Black Lightning season 5: Why isn’t it happening at The CW?

Following tonight’s finale, we wouldn’t be shocked if you had some questions about Black Lightning season 5. Why aren’t we getting it? Why did tonight have to be the end of the road?

It’s hard to say goodbye to any show and yet, it’s especially hard when you know that there could’ve been more in the tank. We don’t think that Black Lightning was destined to be the sort of show that lasted ten seasons. Yet, it would’ve been nice to see it stick around for at least one more.

When you look at the numbers over the past few years, though, you can understand why The CW chose to end it. The ratings for season 4 were down significantly versus season 3, and those were down significantly versus season 2. The show got off to a hot start, but couldn’t keep many of its viewers year after year. It’s possible that it generated some good performance via its DVR and streaming numbers, but not enough to keep it around long-term. The unfortunate news is that with The CW not moving forward with the spin-off planned around Painkiller (that news was announced earlier today), tonight really is the end of this world for the time being. You never want to say that a show is gone forever, but spreading false hope isn’t a fun thing to do.

So as of right now, the way we’re looking at things is simple: We just have to be grateful for what we have. Four seasons is a lot longer than many shows go these days. Also, at least The CW gave the writers enough warning so that they could wrap the story up as they see fit. That’s something that this network has been particularly good at over the years, and it’s also how they’ve been able to build up loyalty.

There’s one other thing that we’re grateful for: At least Black Lightning got be a part of Crisis on Infinite Earths, right?

Are you sad that a Black Lightning season 5 is not happening at The CW?

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