Throughout 2023, various changes have been made to the CW, including new emphasis on airing cheaper shows. This has led to popular CW shows, such as Nancy Drew, being canceled. For shows that have been renewed, adaptations are being made to make them fit into CW’s new budget plans. According to Deadline, the CW has downsized the number of writers working on the fourth season of Superman & Lois and the third season of All American: Homecoming.
As Deadline notes, Superman & Lois originally had eight writers, but now will be downsizing to five writers. In addition to this change, previous changes include lowering the number of episodes from the usual thirteen per season to ten as well as cutting cast members.
One of the cut writers of Superman & Lois, Adam Mallinger (Booth Girls, Blood & Treasure), announced his departure on X/Twitter. He stated, “Disappointing news – due to budget cuts, I won’t be returning on staff at SUPERMAN & LOIS for season 4. I debated saying anything, but I’ve tweeted my way into literally every TV job I’ve had, so it seemed prudent to announce I’m available for staffing.” His post can be viewed below.
In another X/Twitter post, which can be viewed below, he continued, “Obviously this isn’t what I was hoping for, but after the cuts to cast and episode order, it’s no surprise either. My showrunners were in a difficult spot and I want to be clear they’ve handled it the best they could. Making TV is hard sometimes.”
For All American: Homecoming, the CW has cut two writers, which downsizes the writing room from nine to seven writers. Similar to Superman & Lois, there have also been changes made to the amount of episodes as well as cast members.
As Deadline notes, two series regulars will not be returning. Peyton Alex Smith (Legacies, The Quad) will not be returning for his role as Damon Sims, and Kelly Jenrette (Grandfathered, Jinn) will not be returning for her role as Amara Patterson. Additionally, in season two of the series, there were fifteen episodes. This amount has been cut to thirteen for season three.