BATWOMAN Season 2 Premiere With New Lead Was The Third Least Viewed Episode Of The CW Series

BATWOMAN Season 2 Premiere With New Lead Was The Third Least Viewed Episode Of The CW Series

Sunday's Batwoman introduced a new Caped Crusader in Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder, but it seems fans weren't convinced to return to The CW series as ratings for the DC adaptation continue to decline!

News
By Nighthawk01 - Jan 20, 2021 04:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Batwoman
Source: Deadline

Batwoman's season 1 premiere drew 1.8 million viewers in late 2019, but ratings for The CW series have steadily declined ever since. The early finale (shooting was halted thanks to COVID, so all these shows wrapped up prematurely), for example, pulled in only 740,000 viewers last summer. 

After Ruby Rose decided to leave the series behind, the decision was made by the network to cast a new actress to play the Scarlet Knight. However, rather than having Javicia Leslie star as Kate Kane, she's portraying an original hero called Ryan Wilder who has no comic book history.

Could that be why the season 2 premiere failed to draw an audience on Sunday? 

"What Happened to Kate Kane?" was watched by just 663,000 viewers, drawing a 0.1 rating. This makes it the third lowest viewed episode of Batwoman ever, with only "If You Believe in Me, I'll Believe in You" (640,000 viewers) and "A Narrow Escape" (630,000 viewers) behind it. If these numbers don't improve, it feels inevitable that cancellation could follow. 

Batwoman won't even benefit from a crossover bump as the planned Superman & Lois event has been scrapped due to COVID. 

Looking at the ratings for each of the CWVerse shows, it's apparent their best days are behind them. That could be an indication that it's time for the network to move on from this era of storytelling. 

Click HERE for more Batwoman news from CBM!

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TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 1/20/2021, 4:24 AM
They didn’t miss much.
CyberNigerian
CyberNigerian - 1/20/2021, 4:27 AM
Need someone that is objective to let me know what they thought.

Was it good?

If not, I'll get back to revision (Computer students on here?) lol.
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 1/20/2021, 4:41 AM
@CyberNigerian -

InfinitePunches
InfinitePunches - 1/20/2021, 5:36 AM
@CyberNigerian - I like about half of Arrow. This is about as bad as the worst of Arrow.
Blergh
Blergh - 1/20/2021, 4:40 AM
For a internal reboot that's quite a damning number.
It's good they continued the show, hundreds of people would have lost their job due to that but as far as returns go they should have cancelled it.

Sad for the cast & crew but I don't see this series getting a third season.
KWilly
KWilly - 1/20/2021, 4:44 AM
Welp... You asked for it.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/20/2021, 4:59 AM
663k views and a 0.1 rating? It does put things in perspective. How does the CW even stay in business? The amount that must be spent on that show is substantial. I know the show that followed did even worse, and technically got a 0.0 rating.

For comparison, here’s a YouTube video of a T-Rex at Walmart that got 656k views:
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 1/20/2021, 5:45 AM
@Chewtoy - They stay in business because that live number nowhere near represents their true viewership. They have a very young audience, the audience that is least likely to watch a show live or same day. Plus their shows all sell well internationally and for streaming.
JoeInTheBox
JoeInTheBox - 1/20/2021, 5:54 AM
@Chewtoy - @TheUnworthyThor Said it best. Syndication isn't held to the same standard as the networks. Mostly because they are based on sales to local syndication networks who charge less for advertising. It's easier for a syndicated tv show to thrive for a long time on low ratings due to sales(including foreign markets, streaming and the advertising revenue from them).

Perfect example, is look at the performance and budgetary difference between Supergirl on CBS vs. Supergirl on CW. On CBS can afford to shoot in CA with a higher production budget. Couldn't cut it in the ratings. On CW, had less ratings than on CBS but could survive on syndication with a lower budget and a move to Vancouver(cheaper production).
JDL
JDL - 1/20/2021, 9:33 AM
@Chewtoy - The Netflix deal has been crucial. Netflix buys everything the CW puts out and that has several huge effects but the main one is that it lowers the risk for the two studio/owners (Warner's & Paramount).

1) No jack rabbit cancellations from low ratings. In fact very few cancellations at all and most of those are after the end of the season.

