My current superhero TV show ranking

It's been a while since I did one of these. OK, here's they are ranked in order of preference:

Jessica Jones (by far the best)
Daredevil
Supergirl (it's a nice easy counterbalance to the darker Netflix shows)
The Flash (again, a light, bright counterpart to the darker stuff)
Arrow (had its ups and downs, but it's on the up again now)
Gotham (gets better and better; has its problems, but I enjoy the craziness of it)
Agent Carter (I like the cast, but I find the plot a little plodding)
Agents of SHIELD (a year ago it would have been at the bottom of the list, so it's improving!)
Legends of Tomorrow (just awful!)
Lucifer (police procedural, but he's the devil? Just the idea of it makes me fall asleep)

I didn't include Constantine, as it got cancelled last year, but it would fall just above LoT in that list.

I only follow a few. Completely enjoy Flash. Arrow I enjoyed season One since it somethings surprised me. Now repetitive darkness. Watched my first Supergirl the other week. Reminds me too much of Smallville. Legends of Tomorrow has its okay episodes and its =mew= episodes. Hoping to get Gotham on disc to check it out soon. Saw the first episode of Lucifer and thought lame.

Walking Dead is also a comicbook TV show and I like it but don't watch it weekly.

Here's my ranking:

-Daredevil (I haven't yet seen Jessica Jones)
-Arrow
-Flash
-iZombie
-Agent Carter (was higher in its first season)
-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I know it's animated, but I had to include it.)
-Legends of Tomorrow (I'd put Constantine around here)
-Supergirl
-Lucifer
-Agents of SHIELD (dropped this season)
-Gotham (dropped this season)

Not following: Walking Dead, Powers, Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, Teen Titans Go, Guardians of the Galaxy

I tend to prefer street-level superheroes, as well as gradual character development with a few genuine plot twists. I could do without the procedural or tortured romance threads in many recent shows.

Other things I look for in shows are good fight choreography (like Arrow, Into the Badlands), a serious approach to the source materials (Daredevil, The Expanse, Man in the High Castle), an understanding of genre tropes (Legends of Tomorrow, Penny Dreadful), and a sense of humor amid whatever darkness (iZombie, Grimm). A little heart or sincerity (Supergirl, Galavant) goes a long way. Too many shows are trying too hard to be like the bloody and popular Game of Thrones (Vikings) or their direct predecessors (Heroes Reborn).

Still, we can't complain -- there's something for everyone, from gritty vigilantes and brightly costumed crimefighters to time/dimension-hopping explorers and deconstructionist antiheroes! There are more genre TV shows to choose from than even in my childhood in the 1970s....

I have to admit that the Flash, Arrow, Gotham, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow aren't on my viewing list.

I tried two episodes of Gotham, and just couldn't get past how it means most of Batman's villains are 20+ years his senior. I'm told by folks whose judgement I trust say that LoT is *bad*. I have friends who swear by Arrow (but it sounds very much like a standard CW relationship drama, but with some superpowers. Not sure I want to bother.) I have heard good things about the Flash, and intend to give it a go at some point. On the fence about whether I care about Supergirl.

As for what I do watch...

Jessica Jones was probably the most impactful superhero drama I've ever seen. Daredevil is not far behind, and I'll continue watching the Netflix shows based on those, even if they did miss an opportunity in their casting of Iron Fist.

I like Agent Carter. I admit to liking some of Agents of Shield - even if some of the characterization is weak, other bits are strong, and I'm kind of stuck on wanting to know what happens next. But it is low on my list, and I typically save it as my summertime "the wife is out and I want to watch something we don't normally watch together" show.

I have watched a couple episodes of Lucifer, and liked them well enough that I'll keep watching a few more. It fits in the "procedural with banter" slot I like to fill. I am not sure it qualifies as "superhero" show. It is more urban fantasy in my book.

iZombie, that edemaitre mentioned, is an awesome show. It is, in many ways, what Dollhouse should have been if it were part-comedy and the main actress could, you know, act. I am not sure it fits in the "superhero" genre either, though.

When comes to continuity I ignore it. Otherwise there is keeping track of Silver Age/ Modern age /Post Crisis / Post Flashpoint time lines just from the DC world of comic books then TV, Movies and their reboots, and cartoon series.

I just enjoy each for what they are and treat them as individual and separate stories.

Otherwise its like arguing about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, Pathfinder and all the other fantasy game mechanics.

I don't have Netflix..... will they ever put their shows on DVD? Really want Daredevil and Alias.

