Supergirl (2015-2021 series): Melissa Benoist's six seasons, from CBS to The CW
Share
All about Supergirl (2015-2021 series), Melissa Benoist's six seasons. You see the move from CBS to The CW, why National City does not exist in the classic comics, when Tyler Hoechlin arrives (season 2, not the pilot), and the six arcs — without retelling comics Kara, or the 1984 film, or the 2026 one.
📋 Contents
- Supergirl series 2015-2021: CBS orders, Berlanti produces
- From CBS to The CW: one season, then five
- National City, a town invented for the series
- Seasons 1 and 2: Fort Rozz, Astra, Cadmus, Mon-El
- Seasons 3 and 4: Reign, Agent Liberty, Dreamer
- Seasons 5 and 6: Crisis, Leviathan, Nyxly, the finale
- What this series is not: 1984, 2026, the comics
- In the shop: a “DC Series” costume, not 2026
- FAQ — Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Supergirl series 2015-2021: CBS orders, Berlanti produces
Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg develop the series from Kara Zor-El, created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television. Geoff Johns is attached to the development. CBS commits on September 20, 2014, confirms on May 6, 2015, then goes to a full season on November 30, 2015: 20 episodes. The pilot airs in the United States on October 26, 2015. 12.96 million viewers. Critics' Choice, 5th edition, 2015: Most Exciting New Series.
Melissa Benoist plays Kara Zor-El / Kara Danvers. One sentence, not the biography. The young Karas: Malina Weissman (seasons 1-2), Izabela Vidovic (seasons 3-4 and 6). Comics Kara has her page. The series list too. Here we stay on 2015-2021.
Key Facts
- US pilot: October 26, 2015, CBS
- Move: The CW from season 2 (announced May 12, 2016)
- Finale: November 9, 2021, “Kara”
- Total: 126 episodes, six seasons
- City: National City (invented for the series)
From CBS to The CW: one season, then five
Season 1: CBS, October 26, 2015 – April 18, 2016, 20 episodes, average 9.81 million. On May 12, 2016, the move to The CW is announced. Season 2 from October 10, 2016. Seasons 2 to 6 stay on The CW. Finale on November 9, 2021 (“Kara”). The table: 20 then 22 then 23 then 22 then 19 then 20. Total 126, not six times 22. Ratings drop after the network change: 3.12 million in season 2, 1.17 million in season 6.
“From CBS to The CW” in the title is therefore one season then five. The shoot leaves Los Angeles after season 1 for Vancouver. The showrunners: Berlanti, Kreisberg, Adler, then Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller. We date the United States. The French finale date is left out here.
National City, a town invented for the series
Kara had no city of her own in the classic comics. The series invents one: National City. It is not Metropolis. James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) is sent there by Superman, season 1. Cat Grant runs CatCo there. Calista Flockhart has her page. Alex Danvers later runs the DEO. We do not tell their stories.
Adler wants Superman discreet in season 1: back, voice, absence. Tyler Hoechlin is not in the pilot. He arrives in season 2. Superman & Lois starts from these performers, then splits: from its season 2, another Earth. Do not paste the two series as one continuity all the way.
Seasons 1 and 2: Fort Rozz, Astra, Cadmus, Mon-El
Season 1: Astra In-Ze, Non, Fort Rozz, Myriad, the DEO, CatCo. First Arrowverse crossover: Grant Gustin in “Worlds Finest” (season 1, episode 18, March 28, 2016). Earth-38. Season 2: then Cadmus, Lillian Luthor, Lena Luthor, Mon-El, Daxam, Guardian. Hoechlin is there. Winn Schott too, behind the DEO screens.
We point, we do not retell those biographies. Season 2 is already another network, another shoot city, a Superman visible on screen and no longer only off-screen. The average falls to 3.12 million. That is not a shop verdict: it is the figure taken from Wikipedia.
Seasons 3 and 4: Reign, Agent Liberty, Dreamer
Season 3 (23 episodes, October 9, 2017 – June 18, 2018): Worldkillers, Reign / Samantha Arias, Earth-X wedding (2017 crossover). Season 4 (22 episodes, October 14, 2018 – May 19, 2019): Agent Liberty, Red Daughter, Lex, Mercy Graves and Otis Graves — another Otis than Beatty's. Dreamer (Nia Nal), Nicole Maines, arrives. Elseworlds (2018) precedes Crisis.
126 episodes is not a “guest Superman” series. Clark drops in. He is not the center. The Kara / Kal-El differences page treats the character, not the CBS-CW calendar.
Seasons 5 and 6: Crisis, Leviathan, Nyxly, the finale
Season 5: 19 episodes, October 6, 2019 – May 17, 2020. Leviathan, Obsidian / Andrea Rojas, James leaving. Crisis on Infinite Earths on screen: December 8, 2019 – January 14, 2020. Earth-38 merges into Earth-Prime. We do not retell Crisis: we state the frame. Season 6: 20 episodes, March 30, 2021 – November 9, 2021, Nyxly, Alex and Kelly's wedding, finale “Kara”.
Benoist wears the cape to the end. This is neither the 1984 film nor the 2026 film. Helen Slater and Milly Alcock have their pages. The head of this page stays dated: 2015-2021.
What this series is not: 1984, 2026, the comics
Helen Slater, 1984: a Reeve film. Milly Alcock, 2026: a DCU film. Binder and Plastino: a paper character. Benoist: 126 episodes. Putting them under “Supergirl” without a date sends the reader to the differences page or to Kara. This series needs its years in the title.
Otis Graves is not the Otis of 1978. National City is not Metropolis. Hoechlin is not the barely seen Superman of the pilot. Superman & Lois is no longer the same Earth from its season 2. Four separations, one series.
In the shop: a “DC Series” costume, not 2026
The “DC Series Version” costume and Funko #93 speak of screen Kara of the years 2010, not of Sasha Calle or Alcock. We say so on the cards. We are not selling you Benoist as a named portrait, nor National City as a poster, nor the DEO as a figure.
If you want the actress, her page exists. If you want Astra, Lena, Winn or Dreamer, theirs too. The 2015-2021 series stops at the calendar, the network, the town invented for the screen, and the six arcs already pointed to above.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
How many episodes does Supergirl (2015-2021) have?
126 episodes, six seasons: 20, 22, 23, 22, 19 and 20. The finale, “Kara”, airs in the United States on November 9, 2021.
When does the series leave CBS for The CW?
After season 1. The move is announced on May 12, 2016. Season 2 starts on October 10, 2016 on The CW.
Is Tyler Hoechlin in the pilot?
No. Superman is deliberately discreet in season 1. Hoechlin appears from season 2.
Does National City exist in the classic comics?
No. The city is invented for the series. Kara had no city of her own in Binder and Plastino.
Is this series the 1984 Supergirl film?
No. 1984 is Helen Slater, the Reeve era. 2015-2021 is Melissa Benoist, CBS then The CW. 2026 is another film.
Does the series stay on the same Earth as Superman & Lois?
Not all the way. Superman & Lois starts from the same performers, then places its season 2 on another Earth.
Who creates the series?
Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, from the character by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Geoff Johns is attached to the development.
Conclusion
Supergirl, 2015-2021 series: 126 episodes, one CBS season, five CW seasons, an invented city, a Superman who arrives in season 2, a Crisis that merges Earth-38. Benoist wears the cape. The 1984 and 2026 films are elsewhere.
If you want comics Kara, Benoist, Alex or Lena, their pages exist. Here we stop at the dated series, and leave 2026 to its poster.