The Powerpuff Girl live-action show is canceled after years of development issues that included reshoots, script rewrites, and cast changes.
The Powerpuff Girls live-action show is no longer in development as the network, The CW, officially canceled the show before its release. The show is part of several pulled productions.
Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment at The CW, told TVLine “We’ve already given those back to the studios,” regarding the shows being a part of the network’s latest cancelations. He continued by saying, “…so they’re free to develop those and sell them anywhere.”
Warner Bros. Discovery owns a percentage of The CW and is the parent company of Cartoon Network, the channel where the original cartoon aired from 1998 to 2005. ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ cartoon achieved great popularity and bonafide pop culture status. In 2002, The ‘Powerpuff Girls Movie’ released in theatres as a cult fave. The show received several reboots due to its popularity, yet reports surfaced that CW was developing a live-action show for the IP surprised fans.
The live-action series was to follow super-hero sisters Blossom (Chloe Bennet), Bubbles (Dove Cameron), and Buttercup (Yana Perrault) as “disillusioned twenty-somethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting.”
Issues began to occur shortly after news of the series’ announcement. The pilot’s script leaked and had terrible reception across the internet from fans and critics alike. Some fans didn’t enjoy the adult themes and out of characterizations. Matters worsened when on-set photos leaked and the apparent quality disappointed many fans. Dove Cameron defended newer versions of the script, noting that it was “just fine.” The CW decided to reshoot the pilot due to its poor reception at preview showings. Further troubles arose in August 2021 when Chloe Bennett left the project.
The show’s cancellation is unsurprising as The CW faced troubles these last few years. Audiences of the network averaged an age of 58 despite the televised shows targeting younger audiences. In early 2022, the CW had its majority stake sold to Nextar Media Group. The current recession is causing many companies to downsize and cut back.
