Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing to clean house, and two major DC Comics live-action series have hit the chopping block: Titans and Doom Patrol, both produced Greg Berlanti and currently in their fourth seasons. According to The Hollywood Reporter, neither will show will be renewed. However, with all the recent major changes to DC Entertainment, THR reports that the shows’ producers expected cancellations and planned the current seasons accordingly.
Although fans will surely be disappointed that both shows are coming to an end, at the very least, it seems the writers had the forethought to pen conclusions that make sense for the characters and stories. Oftentimes when series are cancelled without warning, there’s a sense of incompletion that makes the ending feel bad. In this case, Titans and Doom Patrol might succeed where other shows have been set up to fail.
“While these will be the final seasons of Titans and Doom Patrol, we are very proud of these series and excited for fans to see their climactic endings,” an HBO Max spokesperson told THR. “For four seasons, fans have fallen in love with the Titans and Doom Patrol, investing in their trials and tribulations, and in their legendary battles saving the world time and time again.”
Doom Patrol and Titans both adapted teams, characters, and stories from DC Comics, and both shows were originally part of the DC Universe streaming service, which launched as a hybrid streaming and digital comics hub in 2018. Titans debuted the same year and Doom Patrol spun out of it, debuting in 2019. When HBO Max launched in 2020, the streaming portion of DC Universe was shuttered and all scripted originals were moved to the new platform. The comics portion relaunched as DC Universe Infinite in 2021.
Since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger in 2022, multiple shows have left HBO Max, including the former cash cow Westworld. The streaming service will soon be integrated with Discovery+, which is more focused on science and nature documentaries than fictional series or movies. It’s unclear whether Titans and Doom Patrol will still be available to stream once the series have ended, so fans may want to watch or rewatch now in the event of their total disappearance.
As for how these cancellations will factor into the new DCEU as designed by its new co-CEOs and co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran, our only hope is that these characters won’t be forgotten—especially considering how much of a starring role the Titans are taking in DC Comics stories in 2023.
(featured image: HBO Max)
