In 2016, Warner Bros. and DC envisioned Justice League Action as the next big animated hit focusing on kid-friendly action and humor over character development and intricate plots, potentially providing healthy competition to Teen Titans Go!. Produced by Jim Krieg, Alan Burnett and Butch Lukic, and starring familiar voices such as Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Troy Baker and Diedrich Bader, Justice League Action debuted its pilot episode in 2016 at Comic-Con International in San Diego to mostly positive reactions.
"Justice League Action largely carries on the tone and style of Justice League Unlimited, but with a greater element of humor," Conroy said at at the time. "It's definitely a Justice League action show. It's got all the action and the drama of a Justice League episode."
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With buzz (and a Mattel-produced toy line) behind the show, Justice League Action premiered on Cartoon Network in December 2016 before wrapping up 52 episodes later in June 2018. Since then, no one has heard a peep about the show's future, with even its voice actors in the dark about its current status.
When asked by a Twitter user about Justice League Action's future, Jason J. Lewis, who voiced Superman on the show, responded, "We haven't heard anything sadly...but I also don't want to speculate since nothing has been said. I truly hope we come back however. Keep watching, and keep spreading the word."
After more than a year since its last episode, it's more than likely that the plug was quietly pulled on Justice League Action. It's unfortunate, but it didn't have the ratings nor the momentum to receive a second season.
If you analyze the ratings for Justice League Action compared to Teen Titans Go!, the latter beat it consistently, with the former struggling to pull 500,000 viewers for its last episode. Teen Titans Go! has also experienced a drastic dip in viewership lately; however, it's in its fifth season and that's expected, as it's no longer a brand-new series. But a show featuring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman struggling to reach half a million people in its first season? Ouch.
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Of course, the launch of Justice League Action was calculated and meant to coincide with the run-up to Zack Snyder's Justice League, as well as tide fans over until the expected sequel in 2019. Unfortunately, the fallout from the film's box office under-performance and behind-the-scenes drama destabilized the whole DC Extended Universe, doing the animated show no favors. Unsurprisingly, there doesn't, at this time, seem to be any real drive to promote anything associated with the team.
In many ways, Justice League Action is a victim of circumstance. With the success of superhero film franchises often dictating what happens in the animated world and ratings being crucial, all the cards were stacked against this show receiving a second season. It's a shame, really, since its quality had nothing to do with its harsh reality. Hopefully, there's a surprise around the corner and the series finds a way to continue.