(Photo: Danny Delgado/The CW)
Sorry Tom, your television adventures are over on The CW. The network has cancelled Tom Swift so there likely won’t be a second season for the Tuesday night drama. Six episodes have aired thus far.
A mystery drama inspired by the adventure book series, the Tom Swift TV show stars Tian Richards, Ashleigh Murray, Marquise Vilsón, April Parker Jones Albert Mwangi, and LeVar Burton. As a wealthy and brilliant inventor, Tom Swift (Richards) is a man with the world in the palm of his hand. But that world gets shaken to its core after the shocking disappearance of his father. Tom is thrust into a breathtaking adventure full of mysterious conspiracies and unexplained phenomena. Fortunately, he’s able to rely on his closest companions: best friend and business visionary Zenzi (Murray); bodyguard Isaac (Vilsón), who has feelings for Tom; and Tom’s insightful AI, Barclay (voiced by Burton). At home, Tom’s relationship with his mother Lorraine (Jones) becomes conflicted as she urges him to take his father’s place in elite Black society. Meanwhile, the mysterious and dangerous Rowan (Mwangi) intersects Tom’s path with hidden motivations and undeniable mutual chemistry.
Debuting in late May, the first season of Tom Swift currently averages a 0.05 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 355,000 viewers in the live+same day ratings (including DVR playback through 3:00 AM). In the live+7 day ratings, the series picks up about 40% more viewers. Five episodes have aired thus far.
Deadline reports that CBS Studios is planning to shop the series elsewhere and is trying to extend the options of the cast.
Tom Swift is the latest CW show to be cancelled in recent months, joining 4400, Batwoman, Charmed, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Dynasty, In the Dark, Legacies, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Naomi. and Roswell, New Mexico.
If the sale of majority control of The CW to Nexstar Media Group goes through, the network is expected to shift to a more “wholesome” slate of programming. In the past, The CW’s co-owners — currently Paramount Global and Warner Bros Discovery — took a loss on the network but made a healthy profit by making lucrative licensing deals for the CW series they produced. Nexstar is expected to have to rely on traditional broadcaster revenue. The corporation will likely purchase a 75% stake in the network while the current owners will split the remaining 25%.
What do you think? Have you watched the Tom Swift TV series on The CW? Are you disappointed by the cancellation? Are you hoping that the show gets picked up for a second season elsewhere?