A new report about The CW’s television series just revealed which DC series is the cheapest.
This news follows a literal cancellation purge of DC dramas, such as Batwoman, The Flash, and Stargirl, and amidst ever-growing uncertainty for Superman & Lois and the network’s latest DC series, Gotham Knights.
The CW’s Least-Expensive DC Series
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gotham Knights is the cheapest DC series to ever air on The CW.
The show premiered on March 14 and follows Bruce Wayne’s adopted son and the Joker’s daughter, along with a team of teenage fugitives, as they become Gotham’s new heroes.
The show was met with negative reviews and an 18% critic approval score on Rotten Tomatoes upon its debut.
While the report didn’t share Gotham Knights‘ budget, in contrast, Superman & Lois Season 3 boasted a budget of $5 million per episode.
Meanwhile, Season 1 of the superhero family drama had a reported total budget of around $95 million, meaning its per-episode budget hovered around $6.3 million.
While that budget is higher than its current season’s price tag, Superman & Lois‘ first season featured more episodes.
For a better idea of just where Gotham Knights‘ budget could be, Supergirl‘s pilot cost $14 million with a Season 1 per-episode budget of $3 million.
Still, it’s worth noting that, at the time, Supergirl was airing on CBS as it didn’t air on The CW until Season 2.
Is Gotham Knights’ Low Budget Beneficial?
The fact that Gotham Knights is both The CW’s newest and cheapest series is further evidence of the network moving away from both scripted and DC content.
While it’s true that the Gotham City-centric series and Superman & Lois haven’t been canceled, reports claim The CW is only expected to renew one of the two.
While the obvious choice is Superman & Lois given its larger audience and better reception, Gotham Knights‘ slim budget actually works in its favor, especially if the network needs a filler series for next year’s lineup as it continues to reinvent itself.
DC storytelling may be coming to an end on The CW, but for now, the story of which drama will be the last DC series standing continues.
New episodes of Gotham Knights premiere on The CW every Tuesday.
