Question: The CW is going all-out on promotion for Superman & Lois. From the trailer, it looks to have a larger budget and more cinematic style than other Arrowverse series. Tyler Hoechlin is also a very charismatic lead and I think that he can carry the show to great heights. Now, we all know that TV ratings aren’t what they used to be. But do you think that Superman & Lois could be a breakout hit for The CW? —Eli
Matt Roush: Out of curiosity, I looked back to see how Smallville did for the still-lamented WB Network, and was stunned to see that it averaged 6 million-7 million viewers in its first seasons in the early 2000s, when that was seen as a generally low number, though not anymore. (It later came down to earth with a 2-3 million average for its later seasons, reflecting the overall slippage for broadcast network viewing). If Superman & Lois could reach those heights, it would be an enormous top-10 hit given today’s standards, but that’s highly unlikely. The best we should hope for is that it will rank in the top tier of CW shows, like Walker has done. I expect this will get a solid tune-in given the appeal of its title, its legend and its casting — I’ll be watching the pilot soon and I’m looking forward to it — but if it gets too tangled in some CW “verse” where it can’t stand on its own as a series, that would probably inhibit it from being the breakout you’re hoping for.
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