2) Shows run longer. Larger episode counts help sell viewers of syndication and streaming. This leads to shows having planned ends, which again, is helpful.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 1/20/2021, 5:00 AM
CWDCU is dead.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 1/20/2021, 5:04 AM
OT but Supes saying "Consider this mercy" feels so wrong lol.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/20/2021, 5:13 AM
@RageDriver2401 - wow that wasn’t even the CGI mouth and it still looked like the CGI mouth...
Gmoney84
Gmoney84 - 1/20/2021, 5:08 AM
The big mistake here feels like forcing a new character with little context into this mantle of Batwoman. I’m indifferent to the fact that it’s a black woman that’s a lesbian I think? Again, it all feels super forced.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 1/20/2021, 5:22 AM
The title of the episode make this even more hilarious
lawman1108
lawman1108 - 1/20/2021, 5:47 AM


Stay woke...go broke
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/20/2021, 5:51 AM
@lawman1108 - The whole episode is about feelings, like the rest of the CW crap.
Hulkh8liars
Hulkh8liars - 1/21/2021, 5:22 AM
@lawman1108 - not sure what you consider woke but if it's what most mean than clearly it is one of the most profitable things to do in any industry
lawman1108
lawman1108 - 1/20/2021, 5:48 AM
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/20/2021, 5:48 AM
You learn she is a lesbian in the beginning because that's the most important part. A plane crashes she pulls someone out of the wreckage finds the costume,puts it on in a toilet.

She is now a Superhero,no montage of her training, took Bruce Wayne years to become Batman.

But now you can find a costume put it on and fight crime.

What a load of crap.
MidlifeonMars
MidlifeonMars - 1/20/2021, 12:23 PM
@marvel72 - Nailed it!
Philvis
Philvis - 1/20/2021, 1:11 PM
@marvel72 - living on the streets doesn't make you Batman/Batwoman material?
LeonNova
LeonNova - 1/20/2021, 6:02 AM
I like Javecia, so I feel for her, but the plot for the season premiere is so contrived, it’s ridiculous. They should’ve just cast someone else to play Kate and keep the original story they had in mind going. Literally the night Kate disappears, another lesbian with martial arts training finds the batsuit and just happens to have a mother that was killed by Alice. And Mary is almost immediately on board with the idea of someone replacing her sister that just possibly died. It’s so bad.
Mugens
Mugens - 1/20/2021, 6:27 AM
The series premier wasn't great by any means but not as bad as some on here make it out to be. The new lead is a better actress than Ruby Rose, just needs to have better material and actually in some ways the writing is getting a tad bit better. Notice I said tad, not a lot. Actually was surprised that she returned the suit after she had did her thing, admitting that she wasn't a hero and didn't really deserve to wear it. Good start. And as I said before, they should have delayed this as it went up against the NFC playoffs and the Brady/Brees match up was not something to be missed. The DVR count will tell the tale of its popularity and potential going forward.
TexasAvenger
TexasAvenger - 1/20/2021, 7:21 AM
Those are WWE NXT numbers lmao.
Poopmaster89
Poopmaster89 - 1/20/2021, 7:25 AM
That's what happens when you make a show based on a real character played by a random character. No interest for this before or now.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/20/2021, 7:26 AM
I want to take a favorable view of her experience, and for her, I wish she would have been the first one. This can’t be easy. But a recast it’s 10 times worse then a race swap, viewership wise. And doing both is fatal. Yes, I think the show would’ve done better starting with and sticking with either Ruby or Javicia, than it would swapping actors, especially swapping races.

Well my mind wasn’t going here but now it’s here: I don’t think they would ever swap a black actress for a white one. I don’t feel like getting into hypocrisy your politics or history or any of that. I just don’t think for one second they would ever do that. I wanted to be the lead on crazy Rich Asians, see how that worked out
Mugens
Mugens - 1/20/2021, 8:12 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - Well if you look at the reboot of BattleStar Galactica, they did with the character of Boomer. Not only race swapped but also gender swapped. Not to mention the original Tim Burton Batman movie. Did you noticed who was playing the normally white character of Harvey Dent? It happens, it always has happened but appears it ticks people off more these days.
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