#Supergirl--Airing ??? The Bets Start Here

[FallOutDweller]

Start your slot machines, set your coins, hope for the best. What do you people think it might happen in the next few months ?

[Visitor]

CBA needs something else besides sitcoms and procedurals with some of their shows ending. However they will move it to get better ratings against something different.

[Richpartist]

My 2 bits go to the "IF THE NEXT SEASON IS ANYTHING LIKE THE FIRST WHO CARES" option

[FallOutDweller]

It makes me wonder : "If the ratings for season one are not that bad at all for a reasonable critical acclaimed tv series why they are delaying the renew announcement for so long ?"

[DrDominator9]

It makes me wonder : "If the ratings for season one are not that bad at all for a reasonable critical acclaimed tv series why they are delaying the renew announcement for so long ?"

I know. I'm getting a bit nervous.

[Heroine Addict]

Negotiations, probably. CBS can't look too enthusiastic when they're trying to get the best deal.

[4havokk]

I hear that the ratings are not high enough to justify the cost of making it. Arrow for example has so so but stable ratings but cost less to shoot per episode. Same with the Flash series. Both run about 7 or 8 million per episode, (cost comfort zone for the ratings they get) SG runs about 12 million plus per episode and the ratings are considered too inconsistent and kind of on the low end.

[Heroine Addict]

If it's a matter of cost-cutting, David Harewood and Calista Flockhart are probably the most expensive members of the supporting cast. A shape-shifter and a CEO would be the easiest characters to recast/replace too.

Another option could be WB sharing the production costs in exchange for retaining streaming rights. Hannibal survived for three seasons with low ratings on NBC because Gaumont and AXN were paying most of the production costs and just sold the TV broadcast rights. So it was a way for NBC to show expensive content on the cheap.

[DrDominator9]

Cat Grant is too important a character to lose but they could lose the Martian if they had to.

It's hard to fathom they spend 12 million an episode on that show. (that's a lot of craft service. Does Melissa eat caviar for lunch?)

No wonder shows like The Voice are popular with the networks, they're cheap to produce by comparison.

[Heroine Addict]

Of course, shows like The Voice have very little resale or rerun value after a year. So it's short-sighted to produce content with little or no shelf life.

But then WB gets the long-term benefit of Supergirl anyway. So I guess that's why CBS is renewing its own shows (investing in its own future) while dragging its heels over Supergirl.

There's also a possible conflict of interests with WB producing Krypton for SyFy, which is apparently a prequel set in the DC cinematic universe. Two shows with very different versions of Kryptonian culture and the House of El could be confusing for casual viewers, even though Supergirl has acknowledged the multiverse concept.

[Visitor]

CBS does have z history going back to the 1970s of canceling highly rated shows. But forcing the producers to cut costs could be one reason. They already paid for the costs of the main sets.

[Heroine Addict]

Lesson from history: If the network cancels, DON'T DEMOLISH THE SETS!

http://thefw.com/nbc-wanted-batman-fact/

[FallOutDweller]

Lesson from history: If the network cancels, DON'T DEMOLISH THE SETS!

http://thefw.com/nbc-wanted-batman-fact/

Do you mean CBS has an Earthquake Machine at their disposal just in case they feel the need to wrapped up whatever city surrounding areas they are renting for the show and start all over again in a convenient post apocalyptic scenario of chaos and destruction ? Make me wish the Mighty Hypnotic could use something like that instead the usual Hypnotic Bubble Gun Ray Machine.

[Heroine Addict]

Only a few minutes of each episode are shot on location. The standing set for the DEO base is huge and the CatCo offices are pretty large. Plus there are various spacecraft, parts of Krypton, Kara's apartment and greenscreen sets. Probably somewhere in the region of 90% of the show is shot in the studio.

[bushwackerbob]

The problem with Supergirl on CBS is that it is an island unto itself, that there is nothing on CBS even remotely similar to Supergirl. If one wants to watch a superhero show, they go to CW. It reminds me of a great show I watched in the nineties on ABC called " My So Called Life", a great drama about a group of teens. The problem was that there was nothing else like it on the ABC schedule that they could pair it with, and I think that if there is not a great deal of flow among other shows on your network, I imagine it becomes easier for network honchos to cancel a show that might not fit in with their other programs, especially if the show's ratings are meager.

[heroinefan429]

http://www.thewrap.com/supergirl-renewa ... exclusive/

[shevek]

Agreed: Supergirl should move to CW, cut the budget, and go back to back with either Flash on Tue or Arrow on Wed. (Thu already has Legends and The 100 back to back which is too winning to mess with).

[Abductorenmadrid]

Well it is sad to see the show go this way - a tiny part of me would rather cancel than have the show suffer from budget cuts - potentially losing some quality cast members or the polished looks the show has now. Or is this the reason Kara gets thrust into into a windowless office? No backdrops, no surrounding Catco staff etc LOL.

I have enjoyed the show so far and it would be a shame to not get at least another good series out of it.

AEM

[FallOutDweller]

Oh God! This show is one step closer from became : SuperGirl Season 2 - Tell Don't Show, a minimalistic response for the less than flashy and far more darker Zack Snyder approach or a.k.a. lots of cheap CGI, green screens and stock footage.

[Heroine Addict]

Budget cuts won't be noticeable if they have a little creativity...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEmm6UP5G88

[tallyho]

They skipped it about and missed weeks and then wonder why it doesn't build up a regular audience share.
Knobs.

