‘Painkiller’ Series Not Picked Up By The CW

May 25, 2021

Fans of Black Lightning are definitely having a tough week.  The series aired it's final episode on Monday, but there was supposed to be something new to look forward to.  Unfortunately, now that has ended before it even started.  Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that the Painkiller spinoff series will not be picked up by The CW.

This now marks the second DC spinoff series that the network has passed on in the last year.  As I said when I reviewed the backdoor pilot for Painkiller, the series showed real promise and Jordan Calloway is certainly a star in the making.  Speaking of Calloway, he took to social media to react the news:

While clearly disappointed, Calloway was very thankful to the fans and for the opportunity.  It feels like this is a series that should have at least been given the opportunity for a single season.  Perhaps even a shorter season like what we saw with DC's Stargirl.  It only begs the question:  What will take it's place?

The CW recently announced that they were adding even more original programming and expanding to a full weekly schedule.  It seems like that would mean looking for even more programming.  That still might be the case, but maybe not DC programming.  I won't get into that now, but I'll be discussing it in Episode 369 of the podcast later this week.

Rumors are already swirling that Painkiller could possibly find a home at HBO Max.  After watching Calloway's video, that seems unlikely.  That doesn't mean that all hope is lost, or that the character will never appear again, but the chapter seems to be closed at least for now.

So, what does the future hold for The CW?  That is an answer that I will be keeping a very close eye on in the coming months.  Until then, let's enjoy the shows that we have while they last.

Photo Credit:  Kyle Kaplan/The CW