The CW’s “Nancy Drew” spin-off “Tom Swift” has been canceled at the network after one season. The CBS Studios show, which premiered May 31, will finish its Season 1 run but will not be returning to the broadcast network, TheWrap has confirmed.
While the cancellation comes amid poor viewership numbers and is one of the network’s lowest-rated series on linear and digital, “Tom Swift” is the latest in a long line of shows to be axed by the network, which canceled such programs like the popular “Legacies,” “Batwoman” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”
The wave of cancellations comes amid the CW’s looming sale as parent companies Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to divest from the joint venture and focus on bringing their best series in-house to their respective streaming services nationally and internationally. CEO Mark Pedowitz said in a conference call with reporters in May that “none of these were easy decisions. We have long conversations about studios and parent companies, and everyone recognized that this was a time of transition for The CW. So, unfortunately, some difficult financial and strategic decisions needed to be made at every level,” adding that none of the choices were made as a result of content.
“Tom Swift” follows its titular character — an exceedingly wealthy, charismatic investor (played by Tian Richards) and the first Black queer male lead on network TV — as he attempts to unravel the myriad conspiracies surrounding the shocking disappearance of his father. The character was first introduced last year on “Nancy Drew,” which was one of the few shows renewed by The CW this year. The Black-led series also stars “Riverdale’s” Ashleigh Murray, LeVar Burton, April Parker Jones, Marquise Vilson and Christopher B. Duncan.
Fake Empire co-produces the series alongside CBS Studios. “Nancy Drew’s” Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau created the series with Cameron Johnson (“Empire”), who also executive produce alongside Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Lis Rowinski.
Deadline first broke the news of the cancellation.
