The CW's Black Lightning Coming to an End With Season 4

The CW’s Black Lightning Coming to an End With Season 4

November 20, 2020

After three highly-acclaimed seasons on the network and entering development into a possible spin-off, The CW has announced it is bringing DC Comics series Black Lightning to an end with its upcoming fourth season, according to The Wrap.

“When we first started the Black Lighting journey, I knew that Jefferson Pierce and his family of powerful Black Women would be a unique addition to the superhero genre,” showrunner Sam Akil said in a statement. “The love that Blerds and all comic book fans around the globe have shown this series over the past three seasons proved what we imagined, Black People Want To See Themselves in all their complexities.”

Black Lightning marks the latest CW DC Comics series to come to a close in recent times following the series finale of Arrow earlier this year after eight seasons and the announcement that Supergirl would end in 2021 with its upcoming sixth season. The network is currently developing a spinoff series centered on the villain Painkiller, portrayed by Jordan Calloway, with a backdoor pilot airing as the seventh episode of the forthcoming fourth season.

High school principal Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning for almost nine years after seeing the effects it had on his family, is forced to become a vigilante again when the rise of the local gang called The 100 led by Tobias Whale leads to increased crime and corruption in his community of Freeland.

The series stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce, China Anne McClain as Jennifer Pierce, James Remar as Peter Gambi, Damon Gupton as Inspector Henderson, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, Marvin Jones III as Tobias Whale, and Jordan Calloway as Khalil Payne.

Based on the characters from DC, Black Lightning is from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash”), Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”), Charles D. Holland (“JAG”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash”). The Black Lightning character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.