We're truly living in the time of the fanboy. It's not enough that we get a few movies a year based on our favorite characters. It's not enough that we've got several franchises trying to turn themselves into megafranchises, producing anywhere from 1 to 3 films in the same overarching narrative annually. The world of comic books has decided that the local theater isn't enough, it is now time to invade our televisions. Over the next two years, we'll be receiving close to TWENTY comic book based TV shows. That's right. There are going to be almost as many TV shows as there are hourse in a day. Below are my top 10 picks (In other words, the 10 shows I will somehow find time to watch over the course of a year)
10. GOTHAM
While the initial concept of the show was not something that sat right with me, every passing casting announcement sold me on the direction they were taking this show. A somewhat cringe inducing idea on paper, Gotham has turned out to be a great reimagining of one of the greatest mythos in all of fiction. Both Gordon and Bullock have good chemistry, and a strong supporting cast have helped bring the grittiness of Gotham to life in a way the films rarely captured properly. While it's still finding it's footing from a tonal standpoint, the show definitely has potential for greatness once the actors settle into their roles. Highlights for me have been the cinematography, action and the beautiful slow burn of The Penguin's rise to power (I'd be surprised if Fish Mooney makes it out of season one without becoming 'fish food'). Who would've thought that a story in Batman's world that doesn't actually feature the caped crusader would be just the kind of show that can highlight how great Batman's world really is?
Things I'd like to see going forward: Less Bruce/Selina stuff. The heart and soul is Gordon and the pointless Batman foreshadowing is distracting and poorly played. Also, some war flashbacks would be nice
9. ARROW
With the near universal praise and increasingly passionate fanfare, I don't think it's a stretch to say Arrow is arguably the best CBTV show of all time from a pound for pound perspective. I still would say Heroes season one will never be topped, but te people behind this show seem dedicated to delivering an incredible hour of television on a weekly basis. Oddly enough, I am yet to even catch it's second season, but not for lack of trying. Unlike most who were lukewarm on the first season, I either loved or liked every single episode of Arrow season one. It's blend of solid characters, bone crunching action and the scene stealing Slade made for an addictive property. I've heard great things about season 2, but feel a bit strange about the things I'm hearing for season 3. Regardless, the show is great for what it is, and despite it's mid level ceiling and sometimes rage inducing CWness, it hits a stride at times that simply feels perfect from a comic fan's perspective. It's almost hard to describe how RIGHT I feel when watching Arrow at times, almost as if it's a dream come true that I didn't know I'd been having. The additions of Flash, Catman and a plethora of DC characters and lore make this easily my favorite representation of DC comics since The Dark Knight (Watchmen notwithstanding) and one can only hope that we can get this level of product on the big screen. Also, Diggle is THE MAN. No lie
Things I'd like to see going forward: I'll get back to you once I see if season 2 is indeed as mindblowing as it sounds. I will say, the prospects of a CW JL/JSA is extremely enticing
8. AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D./AGENT CARTER
Easily my most anticipated CBTV show currently running, Agents of SHIELD somewhat stumbled out of the gate. It wasn't bad (save for that lackluster second episode), but it really wasn't nearly as good as it should've been, mainly due to the actors taking their sweet time getting comfortable in their roles. While many claim the show only got 'good' around 'Turn, Turn, Turn', I personally felt the show hit it's stride around 'FZZT', which featured the show's first real heart wrenching moments (and there were more to come). I continuously heard that the MCU connection was something that held the show back, but I thought it was fairly obvious that the shows biggest issue was depotism. The showrunners were obviously picked due to their connection to Joss Whedon, and their limited vision and overall talent showed early on. However, once the show started hitting the right notes and finally pulled it's web together, the character work and story revelations were second to none. Enough cannot be said about how well it handled each of it's cameos, with the top picks being Lady Sif, Maria Hill and of course, Nick Fury. The most immersive TV/Movie we've seen did hit it's bumps along the way, but when the show delivers, it DELIVERS, and the MCU connection has definitely made the good that much sweeter. Season 2 has taken all that made Season 1 great and cranked it up a few notches, which has only been helped by the inclusion of Absorbing Man/Crusher Creel (and the much needed increase in Tripplett sightings). The show has proven that truly strong characters can make up for middling effort in the action department, and season 2 has shown that they can deliver in BOTH areas, creating moments unrivaled in CBTV. Furthermore, the show will lead directly into an Agent Carter miniseries, which reunites us with a few fan favorites while fleshing out the early days of the MCU. The show taking a True Detective style episode format in addition to bringing on top notch directing talent assures that this will be something special
