The CW unveiled the latest chapter of its ever-expanding DC slate of programming this past Tuesday in Superman & Lois, an Arrowverse spinoff featuring Supergirl’s Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch in the title roles as the iconic comic book duo.
The hour-long pilot pulled a 0.4 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and 1.71 million viewers in total, with the subsequent second episode scoring a 0.3 and 1.28 million viewers.
While not enjoying the same kind of ratings that the Arrowverse was pulling in a few years back, Superman & Lois delivered solid numbers for The CW, giving the network its highest rating for one of its DC episodes since the Crisis on Infinite Earths episode of The Flash in December 2019.
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However, while that marked a two-year high in the timeslot for The CW, it’s also worth noting that this marks the lowest numbers for a DC series debut on the network, down on Batwoman’s 1.86 million viewers (Stargirl did score less – 1.224 million viewers – but had already premiered the previous day on DC Universe).
In SUPERMAN & LOIS, after years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, the world’s most famous superhero, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin, “Teen Wolf”) and comic books’ most famous journalist, Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch, “Grimm”), come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever – dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society. Complicating the already daunting job of raising two boys, Clark and Lois must also concern themselves with whether or not their sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, “Little Fires Everywhere”) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin, “The Peanuts Movie”) could inherit their father’s Kryptonian superpowers as they grow older.
Returning to Smallville to handle some Kent family business, Clark and Lois are reacquainted with Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui, “Entourage”), a local loan officer who also happens to be Clark’s first love, and her Fire Chief husband Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez, “Graceland”). The adults aren’t the only ones rediscovering old friendships in Smallville as the Kent sons are reacquainted with Lana and Kyle’s rebellious daughter, Sarah (Inde Navarrette, “Wander Darkly”). Of course, there’s never a dull moment in the life of a superhero, especially with Lois’ father, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh, “Nip/Tuck”) looking for Superman to vanquish a villain or save the day at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois’ return to idyllic Smallville is set to be upended when a mysterious stranger (Wolé Parks, “All American”) enters their lives.
Superman & Lois airs on Tuesdays on The CW.