Jessica Jones - agreed its best of them
The Flash - I still like the tone, but admit Daredevil had a better story
Daredevil - looking forward to season 2
Agent Carter - I agree good cast but some plodding
Supergirl - its nice but too much superman lite (they've done both Bizarro and For the Man who has everything)
Agents of SHIELD - gotten much better (I stopped watching season 1 and came back once Daisy got powers)
Arrow - I think the story has reached its conclusion, 1 more season and it should end.
Legends of Tomorrow - I watch it every week to see if its going to improve, but so far only Routh and Miller are interesting
Lucifer - seen one episode
Gotham - watched season 1 and stopped, should I go back for more?

This is just the (mostly) current crop of Live-Action shows.
(It would take WAY too long to adjudicate animated shows!!)

• The Flash- I love my super-heroes 4-color. I’m not “Anti” Grim-n-gritty by any means, but this hits the right spot for me.
• Supergirl- As above. And I’m a big fan of Jeremy Jordan (Winn); he was in the Broadway production of “Newsies” and the film adaption of “The Last Five Years”.
• Agent Carter- They really capture the period drama well, and Haley Atwell totally shines.
• Lucifer- The comic book run is one of my favorite long-form comic sagas; the show is not quite as good, but Tom Ellis really shines in the title role.
• Gotham- I just like this; it’s not great, but it really sucks me in every week.
• Legends of Tomorrow- Not great, but FUN. (It’s kind of like watching a weekly Superhero RPG.)
• Arrow- Stephen Amell has improved over the seasons, but he’s still way too wooden for me. And I’m over the “Ollicity”. And now with Colton Haynes only recurring (at best) as Arsenal, it’s even less appointment television than ever for me.
• Jessica Jones- No doubting the quality of the show. But it’s just not my cup of tea particularly.
• Daredevil- As above.
• Agents of Shield- This show is all over the map, and not in a good way, and it’s WAY too beholden to the MCU. (Brett Dalton is one of the redeeming qualites of the show; another actor I’m a big fan of.)
• Smallville- I love Superman. And I watched this show to the bitter end. But it jumped the shark REALLY early in it’s run.

Note that I watch(ed) other shows (iZombie, Constantine, Walking Dead, etc.) that are comics-based that I ‘m not counting on this list as “Superhero” shows.

megamania said:

I don't have Netflix..... will they ever put their shows on DVD? Really want Daredevil and Alias.

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Some are at least: Orange is New Black & House of Cards....

But I don't think there's much reason for them to do that. Netflix is cheap enough, & all of the episodes are released on the same day. So now with 3 shows I want to watch (HoC, DD, JJ), another coming (IF), & one maybe (Orange)? I can sign up for a month or two, watch everything, & cancel - cheaper than I could get any one season of whatever on disc. Sure, this also applied when I was only watching Cards. I was just too lazy to do it for 1 show. If I saw a new season at the store I'd pick it up. But 4+ shows.... Coming very soon is a Netflix subscription.

Now if only HBO would do this. They almost never have more than 1 show I want to watch going at a time. And I just can't bring my self to pay THAT much for 1 show.
(I dislike their disc prices too, but that's usually my cousins worry come Christmas time each year )

My own superhero show ranking (of what I've watched):
Flash - very comic book like
Supergirl - very comic book like
Agent Carter - I liked season 1 a bit more than 2.
Arrow? SHIELD? - these 2 keep flip flopping
Gotham - I've seen a handful of episodes. But I just can't get into a show about Batman's villains 10+ years before BM enters the scene. I watch/read BM stuff for Batman.

Umbran said:

I have friends who swear by Arrow (but it sounds very much like a standard CW relationship drama, but with some superpowers. Not sure I want to bother.)

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Don't bother, you're absolutely correct: it's a tediuos, standard CW show with good-looking actors and inversely atrocious acting.

I haven't seen either Daredevil or Jessica Jones, but I'm quite sure I'd enjoy them.

I prefer Agents of Shield over any of the CW shows, but it's still not a show I'd call 'good'. It's usually fun, though.

Lucifer sounds at least a bit interesting, since it's based on Neil Gaiman's character from the Sandman comics.

I thought, I'd enjoy Gotham, but I felt it was pretty boring and I hated some of the characters (Fish!), so I stopped watching after a few episodes.

I used to watch Arrow & Flash but just couldn't stand either after a while. Hence, I'm skipping anything from CW: Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, etc.