Things I'd like to see going forward: Making the show more MARVEL-ish while keeping strong character stuff intact. Basically, increase the amount of Agent vs Gifted/HYDRA action while tying it close to the narrative. Not all heroes are super but these guys need to start proving they don't need to be
7. CONSTANTINE
Admittedly, I've never been a huge Hellblazer fan. But what has truly drawn my interest in this shows promotion has been it's dedication to top notch CGI and a great representation of John Constantine. Forget the smoking debate, this guy has nailed the look, and carries all the swagger neccessary to sell you on his take on the character. With Justice League Dark all but a dream at this point, this show can serve as a great window into DC's expansive realm of the supernatural. Characters such as Deadman, The Spectre and Dr. Fate will be right at home in the world they're creating and much like the Flash/Arrow crossover, Constantine is rife with team up potential within it's own universe. It may struggle in the ratings category due to it's timeslot, concept and competition, but it's unique enough to overcome any of those issues. The show has also cast Harold Perrineau, which is an automatic win in my book
Things I'd like to see going forward: A TV Justic League Dark of some sorts
6. IRON FIST
This show is somewhat of a wild card for me. Ideally, it will combine elements of 'Street level crime fighting' Iron Fist with 'KunLun mystical arts' Iron Fist. This mainly depends on how deep into his origin story they intend to go. The scale and scope of KunLun may be too stark a contrast to the other Netflix series Marvel are creating, but I can't imagine they won't include a small bit of it at the very least. In addition to this, Iron Fist can and should have the best fight choreography of any CBTV show. If they can capture the fighting style and variety that the Matrix Trilogy was able to utilize, then this show could very well be on it's way to becoming something special. Casting is key, but the genre(s) the show is going for is equally important. In many ways it parallels Arrow (rich guy, vigilante, KunLun/Island comparisons) but where it stands apart will be due to how it embraces the supernatural aspects of the character. The show has a ton of potential, and it will be interesting to know how Marvel plans on springboarding off of the foundation this can lay.
Things I'd like to see going forward: The Hand. Shang Chi and maybe even Ronin. Also of note, Rosario Dawson's character in the Daredevil series has yet to be announced, and she bares a striking resemblance to Misty Knight, a love interest of Iron Fist and a member of a team called Heroes for Hire which he starts with this guy.....
5. Luke Cage
Probably the show with the most potential for failure, Luke Cage will be Marvel's first foray into a minority led product. I'll be honest: Comic book related media in general has a VERY hard time portraying minorities in general, but none are as poorly handle on a regular basis as African Americans. The need to appeal to whatever is considered 'hip' while also wanting to toe the PC line has often led to some jarring executions of what should be basic concepts. Luke Cage presents the opportunity to get that right. The character is firmly rooted in blaxpoitation but also has been closely tied to fearless social commentary since his resurgance under the pen of Brian Micheal Bendis. One of the strongest character moments I've seen recently involved him bringing Cap, Tony and the rest of the New Avengers to Harlem in order to help clean up the neiborhood, which was a requirement of him joining the team. In order to succeed, this show needs to work like a John Singleton film that is not afraid to be as gritty and graphic as it should be. Of course, there is no need to go over the top, and figuring out exactly what that MEANS will be the thing that defines this show IMO. There are a few actors who could nail the role (Omari Hardwick and Terry Crews come to mind), but what's noteworthy is the fact that Agents of SHIELD has cast Henry Simmons to play a character with a fairly vague history in 'Mac'. The man looks the part almost perfectly, and it will be interesting to see if they flip his origin into Cage's similar to how they handled Deathlok
Things I'd like to see going forward: A soundtrack consisting mainly of Jay-Z songs. 'Somewhere in America,' 'Success,' 'Takeover,' and ' Regrets' need to be heard on this show. Also, references to Jessica Jones and Iron Fist would be great, as I feel all of their shows will likely become unified in a 'Heroes for Hire' series down the line
4. X FACTOR
When I first heard Fox was bringing something X Men related to TV, I first thought perhaps they'd do their own 'Uncanny X Men' type show which will start with the original five and add mutants down the line. Of course, Fox would never do something that awesome, but lucky for them (and us), they have the rights to the entire X-Library. Among the storied history of mutants is a team called 'X Factor' which has gone over many iterations over the years. One of the more recent versions involved Jaimie Madrox (The Multiple Man) leading a team of mutants who worked as private investigators. This run was a consistent joy to read, featuring lots of strong character work (especially involving Layla Miller) and still made time for some great action. The team consist of mutants such as Wolfsbane, Strong Guy and Rictor, all of which have their own dynamic personalities. The mixture of mutants, relationships and detective work is tailor made for good television, and the potential for inclusion of later members of the team (Shatterstar, Darwin and Longshot) could keep things fresh as the show goes on. If they get the right people involved, this could be the best of bunch
