CW Cancels Fan-Favorite Series After One Season
Another one bites the dust.
The creative carnage at The CW continues. After whittling down the Arrowverse and purging itself of a bunch of its other programming, The CW has now targeted the expanded universe of Nancy Drew. After only six episodes, Tom Swift has gotten the axe.
The news comes from Deadline, who says Tom Swift gets this bad news after only a month on the air — having premiered May 31. Deadline says the Powers That Be are happy with the series “creatively,” but that the decision comes down to hard numbers. The series is reportedly — in terms of both linear viewing and streaming — one of the least watched programs on the network.
Tian Richards debuted last year as the brilliant billionaire and inventor Tom Swift in the Nancy Drew season 2 episode “The Celestial Visitor.” The rest of the mostly Black cast was recruited later for Swift’s home series. The rest of the regular cast includes Riverdale alum Ashleigh Murray as Tom’s best friend and cousin Zenzi, Marquise Vilson (Blindspot) as Tom’s bodyguard Isaac, Albert Mwangi (Bump) as the mysterious Rowan, and April Parker Jones (Jericho) as Tom’s mother Lorraine. In recurring roles are LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as the voice of Tom’s helpful AI Barclay, Brittney Ishibashi (Runaways) as Tom’s business rival Claire Cormier, Ward Horton (Annabelle) as congressman Nathan Eskol, and Donovin Miller (Rooney’s Last Roll) as Tom’s adoptive brother Lino.
In spite of joining the growing list of CW cancellations, this may not be the end for Tom Swift. Deadline says CBS Studios is doing what it can to extend the cast members’ options and shop the series around to find a new home. If successful, that will mean Tom Swift and the series it spun out of will be in different TV zip codes. As reported by US Magazine and others, Nancy Drew has proven to be one of the survivors of The CW — the mystery drama was renewed for a fourth season in March.
Tom Swift is just the latest of the series to fall victim of cancellation at The CW. Half of the network’s remaining DC Comics “Arrowverse” shows — Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Naomi — had the axe fall in May, as reported by The Direct. Now The Flash, Stargirl, and Superman & Lois are all that remains of CW series based on DC’s heroes. That month we also learned that Riverdale‘s seventh season would be its last. Likewise Charmed, The 4400, In the Dark, Dynasty, and Roswell, New Mexico were cancelled in May. The network had already begun hacking away at its series before this year, including cancelling The Republic of Sarah in September.
Deadline notes that the cancellation of Tom Swift comes just as Nexstar Media Group is making an attempt to purchase the majority share of the struggling network. It’s predicted that Nexstar will ultimately have a 75% share of The CW; leaving Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global with 12.5% each. Some believe Nexstar plans to use the network to deliver more “wholesome” programming, whatever that means.
