Superman & Lois showrunner Todd Helbing recently broke down how and why the CW series left the main Arrowverse continuity.

Helbing explained the rationale behind Superman & Lois' newly-confirmed position within the Arrowverse's overarching canon in an interview with The Flash Podcast. "Originally, if you look at the original script [for the pilot episode] -- I think it’s online somewhere -- there are a lot of references to [Arrowverse crossover 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'], with Clark and his family because of it," he said. "We went from having one infant to two teenage boys, that was a huge part of it. But it’s just felt like, it was opening a can of worms and required so much explanation to, someone like, let’s say my mom, a new audience member, that it wasn’t going to play in the way that we originally intended. So Greg [Berlanti,] and I, along with The CW, Warner Bros. and DC, we just started to pull all those references out."

Related: Superman & Lois' Season 2 Finale Followed All-Star Superman

"Then I had a conversation with DC, in Season 1 about this, there was a desire to put our own stamp on the Superman mythology and just have it be able to function on its own," Helbing continued. "But the more we got through Season 1 and the end of Season 2, it’s just felt more honest to not have it be on the same planet. I think when all the other [Arrowverse] shows were on at the same time, it was easier to do references like The Flash in Central City and Supergirl in National City... Unfortunately, now that these other shows are no longer going to be on the air, it just didn’t feel like it was gonna be rewarding. I’m sure there’s gonna be some fans out there that are upset. I totally understand, but I think the decision was just made to keep our show on a different planet and do the best we can."

The Superman & Lois Season 2 finale, "Waiting for Superman," only recently confirmed that the show takes place on a different Earth to the rest of the Arrowverse. Prior to this episode airing, many fans assumed that the series was set on Earth-Prime, which also serves as the setting for The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. A line of dialogue in "Waiting for Superman" delivered by General Sam Lane clears up any doubt on the matter, however, establishing that the Man of Steel is the only active superhero in the reality of Superman & Lois.

Related: Superman & Lois’ New Sarah Arc Makes Her a Better Character

Helbing also confirmed that Superman & Lois' alternate Earth setting means that Arrowverse veteran David Ramsey portrays a different version of John Diggle in the Season 2 finale. This explains why Diggle sports a beard and a different hairstyle in the episode, although Ramsey adopted a similar look in The Flash Season 8, Episode 18, "The Man in the Yellow Tie." Helbing later revealed that the show would take a similar approach should Supergirl be added to its roster in Season 3. "Yeah, it would not be the Supergirl from the Arrowverse, it would be our version so we would invent a new backstory for her," he said.

Superman & Lois Season 3 does not yet have a release date.

Source: The Flash Podcast