luthor, which will be frustrating if the show doesn't get renewed by either the CW or Max.

But mainly I'm just grateful we got three seasons of this show, which is definitely my favorite late career Superman story and one of my favorite depictions of Superman, period.

 

[jayembee]

The only complaint my wife and I had about this episode was the description of the procedure at the beginning. Perhaps it's that my experience doesn't map all that well to Lois's, but the whole thing about "problematic lymph nodes" made no sense at all. Unless things have changed significantly since my experiences, the tracer is introduced a couple of hours pre-surgery (and I can tell you that the injection of the tracer is one of the most painful things I've ever experienced). Once the surgery starts, the sentinel (first in line) lymph node is removed for pathology. If it's clean, the mastectomy proceeds. If it's not, more lymph nodes are removed to see how far the cancer has progressed. "Problematic lymph nodes" are never identified prior to the surgery, as suggested by the dialog here.

We also sympathized with Lois at the end. Given that she had a double-mastectomy, she'd have a "hand-grenade" (it's an egg-shaped seepage drain) on each side, which would make it vitually impossible for her to sleep on her side. I was fortunate in that I only had one at a time, so I could sleep on the "free" side.

 

[Alex...]

Season 4 incoming

'Superman & Lois' Renewed for Season 4

The adventure continues for Lois and Clark.

collider.com

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Season 4 incoming

'Superman & Lois' Renewed for Season 4

The adventure continues for Lois and Clark.

collider.com

Excellent, and surprising, news. I would have figured the show was too expensive for The CW's new ownership. And 10 episodes isn't that much shorter than the first three seasons, which all ran between 13 and 15 episodes.

If the fourth season is going to be the last, I hope Warner Bros. and the network were up front about it so that the writers can craft a satisfying conclusion.

 

[Garysb]

Dylan Walsh, who plays Sam Lane, is one of the actors being cut for Season 4 due to the severe budget cuts to the show per his wife in a tweet. I think the easiest way to cut cast is just move the Kent family back to Metropolis. I have read that the leases on the area which serve as Smallville as well as the Kent farm have ended and were not renewed due to the cost. Not sure how true this is but the information is out there.

Sam Lane a Casualty of “Superman & Lois” Season 4 Budget Cuts - Superman Homepage

With yesterday's news that The CW has renewed "Superman & Lois" for a fourth season, the announcement was tempered by the fact that the renewal would see budget cuts that would see a reduction in the number of series regular cast members. It seems one of those casualties will be General Sam...

www.supermanhomepage.com

 

[NeilO]

The news of severe budget cuts is disturbing to me. At this moment something seems to be better than nothing, but I am wondering if I will feel the same way when we see the final product with hand puppets.

 

[Garysb]

One report says the Cushings will not make it to Season 4. If John Henry and Natalie also leave, I hope they get a happy send off. Like maybe their Lois is still alive somehow, maybe she ended up in the Phantom Zone and is rescued. They can't have two Lois Lanes around so they leave to live elsewhere. I think we will hear definite news about who is leaving shortly.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Dylan Walsh, who plays Sam Lane, is one of the actors being cut for Season 4 due to the severe budget cuts to the show per his wife in a tweet. I think the easiest way to cut cast is just move the Kent family back to Metropolis. I have read that the leases on the area which serve as Smallville as well as the Kent farm have ended and were not renewed due to the cost. Not sure how true this is but the information is out there.

Sam Lane a Casualty of “Superman & Lois” Season 4 Budget Cuts - Superman Homepage

With yesterday's news that The CW has renewed "Superman & Lois" for a fourth season, the announcement was tempered by the fact that the renewal would see budget cuts that would see a reduction in the number of series regular cast members. It seems one of those casualties will be General Sam...

www.supermanhomepage.com

He was the most obvious choice to cut. Sam Lane is mostly involved on the Superman side, and if they're scaling back the Superman side due to budget cuts, there's less need for a DoD liaison. On top of that, Dylan Walsh is the biggest name actor on the show, so he's probably the most expensive of the supporting cast.

I was hoping he would at least recur as a special guest star, but it sounds like they offered him three episodes next season and he passed on the offer. I can't say I would want to tie up my schedule for a year if I was only getting three episodes' worth of pay, either.

One report says the Cushings will not make it to Season 4.

On one hand, if they write off the Cushings, they can unload three series regulars, including the second most expensive of the supporting cast (Emmanuelle Chriqui). On the other hand, if they're scaling back the Superman side to refocus on the family/Smallville side, does it make sense to get rid of so many of the other Smallville residents?

If John Henry and Natalie also leave, I hope they get a happy send off. Like maybe their Lois is still alive somehow, maybe she ended up in the Phantom Zone and is rescued.

I like the idea, but I'm pretty sure their Lois was brutally murdered on live television, so I doubt it.

On one hand, it might make sense to write them out now that Bruno Mannheim is behind bars. Maybe Natalie gets recruited to a top STEM academy somewhere, and John Henry relocates to be near her.

On the other hand, if it's a family drama, Natalie is a sort-of daughter to Lois, and a sort-of sister to Jonathan and Jordan. It would be hard for them to disappear entirely without there still at least being phone calls.

I think we will hear definite news about who is leaving shortly.

I agree. Part of why The CW had to pull the trigger on the renewal now was because the cast options are expiring in a couple of weeks. There was no way a show this technically ambitious was going to be able to get its budget cut and hold onto 12 series regulars. But I would guess that who stays and who goes will depend on who's willing to take a pay cut and who isn't.