[Heroine Addict]

I wonder if it would be better served on a streaming service? Amazon Prime saved Ripper Street after the BBC cancelled and they're throwing obscene amounts of cash at the new rival to Top Gear from Clarkson/May/Hammond. Plus they could really use a superhero/ine franchise to rival Netflix's Marvel shows.

[sugarcoater]

Darker Supergirl on Netflix would be amazing!

[jimbobklyn5]

I wonder if it would be better served on a streaming service? Amazon Prime saved Ripper Street after the BBC cancelled and they're throwing obscene amounts of cash at the new rival to Top Gear from Clarkson/May/Hammond. Plus they could really use a superhero/ine franchise to rival Netflix's Marvel shows.

I agree..put Supergirl on Netflix..that would be cool.

[Brad]

If it goes to CW, that might mean less special effects. What with the storytelling being less than stellar, no special effects would make it an automatic "no watch" for me.

[FallOutDweller]

If Supergirl move to Amazon Prime or Netflix free broadcast tv and ratings dependency will be good as dead.

God Bless the Internet !

[five_red]

I hear that the ratings are not high enough to justify the cost of making it. Arrow for example has so so but stable ratings but cost less to shoot per episode. Same with the Flash series. Both run about 7 or 8 million per episode, (cost comfort zone for the ratings they get) SG runs about 12 million plus per episode and the ratings are considered too inconsistent and kind of on the low end.

The pilot allegedly cost $12m, but it had to shoulder the startup costs of building the main sets, casting all the regular roles (which takes a lot longer than casting a one-shot guest), designing and making all the regular props and costumes, etc. The cost per-episode after that has been estimated at $3m. The Flash is estimated to cost $1.5m -- $ 2m per episode. These are guestimates from industry commentators, as the exact figures are confidential as part of the CBS / WB deal.

Although the sets are built, there's a certain on-going cost to holding on to several large soundstages -- like any large business there's likely an internal economy that sees WB shows get billed by other parts of WB for services and facilities, including renting the large stages at the studio complex in Burbank. I've heard that Supergirl uses 4 or 5 of these stages. So a downsizing of the budget won't just mean less special effects, it may mean that some of the permanent sets (Kara's home, the DEO, CatCo, Noonan's Cafe...) have to go too.


R5

[five_red]

The problem with Supergirl on CBS is that it is an island unto itself, that there is nothing on CBS even remotely similar to Supergirl. If one wants to watch a superhero show, they go to CW. It reminds me of a great show I watched in the nineties on ABC called " My So Called Life", a great drama about a group of teens. The problem was that there was nothing else like it on the ABC schedule that they could pair it with, and I think that if there is not a great deal of flow among other shows on your network, I imagine it becomes easier for network honchos to cancel a show that might not fit in with their other programs, especially if the show's ratings are meager.

The reverse may be true. The problem with CBS is that their demographic is skewed heavily towards the older viewer, and the problem with the older viewer is that they have a habit of dying.

If the network is to survive beyond the 2020s, it need to starts pitching towards a newer generation of viewers, and Supergirl was seen from the start by commentators as the network's opening move in a long term plan to broaden its audience demographic. Although Supergirl's ratings overall aren't stellar, they are strongest in the 18-49 range, which is the demo that CBS wants (and needs!) to attract. So Supergirl is deliberately at odds with the network's current programming, because it represents a gamble on the future -- but the problem Supergirl has is that it's a very expensive gamble.


R5

[ksire_99]

I hear that the ratings are not high enough to justify the cost of making it. Arrow for example has so so but stable ratings but cost less to shoot per episode. Same with the Flash series. Both run about 7 or 8 million per episode, (cost comfort zone for the ratings they get) SG runs about 12 million plus per episode and the ratings are considered too inconsistent and kind of on the low end.

The pilot allegedly cost $12m, but it had to shoulder the startup costs of building the main sets, casting all the regular roles (which takes a lot longer than casting a one-shot guest), designing and making all the regular props and costumes, etc. The cost per-episode after that has been estimated at $3m. The Flash is estimated to cost $1.5m -- $ 2m per episode. These are guestimates from industry commentators, as the exact figures are confidential as part of the CBS / WB deal.

Although the sets are built, there's a certain on-going cost to holding on to several large soundstages -- like any large business there's likely an internal economy that sees WB shows get billed by other parts of WB for services and facilities, including renting the large stages at the studio complex in Burbank. I've heard that Supergirl uses 4 or 5 of these stages. So a downsizing of the budget won't just mean less special effects, it may mean that some of the permanent sets (Kara's home, the DEO, CatCo, Noonan's Cafe...) have to go too.


R5

Read on a link from SupergirlTV.com where Warner Bros. were getting $3 mil per episode just for the rights to Supergirl. CBS is negotiating with WB on that "hard cost". Another hard cost is the taxes in So Cal for producing there. CBS tried and was just turned down for a break on those taxes to keep the show in LA. Therefore, if I guess that the following two things will happen as a result:

1) The rumor of the show being moved to Vancover will happen (whether or not it airs on the CW or CBS)
2) There will be a lot less villains from the 'DC' universe, as a result of reducing the rights fees.

My thoughts is this is a Win / Win!

Why? Glad you asked. (voices in my head again)

First: CW which CBS has a vested interest in could help produce the show for CBS (which as stated above wants to try to develop the next generation of viewers) which will lead to MORE CROSSOVER opportunities! (This is true even if SG airs on CW of course)
Second: The writers will have to come up their OC for the bad gal. It would be nice if they had a behind the scenes 'Great Evil' that manipulated and schemed for World Domination or whatever while SG is the thorn in HER side. A thorn which must be removed. BWAHAHAHAHA

If you read all the way to here. Thanks!

[ksire_99]

bump