'Legends of Tomorrow' showrunner talks odds of renewal, Season 8 story hopes

Over the course of seven seasons, The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow has become one of the most ambitious, inclusive, goofy, and generally bonkers superhero shows on TV — but at the moment — we still don’t know if the show will continue into next year. So how are the odds looking?

SYFY WIRE caught up with Legends co-showrunner Phil Klemmer around the finale episode, “Knocked Down, Knocked Up,” and got an update on whether or not the show might return for Season 8. For the past few seasons, The CW has passed down renewal news fairly early in the cycle, to the point that seasons 6 and 7 of Legends was made almost in one continuous run. With that order complete, Klemmer said they’re hopeful for a renewal, but still awaiting word from the network.

In the meantime, Klemmer made a point to remind anxious fans that waiting for renewal news is a fairly common theme when it comes to the network TV business, and all anyone can do is tune in, remain hopeful, and… wait.

"In a lot of ways, we’ve just kind of reverted to the way networked TV has always been. It feels strange only because we’ve been living the last few seasons in this kind of unusual era where everybody’s fates were determined early, en masse, and largely on the side of returning with precious few cancellations,” he explained. “I just have to remember this is like what the first 10 years of my career were like. I’ve always worked on shows that were on the bubble, or their fates were not a sure thing. All you can do is tell the best stories you can. Hopefully we’ll hear soon, and we’re ready.”

In the meantime, Klemmer said the cast and crew have enjoyed the production break, especially after shooting the past two seasons so close together: “Everyone needs time off, but I look forward to getting back and actually getting back to a writers room. I haven’t worked with a human being in two years [due to the pandemic].”

If the show does return for another season, Klemmer said he’s already working out some ideas for where the season might go, and which characters he’d like to explore further with future stories. He also noted fans can expect a new setting and tone — a recurring cycle with new Legends seasons — as they seek to once again reinvent the show to keep it fresh.

“I think Zari is definitely evolving. She had a big push at the end of the season trying to understand her place in the world. And obviously Sara and Ava entering into parenthood is going to be really fascinating for us, especially since we have so many writers with young families, there will be no shortage of inspiration. We got to learn about Spooner’s sexuality, which is something we touched on slightly toward the end,” Klemmer said. “I think every season has a different aesthetic to it. This was kind of our O Brother, Where Art Thou? season. The season before was some kind of B-movie horror film. We just want to find a fresh aesthetic so it never feels like we’re doing the same thing twice. We try to make it feel like a completely new show, but at the same time abiding by the original spirit.”

Klemmer also addressed the addition of a new hero to the mix in Donald Faison’s Booster Gold, and confirmed the plan would be to have him join up with the Legends if the show does return. The show has built its dynamic with a constantly evolving roster, and adding Booster Gold to the mix would definitely give the roster some renewed DC Comics cred.

“It has to be that way [Booster joining the Legends]. I feel like, once you get a hold of Donald Faison as Booster Gold, you hold on as long as you can. The same way with Matt Ryan and Constantine. Even when Constantine left we wouldn’t let go of that guy. It’s The Godfather, we keep pulling people back in,” Klemmer laughed. “There’s going to be some really lovely growing pains and great tensions. We never want our group to get too comfortable in their dynamic, and he’s a great way to mix it up. [Even after he betrayed the Legends], Booster is so charming you can’t even hate him for it. Okay, we’ll be mad at him for five minutes, and he’ll probably charm our way into our hears and screw us all over again.”

The season finale of Legends of Tomorrow, and most recent episodes for the current season, are streaming now on The CW.