Recently, fans of the wildly popular collection of TV shows based on DC comic books, known as the Arrowverse, were devastated to learn that some of their favourite shows had been cancelled by the CW. Of these shows were Batwoman and, even more surprisingly, the fan-favourite Legends of Tomorrow.
What is Legends of Tomorrow?
Legends of Tomorrow follows a quirky group of loveable, mischievous misfits, as they travel throughout time and space, attempting to (and usually failing to) keep the timeline intact. They are so unsuccessful in this plight that the team motto is that they “sometimes mess things up for the better”.
The team is captained by former-assassin-turned-mother-figure, Sara Lance, played by Caity Lotz. Most notably, Sara is married to her co-captain, clone, and former rival, Ava Sharpe, played by Jes Macallan.
In addition to positive representations of same-sex couples, Legends of Tomorrow also boasts an asexual character, Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz (Lisseth Chavez), and the first Muslim superhero on TV, Zari Tomaz/ Zari Tarazi (Tala Ashe), alongside her equally powerful brother, Behrad Tarazi (Shayan Sobhian).
A petition to save the show has gone viral on social media
Due to its groundbreaking representation, and commitment to giving a voice to everyone who has ever felt like a ‘misfit’ of society, the cancellation of Legends of Tomorrow has triggered a tidal wave of criticism towards the CW.
Since its cancellation, there has been uproar on social media, with the hashtags #renewlegendsoftomorrow and #savelegendsoftomorrow trending on Twitter across the world for multiple days at a time. From this, a petition has been created to help save the show, which in turn has also gone viral across social media platforms.
The petition, which has amassed tens of thousands of signatures, addresses online streaming services to pick up the show, in order to give the cast and crew the ending that they deserve. Namely, the petition aims to grab the attention of HBO Max, Netflix, or whoever might be interested in competing with these streaming giants.
What opportunities could this show present from a business perspective?
Due to its large base of loyal fans, picking Legends of Tomorrow up on a streaming platform is undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity for advanced television advertising solutions. With more and more streaming services turning to ads to boost their revenue, it is clear that fan-favourite shows which broaden the reach of ads will be extremely valuable.
It also provides a unique benefit for the channel that does pick it up. Many of the Legends of Tomorrow fanbase, as with the other Arrowverse shows, and, indeed, comic books in general, will follow the show wherever it goes, guaranteeing an audience for the show.
In fact, Legends of Tomorrow was one of the only CW shows to improve its ratings and increase viewing figures compared to their previous season, with viewership up by an overall season average of 27%.
Overall, if the petition to save Legends of Tomorrow is successful, and thus if the show is to be picked up by another channel in the future, it is likely to continue this impressive upward trajectory, with the potential for increased viewership, advertising opportunities, and revenue in the long run.