CBS, CW Superhero Cross-Over Nets Big Ratings For 'Supergirl'

Recently, CBS Corporation CBS revealed 11 of its biggest shows were being given early renewals for the upcoming fall season, but many noticed a few glaring omissions…namely its entire freshman class.

CBS head Leslie "Les" Moonves previously went on record stating he expected the vast majority of those shows to return, so when they were left out of the announcement, curiosity arose. However Monday night's "Supergirl" and "Flash" crossover event may give one of those rookies a big boost toward a sophomore run.

"Flash" star Grant Gustin's guest shot gave "Supergirl" a 31 percent week-to-week jolt in the 18–49 demographic and 21 percent spike in total viewers. The result was enough to make the series the most watched scripted series of the night in the demo. The last time "Supergirl" flew that high in the all-important 18–49 category was back in February.

"Supergirl's" main problem has been its on directly against fellow DC based series "Gotham." While one is much lighter in tone than the other, the pair has been cannibalizing each other's numbers for weeks. Investors sensed that may be a problem early on, and it will be interesting to see if either network takes steps to change that in the fall should "Supergirl" get renewed.

Despite being left off the first list of pick-ups, the series is still expected to get the greenlight for a fall return. Based on Monday's numbers, hopefully that will mean more cross-network crossovers as this was a case of network synergy really succeeding across the board.

The CW's "Flash" is no stranger to spin-off storylines, but this was the first time any of those characters jumped to another network as part of the action.

Image Credit: Public Domain

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