It was pretty clear for a while now that this was inevitable, but now, it’s official. Surviving DC Universe shows Titans and Doom Patrol have been cancelled ahead of a brand new era for DC under James Gunn and Peter Safran. However, this was not a decision they themselves made, as Gunn took to Twitter to say this was already in the works before he got there:
It’s pretty clear that even before Gunn, DC wanted to consolidate its multiverse offerings, which is why the Arrowverse is about to expire once The Flash wraps, with all its other components cancelled. The only surviving transfer from DC Universe is Harley Quinn, a show that seems pretty safe given its constant renewals and the fact that James Gunn himself was a recurring guest star last season.
In the case of Titans and Doom Patrol specifically, while I understand that fans will mourn their passing, I do have to say I think both series had pretty good runs, and if they do have to end, there are worse ways to go about it. Titans and Doom Patrol will both end with the second half of their fourth seasons, yet to be released, and unlike many series that are just murdered out of nowhere, both series appear like they are going to get legitimate, planned series finales, rather than ending on some sort of cliffhanger for a fifth season that will never come.
Doom Patrol in particular has been one of the highest rated, most beloved comic book shows for a while now due to its utter and unrelenting wackiness. Titans has been a little more mixed, but attracted its own fanbase. Still, it’s not surprising that these shows are winding down, and I would say four years is a pretty solid run for each of them. I think the Arrowverse taught us what can happen when superhero series drastically overstay their welcome.
As for the rest of DC TV, we still have Harley Quinn and Superman and Lois, though I do wonder how long Superman and Lois will last once DC gets a new movie Superman. We also have at least two Matt Reeves Batman projects in the works, and season 2 of Gunn’s Peacemaker. We have yet to hear about Gunn and Safran’s grand DC plans which they said they’d release before the end of the month which is in…five days, so we’ll see. Supposedly the new plan for DC includes interlinked movies, TV shows and video games, which seems pretty ambitious.
I salute Titans and Doom Patrol for not really fitting in but doing great job in their own standalone universes. Curious to see what all those actors do next, and if any of them may filter into the new DC in other places.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/01/26/doom-patrol-and-titans-cancelled-ahead-of-the-new-dc-era/