Why TNT passed on DC Comics ‘Titans’ show

News broke at the Television Critics Association yesterday that TNT would not be moving forward with their adaptation of DC Comics' “Teen Titans”. The show had been slated as “in development” for some time, but the studio finally laid the project to rest yesterday. 

While at the TCA's, Turner Entertainment Chief Kevin Reilly laid out an aggressive five year plan to reboot TNT's main list of shows. He announced that some of TNT's most notable shows would not be getting renewed this year, like “Rizzoli and Isles”, while other shows would be picked up, like “Angie Tribeca.” Among the list of shows not moving forward at TNT was “Titans”, a DC Comics-based show about some of DC's younger heroes, like Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Batgirl. 

Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family – Cover Art: Brett Booth – DC Comics

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Reilly at the TCAs and asked him, “How much of the decision not to move forward with the DC Comics project “Titans”, also from Warner Bros., was based on the fact that you don”t own it?” Reilly replied, “It wasn't. Akiva [Goldsman] is a talented guy, [but] the script just wasn't there. There is an unbelievable glut of superhero things in the market right now and if you have a really good one, clearly people are up for it. But I just don't think that there's a need for one that, for me, at least on paper didn't seem to be screaming to get made.”

Reilly believes that “Titans” wasn't screaming to get made, which perhaps is true. With the considerable amount of DC shows on television already, like “Supergirl”, “Arrow”, “The Flash”, and “Legends of Tomorrow”, is there a market for a younger-skewing superhero show? The better question here would be, would a teen-based show like “Titans” even do well on TNT? Hopefully the show gets picked up elsewhere, maybe on a network that already has a thriving teen audience. 

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