Things I'd like to see going forward: Separation from the preexisting X Men franchise. I'm not even sure how they'd connect the two in the first place, but if they stay separate that opens the door for cameos from The X Men (who we've barely seen thru 7 movies). This would only raise the show's already high ceiling. And some awesome Layla/Madrox banter every now and then would be more than welcome
3. DAREDEVIL
While Josh Trank's Fantastic Four has given a master class on how to piss of every fanboy in the universe before a single image is released, Daredevil seems to be providing the antithesis. Steven Denight has been saying all the right things and casting all the right people, leading many to believe this will be the perfect introduction to Marvel's first phase of Netflix series. What is interesting about this show's development so far is that unlike the other Netflix shows, Daredevil is barely connected to the other heroes beyond proximity. He mainly operates on his own, which in combination with arguably the greatest CBTV show cast to date, may be an indication that a movie treatment is in the pipeline for The Man Without Fear. While the showrunners have been very candid about revealing information about the show's tone, several other important questions remain unanswered. One of the biggest things this show needs to nail is the Radar Sense. If the show can make DD's radar visually unique while mixing it in well with his figting style, we may be in for a true treat. Of course, a large amount of the show's success hinges on Charlie Cox and his ability to sell himself as a blind lawyer who fights crime late at night, but having seen a few clips, I'm not totally convinced yet. Much like Arrow, the fighting needs to be brutal, but hopefully much more acrobatic. Of course, a hero is only as good as his villains, and it would be great if we get The Hand, Elektra and Bullseye in some capacity this season, though I won't be mad if they dedicate the first phase to setting up the Kingpin and his war on Hell's Kitchen.
Things I'd like to see: THE COSTUME....
2. TEEN TITANS
The comic that reignited my interest in DC. Tho I was more familiar with the Vol 3 iteration of the team, Teen Titans has had many great roster configurations over the years and represents the perfect humanization of DC's mythologically fixated style. It is also a perfect opportunity for DC to showcase a wide spectrum of diverse characters due to the unique worlds each hero/heroine comes from. The show is said to focus on Nightwing, which is a bit bittersweet, as I loved the way that Robin interacts with the team but welcome our first live action Nightwing appearance. Furthermore, the team dynamic is ALWAYS a great thing to see handled in a series format, and the various personality types held within the Titans promises to bring great drama, humor and character work. As a show on TNT the budget and VFX should be at the very least good by TV standards, and production values will likely be at a level which respectably delivers on the team's wide array of power sets and aesthetics. I doubt it will be the one show to connect to the DCCU as many have speculated, and I actually think that's a good thing, as I would love to not lose Cyborg to the JL. Also, including Superboy on the team is a must. He'll likely never get used in the movies and a semi nerfed take on the character would work great amongst the many characters on the team. Of all the new TV shows, this could have the most potential
Things I'd like to see: Accuracy. The team is perfect for TV and a good translation would only make the experience that much greater
1. THE DEFENDERS
The last time Marvel took four loosely connectied solo narratives and mashed them together in a team up, we bared witness to one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) live action comic book experience of our era. What better way to duplicate that feeling than to utilize it's stable of gritty street level heroes? The Defenders mini series, if handled correctly, could rival the MCU in the realm of interconnected story telling. These four heroes, and all that can come after them will continue a story that fights for the soul of the streets we walk everyday while earth's mightiest heroes are fighting the gods amongst the stars. While the big budgets and heavy VFX of the feature films are great, the essence of the hero has always been standing up against all odds. That vision has never been captured better than through the tails of the vigilantes that haunt our rooftops. The varying personalities and philosophies of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist will clash as they seek to work together to end whatever threat the streets of New York bring them, and I seriously CANNOT wait.
Things I'd like to see: Phase 2 of Marvel's Netflix initiative. Whether it be Midnight Sons or Marvel Knights, I want this story to continue. And if we're wishing upon a star, throw Spider Man in here to mix it up with the gang
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Honorable mentions to The Flash, Jessica Jones and that New Warriors TV show Marvel needs to stop screwing around and make. In the words of Tank:
"It's a very exciting time"
Indeed