The fourth and final season of Superman and Lois premieres later tonight with a double episode, and showrunner Todd Helbing has now revealed an interesting new detail about the series finale.
Even though the versions of the Man of Steel (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) who lead the show made their debuts in one of The CW's Arrowverse crossovers, season 2 of S&L made it clear that the series does not take place in the same continuity.
However, Helbing says the final episode will still "honor" the Arrowverse, which officially came to an end with The Flash last year.
"Inherently there's so many pressures you feel with a TV show — just writing the script was pressure, and then producing it, and the second that the show began, it's about Superman and Lois Lane, so there's a responsibility that comes with that too," Helbing tells Entertainment Weekly. "With the Arrowverse, I've had 10 years of working in these shows and these worlds, and you want to do it justice, but you have to separate yourself from those feelings or you are not going to leave your house because it'll be overwhelming."
Does this mean fans can expect some Arrowverse cameos? Possibly, but it sounds like any nods to The CW's now defunct superhero universe will be a little more subtle.
"The best way that we could approach it was to just do the best version for our show," Helbing adds. "[As for] Easter eggs, there's the idealistic version — in a comic book you'd have all these characters at your disposal, so you can have whatever you want. But when you're talking about schedules and money and budgets, it would be awesome to have [The Flash star] Grant [Gustin] in this, but it's just not feasible. There are questions like that that come up, and then there's the reality that hits you, and so ultimately, as we discussed in the room, we can just do what we can do, and I think the best way to honor what has been done for 10 years was to hopefully have the audience watch it and then feel satisfied."
Be sure to check back after tonight's premiere to let us know what you thought.
Season four of SUPERMAN & LOIS picks up right where last season left off: with Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and Luthor’s monster locked in a ferocious, moon-wrecking battle, as Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) fights for his life against the seemingly unstoppable creature. Back on the ground, General Lane (guest star Dylan Walsh) struggles to stay alive after being kidnapped by Luthor’s henchmen, while Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch), Jordan (Alex Garfin), and Jonathan (Michael Bishop) race against time to rescue him.
But standing in their way is Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) himself, who has permanently moved to Smallville as the next step in his malicious plan to destroy Lois Lane. Meanwhile, Lana Lang (guest star Emanuelle Chriqui) uses her position as Mayor to fight back against Luthor’s schemes, a move which puts her in the sights of the most dangerous man in the world and threatens everything she holds dear. This includes her relationship with John Henry Irons (guest star Wolé Parks), who must put his Ironworks plans on hold and rejoin the DOD, now that General Lane is missing. But they aren’t the only duo in trouble, as Chrissy Beppo (guest star Sofia Hasmik) and Kyle Cushing (guest star Eric Valdez) face an uphill battle of their own, with countless roadblocks that threaten to ruin their future together.
Amid all the chaos, Sarah Cortez (guest star Inde Navarette) and Natalie Irons (guest star Tayler Buck) also join the fight against Luthor, while both facing impossible decisions about their paths in life. And as Clark’s battle with the terrifying monster continues, Lois, her boys, and the world must face an unthinkable possibility: what if Superman never returns?