Superman and Lois has been a huge hit for The CW since its premiere in 2021. The DC TV series was spun out of the network’s Arrowverse and achieved major levels of success, both for the network domestically and for Warner Bros. around the world. Starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as its title characters, it follows Clark Kent and Lois Lane as they balance heroism with parenting, saving the world and looking after their family in Smallville at the same time.
The show’s third season concluded in summer 2023 and a fourth season is indeed in development. It was renewed for season 4 by The CW after months of uncertainty surrounding its fate. The network’s new owners Nexstar wanted cheaper programming and Superman and Lois‘ hefty price tag put it at risk. Thankfully, its popularity (and Warner Bros.’ commitment to keep it on air) saw it through.
There will be some changes to Superman and Lois, however. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about the upcoming season thus far.
Superman and Lois season 4 will be the last season
After months of speculation about the future of Superman and Lois, it was announced in October 2023 that the show’s upcoming fourth season will be its last. It was the news that CW fans didn’t want to hear and yet weren’t totally shocked about, as the network’s trend towards cheaper, acquired content had raised concerns about the future of the show because of how expensive it was.
The fact that it got a fourth season was lucky (which is kind of a ridiculous thing to say given that it’s the network’s joint-most-watched show) but that came with some significant budget cuts. Yes, that’s unfortunate, but now that we know season 4 is the final season, we’re just happy that the show will get to end on its own terms.
Showrunners Todd Helbing and Brent Fletcher said in a statement:
"While we’re sad to say goodbye to Superman & Lois at the end of season 4, we’re grateful for the time we’ve had with our amazing cast, crew, vfx teams, editors, musical geniuses, and writers… Since the day this show was first discussed, it was about family. And that’s what was created — on and off screen."
It will be the end of an era when Superman and Lois comes to an end, but we’re excited to see how the story of the Kent-Lane-Irons family comes to a close.
The fourth season is expected to arrive in mid-late 2024
Superman and Lois season 4 will premiere on The CW sometime this year but a more specific release date has yet to be announced. The CW announced its fall 2023 schedule before officially renewing the series for a fourth season, so it was always destined to air in the spring (which lines up as it has always premiered in the spring/summer season).
That said, it could be much later than expected due to the impact of the WGA and SAG strikes in Hollywood. The strikes have since ended, allowing the writers room to start up again and production to commence, although staff writer Adam Mallinger has revealed that he unfortunately won’t be returning due to budget cuts.
Nexstar CEO Perry Sook acknowledged the strikes’ impact on The CW’s four remaining original shows Superman and Lois, Walker, All American, and All American: Homecoming, commenting:
"“The farther the strike goes on, they get pushed further and further into 2024”."
A recent report from The Hollywood Reporter reinforces this, revealing that the other three shows will likely return to screens in April, while Superman and Lois‘ return will likely be held until later (perhaps summer or even fall 2024) due to special effects work that will need to take place.
Release prediction: Summer 2024
Superman and Lois' final season has started filming
Superman and Lois officially commenced production on its fourth and final season on January 11, 2024. That means that filming has been underway for almost a whole month now. It will continue through the remaining weeks of Winter and into Spring, with production reportedly expected to wrap on or around April 22.
Bitsie Tulloch took to social media to share the exciting updates with fans throughout the first week, posting a snapshot of herself and Tyler Hoechlin on-set as Clark and Lois, as well as one with Michael Bishop and Alex Garfin (who play Jonathan and Jordan Kent on the show). Oh it's so exciting to see the Kents back in action!
Speaking of production, Hollywood North Buzz previously reported that the exterior Kent Farm House set has been demolished. This does indeed seem to be the case as some recent shots from filming have surfaced and it appears that a new version of the farm house has been constructed on a sound stage. That means we'll still have the porch scenes, but we should prepare for them to be less picturesque and aesthetically-pleasing. It's also just one of the examples of how the budget cuts will impact the final season.
Taking its tentative April wrap date into account, it’s unlikely that Superman and Lois season 4 will begin airing on The CW until May at the earliest, so that they have as many episodes as possible ready for broadcasting. If you remember, the first two seasons of the show struggled to have any kind of consistent airing patterns due to production shutdowns. Its third season had a relatively smooth run, so it’s likely that the network would be eager to recreate that and avoid any potential issues by airing it too early into production.
Cast
Superman and Lois was renewed for a fourth season by The CW on some major conditions. One of those conditions meant a significant reduction in the main cast.
Deadline subsequently confirmed that seven of the show’s series regulars would be affected, with Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana Lang), Dylan Walsh (Sam Lane), Wolé Parks (John Henry Irons), Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons), Erik Valdez (Kyle Cushing), Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cushing), and Sofia Hasmik (Chrissy Beppo) all departing as series regulars. The good news is that the majority of them have been confirmed to be returning in a recurring or guest capacity, with most hopefully appearing in at least three episodes of the season.
