The prequel television series about Batman’s butler is no more. According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Max has canceled the live-action drama, “Pennyworth,” after its third and final season, which wrapped in November.
‘Batman’ Prequel ‘Pennyworth’ Gets Canceled
The television series explored the origins of Batman’s iconic butler, Alfred Pennyworth, portrayed in the series by Jack Bannon. The series was created by Bruno Heller of “Gotham” fame. Heller also served as showrunner for “Pennyworth.”
The series was produced by Warner Bros. Television and made for the MGM-backed premium network Epix, which was recently redubbed as MGM+. In order to reduce programming costs, the show was sold to HBO Max, itself a Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiary, and there it streamed alongside other live-action DC Comics shows, such as “Doom Patrol” and “Titans.”
Chaos never seems to spare Alfred Pennyworth.
All episodes of #PennyworthOnMax are now streaming, only on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/kzc0yNoohj
— Pennyworth on HBO Max (@DCpennyworth) December 1, 2022
THR notes that MGM+ still has the option to air the third season, but that is unlikely to happen, even if the third season has a lower licensing fee.
As previously reported by The Blast, Warner Bros. Discovery also made the decision to end “Titans” and “Doom Patrol” after their respective fourth and final seasons. Both shows still have six episodes left in their final seasons that have not yet aired.
With the shows ending, new DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are gearing up their own plans for the DC Universe. They recently revealed plans for multiple television shows and films based on the DC comics and characters with a shared continuity across TV, films, and video games. So, it appears that shows such as “Pennyworth,” “Titans,” and “Doom Patrol” do not fit into their plans or vision for the DC Universe.
The ending “Titans” and “Doom Patrol” came before Gunn and Safran unveiled their plan for the first chapter of their DC Universe, which is entitled “Gods and Monsters.”
The only other DC original television series that remains on HBO Max at the moment is “Harley Quinn.” The animated comedy show was recently renewed for a fourth season. It also has another animated spinoff, “Noonan’s” that’s also in the works.
Other DC shows that are still on include “The Flash” and “Superman & Lois” on The CW. “The Flash” will end with its final season later this year. “Superman & Lois” is reportedly on the bubble. Its third season will debut on the network in March. The new DC show, “Gotham Knights” is also expected to premiere on The CW in March.
Always try to do the right thing. #PennyworthOnMax pic.twitter.com/m66eiJfKIE
— HBO Max (@hbomax) November 17, 2022
Now that Gunn and Safran are captaining the ship, it makes sense that they will want to assert their own wills on the DC Universe and put forth a new slate of shows they are overseeing or have their hands in. However, that means a lot of previously established shows are going away.
Despite gaining a third season, DC’s “Pennyworth” never appeared to be especially beloved or acclaimed by fans and critics alike. The show only has a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A television show about Alfred Pennyworth was probably not on a lot of comic book fans’ wishlists for characters they wanted to see get adapted for TV.
