Classic Marvel show makes unexpected streaming comeback on The CW

There is an abundance of television shows devoted to some of the most iconic Marvel Comics characters out there. That's in no small part thanks to the Disney Plus streaming service, which Marvel Studios produces shows and specials for, almost all of which are set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, prior to the service's conception, there were still Marvel TV shows all over the place. Some were airing on ABC, some were available on Netflix, and others were streaming on Hulu. They weren't all necessarily connected to the MCU franchise, but it was a fulfilling time for fans of the source material to see so many of their favorite characters come to life. The only bad thing about that era was how abruptly it all ended, with many of these beloved shows taken down too soon.

If you're eager to revisit some of them, you'll be able to find most of them on Disney Plus. However, one year after one of them was shockingly removed from the service, it now has a new streaming home.

Runaways is now available to stream on The CW App

Marvel's Runaways is now available to stream on both The CW App and CWTV. This marks the first time it is available to stream online after it was rather surprisingly removed from Disney Plus last year as part of a cost-cutting measure. Looks like they found it a new home.

All three seasons are there to stream right away, and honestly it feels like a perfect fit for The CW demographic. The network's new owners Nexstar have spoken about how they're trying to find The CW a new audience, but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to appeal to its classic young adult fanbase by featuring the Marvel show that would probably be most at home on the streaming service. And building out the streaming service has been one of Nexstar's priorities.

The show ran for three seasons between 2017 and 2019, with the first releasing new episodes on Hulu weekly while the second and third dropped them all at once. At the time, it was supposed to be set in the MCU, but since it was from the Marvel Television era and wasn't produced by Marvel Studios, there is a lot of discussion about whether it (and the rest of the Marvel TV era shows) actually shares continuity with the films and TV shows in that franchise.

After it ended, it lived on for new audiences to find on both Hulu and Disney Plus before it was removed from them in 2023 as part of that aforementioned cost-cutting measure. Its comeback on The CW's streaming platform is the first time that it has been available to stream (outside of VOD services) since.

The CW App is the right streaming home for Runaways for now

While the idea of a Marvel TV series being on The CW might sound a bit eyebrow-raising at first, Runaways is actually right at home on the network, at least for now. In The CW's 18-year-existence, it has had two eras; one of which was defined by teen dramas, and the other which was defined by superhero shows. Runaways fits into both of those brackets, making it the perfect fit for the network's streaming service.

Over the past decade, The CW has become the premier home for superhero shows on network TV due to its DC TV programming. Smallville led the charge for a whole decade before Arrow launched the Arrowverse, with both it and offshoots The Flash, Supergirl, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Black Lightning, DC's Stargirl and Superman and Lois dominating the next decade.

New owners Nexstar are unfortunately moving away from the network's pre-established fanbases, meaning less teen dramas and less superhero shows. That makes Runaways' arrival on the streamer now a little peculiar, but the marketing does make sense given The CW's penchant for teen and superhero shows. It also wouldn't cost them as much to host the content as it would to produce a new season, which likely isn't going to happen no matter how popular it proves to be for The CW App or the streaming service.

The best thing about all of this is that it means Runaways is now easier to watch for audiences interested in checking it out. The show never got a physical media release, which made it difficult to obtain for those who didn't use VOD services. The CW has now provided fans with a streaming home for the show, and that's a good thing.