The other major cast change is that Michael Cudlitz, who guest-starred in the last two episodes of season 3 as Lex Luthor, will join the cast full-time, bringing the overall cast for season 4 to five cast members.
Here are the confirmed series regular cast members for Superman and Lois season 4:
- Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent / Superman
- Elizabeth “Bitsie” Tulloch as Lois Lane
- Alex Garfin as Jordan Kent
- Michael Bishop as Jonathan Kent
- Michael Cudlitz as Lex Luthor
Erik Valdez has confirmed that he will be returning to set imminently to play Kyle. Inde Navarrette will also return as his daughter Sarah, while Emmanuelle Chriqui has confirmes via a comment on an Instagram post that she too will be back as town mayor Lana Lang.
Tayler Buck has seemingly confirmed her return as Natalie Irons on social media, while Wolé Parks is also expected back in some capacity as her father John Henry. Sofia Hasmik also appeared to confirm that she will be back too during an interview with Screen Rant at the Saturn Awards, teasing a "beautiful" final season.
As for General Lane...
Dylan Walsh will return to Superman and Lois for two episodes
General Sam Lane will be back for two more episodes of Superman and Lois. There was initial doubt about whether he would reprise his role as Lois' father, but it has since been confirmed that he will return for the character's send-off.
The hope of his return came after a report from Be More Super suggested he had signed on to reprise his role after all, before Walsh's wife, Leslie Borque-Walsh, confirmed that he would appear in two episodes, describing them as a "doozy" while also adding that the actor was excited about Sam's final appearances on the show.
Alex Garfin and Dylan Walsh back on set of SUPERMAN AND LOIS season 4.
— Bam Smack Pow (@BamSmackPow) February 6, 2024
[source: leslieborquewalsh/IG] pic.twitter.com/faOW4fk6Xs
The veteran performer was one of the seven main cast members that were cut from the show, and it initially appeared as if he has not opted to return in a recurring or guest capacity. Walsh’s wife Leslie had previously suggested that he was done with the show in a social media post and would not be reprising his role in any capacity in season 4, but her more recent post confirms that he changed his mind.
It would certainly have been a shame if he didn't return as Sam Lane is a big part of the show, and the beloved character’s life hung in the balance the last time we saw him in the season 3 finale, so what would Walsh’s potential departure have meant for the character?
Thankfully, we won't have to worry about that after all as we now know the general will return in the final season. We don't know how the series will write him off, but it wouldn't have been right for him to have "left" off-screen and Lois certainly doesn't need to go through anymore trauma.
There are "deaths" involved in the "epic" final season
As for what fans can expect from the final season of Superman and Lois, it sounds like it's going to be a big one! Bitsie Tulloch spoke to Mama's Geeky on the red carpet at the Saturn Awards and revealed that there would be "deaths involved" in the final season, adding that it's very "high stakes".
""There are deaths involved. It’s very epic. We’re going out with a bang. In the end, there are actually very, very high stakes.""
Deaths are a recurring part of superhero shows and Superman and Lois is no stranger to that, kicking off its own series premiere with the death of Martha Kent, while also killing off two of the DEO's young super soldiers, Bizarro, and Lieutenant Anderson. But who could the deaths in season 4 be?
Of course, Superman feels like an obvious choice because the last time we saw him, he was battling Doomsday on the moon; the very same Doomsday that killed him in both the comics and the DC Extended Universe. But it's pretty clear that the show won't be killing off the Man of Steel early into the season and it's pretty unlikely that a show driven by hope and family like this one would bow out on such a sad note.
The former regular characters might be the most at risk as we know they'll only be featuring in 2-3 episodes. Could the show explain their absences by killing some of them off? We hope not! However, Sam Lane might be in the most precarious spot here as it seems he will be in the least amount of episodes going forward, and how do the writers explain him leaving his family when dangers like Lex Luthor and Doomsday are lurking?
Superman and Lois is a very cinematic show and we have no doubt that its final season will be every bit as epic as Lois Lane herself, Bitsie Tulloch, said it will be. We just need all of our beloved characters to make it out of the season alive!
How many episodes will be in Superman and Lois season 4?
Superman and Lois season 4 will consist of 10 episodes. That means season 4 will be five episodes shorter than the first two seasons and three episodes shorter than season 3.
This is yet another result of Nexstar’s attempt to produce cheaper programming. Superman and Lois‘ renewal hinged on it carrying a smaller price tag, and unfortunately less episodes was an easy way to make that happen.
Nevertheless, if there is one series capable of feeling like event television in a smaller season, it’s this one. We have every faith that the show will be equally stunning even with the changes.
For more news and updates on Superman and Lois season 4, listen to The CW Spiral Podcast. Subscribe to their YouTube Channel here.