Two years ago, the only comic-book show on our screens was The CW’s Arrow adaptation. While it was fun to watch, the show hadn’t quite hit its stride yet, halfway through its freshman season. Flash forward two years and there are now no less 5 shows on air – across a broad range of networks (with even more in the works). Naturally, some have been performing better than others – both in the ratings and quality category. Which show is on top? Scroll down to find out!
Note - While I’ve tried not to go into too many explicit details, there may be a few spoilers, so skip over the shows you’re not up-to-date with if you don’t want anything ruined!
5) Gotham, FOX
There were not a lot of expectations going into
Gotham’s premiere this September, but many viewers found themselves pleasantly surprised by the opening episode. The writers really nailed the city’s dark and corrupt atmosphere, while Robin Lord Taylor was widely commended for his performance as
The Penguin. Sadly, while the ratings stayed strong, the quality did not, and the show quickly slipped into a monotonous procedural-like tone.
Many have criticised
Gotham’s lack of subtlety when regarding Batman’s famous rogues gallery. The desperate attempts to sneak in as many references as possible on a weekly basis have become more than a little jarring. Furthermore, there appears to be very little plan going forward. Only the
gang-war sub-plots have truly intrigued, buoyed by interesting characters such as
Falcone,
Maroni and, indeed, The Penguin himself.
Jada Pinkett Smith’s
Fish Mooney is incredibly grating to watch, but she’s also a fun character to love to hate. Ben McKenzie, and in particular, Donal Logue have grown into their roles as
Gordon and
Bullock over time. It’s the lack of direction with the young
Bruce Wayne that has me concerned. What more can the writers do with him, to make his storyline interesting? There’s a strong case that characters like Bruce,
Selina,
Ivy and
Ed should never have been included in the first place.
Best Episodes: “Viper”, “The Penguin’s Umbrella”
Rating: 7.3
4) Constantine, NBC
This is the left-of-field choice – the ‘underdog’ of comic book shows if you like. While its fellow freshman comic-book counterparts (
Gotham &
The Flash) are doing wonders with the ratings this year,
Constantine has struggled – thanks, largely, to the handicap of the Friday night ‘
death-slot’. It’s a real shame, as
Constantine, for the most part, has been a fun, fresh and unique little show to follow and enjoy so far.
While not strictly a ‘superhero’ show, the character of John Constantine is deeply rooted in comic-lore, most famously appearing in his own
Hellblazer run. The show has largely stuck to the tone of the acclaimed source material – casting the energetic yet cunning
Matt Ryan as the lead, and embracing some of the more supernatural elements of the comics (including
The Spectre). Hell, they even allowed him to smoke!
Aside from being faithful to the character,
Constantine has managed to be genuinely quite scary. The visual effects are excellent, helping to craft a spooky atmosphere for a show reliant on monsters as villains. Where it’s lacking is in its overarching story. The characters themselves are likeable, they aren’t developed enough to truly love them, while the threat of the
“Rising Darkness” has so far felt very generic.
Best Episodes: “A Feast Of Friends”, “The Devil’s Vinyl”
Rating: 7.9
3) The Flash, The CW
2014’s best and brightest freshman show has raced to an excellent start this fall. As well as topping fellow CW counterpart
Arrow on the ratings front, some fans have suggested it’s also trumped its sister show for quality too – especially with that magnificent mid-season finale, which ranks as my personal favourite from this year. Story-wise, it’s not quite there yet, but the future is looking very bright indeed.
Grant Gustin’s casting as
Barry Allen was met with some trepidation when it was announced over a year ago. I think we can now officially say we were wrong. Gustin is the heart and soul of this show, and his likeable performances elevate every scene he’s in. But he’s not the only big performer. Jesse L. Martin and Tom Cavanagh in particular have shone in their roles as
Joe West and
Harrison Wells, while it’s been great to see
John Wesley Shipp back involved with the character he once portrayed.
The other element fans have embraced about
The Flash is the abundance of
comic-book characters on the show. Following in the footsteps of
Arrow, the writers have never hesitated to introduce some of
DC Comics’ weird and wonderful heroes and villains – portraying them with great guest stars and fantastic
visual effects. Finally, the recent
crossover with
Arrow has proven the possibilities are endless with these shows.
Best Episodes: “City Of Heroes”, “Flash Vs Arrow”, “The Man In The Yellow Suit”
Rating: 8.4
2) Arrow, The CW
Last year,
Arrow became not only the best comic-book show, but also one of the most exciting shows on TV – period. It was fun, fast-paced and packed with recognisable super-heroes and villains – from
Deathstroke, to the
Suicide Squad, to the
League Of Assassins. While the show’s third season has struggled to top the lofty heights of Season 2, it remains a fantastic example of how to make great comic book TV.
Following Slade Wilson’s imprisonment at the end of Season 2, and the loss of Manu Bennett,
Arrow needed someone to take the mantle of fan-fovourite character. While new options like
Katana and
Ra’s Al Ghul have been presented, no character has impressed more than Brandon Routh’s
Ray Palmer. Charismatic and relatable, Routh has proven his
Superman Returns critics wrong this year. I can’t wait to see
The Atom.
Plot-wise, the show seems less certain, although this has largely helped increase the mystery and excitement. The increased influence of the League has upped the stakes (particularly during that shocking mid-season finale), while new opportunities for both
Laurel and
Thea have also helped straighten out some of the weaker characters. Meanwhile,
Oliver,
Diggle,
Roy and
Felicity are functioning like a well-oiled machine. Well… they
were anyway…
Best Episodes: “The Magician”, “Corto Maltese”, “The Brave And The Bold”
Rating: 8.6
1) Agents Of SHIELD, ABC
What a comeback it has been. No longer the butt of every comic book fans jokes (just Josh Wilding’s…), Marvel’s
Agents Of SHIELD has matured into an exciting, fast-paced and gloriously entertaining TV Show. Gone are the
pointless filler episodes of Season 1, with grating
Avengers references and lacklustre plotting (
Gotham, take note…). Instead, we have a fully-fledged show that is actually
contributing to the
MCU – rather than just basking in its success.
Arguably the most important move the showrunners made was
expanding the cast. In adding new characters, the show not only freshened things up, it also helped take the pressure of the original six, and widened the universe as a whole.
Ward has since transformed into one of the best villains on TV, while
Skye,
Simmons and
Fitz have all undergone some excellent character development. This is the show I signed on for in the first place!
This time last year, I was debating dropping this show. I now find myself so pleased that I stuck with it. Unfortunately, many other viewers did not – and I can’t blame them back then. While it’s not in any real danger of cancellation this year, the show needs to somehow win back the viewers it disillusioned – especially if it seeks to contribute anymore to the universe as a whole.
Best Episodes: “Making Friends And Influencing People”, “The Writing On The Wall”, “The Things We Bury”
Rating: 8.7
Well, those were my thoughts.
Agents Of SHIELD takes the top-spot for the moment,
closely flanked by The CW duo of
Arrow and
Flash. What do you guys think? I know
The Flash is very popular on here in particular, and while it might not be my favourite yet, it’s definitely looking like the best CBTV show in the making! Also, what about
Constantine? D’you think it’s going to get cancelled?
Let me know your thoughts down below, and hit the big red
thumbs-up if you liked this!
If you're a fan, why not check out my blog for weekly updates on all of these shows,
The Blacklist,
Game Of Thrones and more!