Why Supergirl was cancelled – and the chances of a season 7 (2024)

Supergirl season 6 spoilers follow.

Supergirl has always been so much more than just Superman's cousin. Ever since she first fell to earth in her 1959 comic book debut, Kara has inspired countless fans who long to see themselves represented in the stories they love. And in 2015, Supergirl reached an even wider audience with the arrival of her very own network show, the first female-led story of its kind since Lynda Carter's run on Wonder Woman came to an end 36 years earlier.

Across the six seasons that followed, Supergirl widened its scope to reflect not just the women who look like Kara, but also women from a much wider range of ethnicities, including fan-favourites like Maggie Sawyer, Miss Martian, and of course, our brand new Guardian, Kelly Olsen.

Along the way, Supergirl also introduced LGBTQ+ characters like Kara's own sister, Alex Danvers, and even went on to make history with the arrival of Nia Nal, TV's very first trans superhero.

With the end of Supergirl comes the end of all these inspiring characters and the many stories they still had left to tell. Melissa Benoist is well aware of this, telling fans after the cancellation was announced that playing Kara inspired her on a personal level too:

"To say it has been an honour portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement," Melissa shared on Instagram. "Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled and speechless.

"She's had that impact on me, too," Benoist continued. "She's taught me strength I didn't know I had, to find hope in the darkest of places, and that we are stronger when we're united. What she stands for pushes all of us to be better. She has changed my life for the better, and I'm forever grateful."

So why is Supergirl coming to an end after just six seasons? While no official reason has been given, Deadline shed some light on the cancellation when it was initially announced in 2020.

Delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic played a role, as they did with many other shows as well, and falling ratings were also cited as a key factor here: "I hear the producers, the studio, the network and Benoist came to a decision that it was better to end the show with a longer final season," says Deadline's Nellie Andreeva.

That certainly tracks, because unfortunately, the numbers speak for themselves. At its peak on The CW, each episode of Supergirl usually averaged out with around three million viewers. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, this figure was almost halved by season five where individual episodes were only managing to draw 1.6 million viewers each week.

Multiple factors likely contributed to this downward trend, including those aforementioned delays and also Arrowverse fatigue, not to mention the noticeable dip in quality, at least, compared to the highs of earlier seasons. But that doesn't mean Supergirl deserved to be axed so soon still.

Yes, Supergirl's fifth season was a mixed bag, but the final run of episodes have included some genuine highlights, such as Kelly's "Blind Spots" story, Alex's gay adoption arc, and of course, that giant magical cat.

Call us cynical, yet we can't help but notice that the Arrowverse's most prominent female-led show was cut short a lot earlier than its male counterparts... Arrow survived for eight whole seasons and The Flash is limping into its own eighth season shortly, despite it now being perhaps the weakest show across the entire Arrowverse roster.

As much as we'd love Kara to fly around the Earth and reverse time to undo this cancellation, the chances of Supergirl returning for a seventh season are very small indeed. However, that doesn't mean Melissa Benoist has retired the cape completely.

Just recently, the Supergirl star told EW that she's "not opposed to putting on the suit again", before adding "I know there probably will be opportunities" to do exactly that.

"I love playing with Grant Gustin [The Flash]. I love Tyler Hoechlin [Superman] and Bitsie Tulloch [Lois Lane] on , so no, I'm not opposed to it," she continued. There is one caveat though. "It would have to feel right for the character," says Melissa, although she admits that "they would probably do it justice".

So even if Supergirl season seven isn't on the cards, it looks like Kara will hopefully soar back onto our screens at least one more time, if not more, in the near future. And even if most of this show's other wonderful characters don't return with her, we're still holding out hope for a #Supercorp-style romance one day between Kara and Lena Luthor.

Just imagine how many more fans that could inspire, even if Supergirl the show is no longer with us.

Supergirl airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW in the US. Sky Max and NOW air the show in the UK.