Poll: Best DC TV Superhero Show

[Snarf Zagyg]

Look, the MCU gets all the cred, and for a good reason. It makes the major money.

And then, coming in a little later, there is the DC Universe, wherein people argue about the Zac Snyder Cut, and the benefits of grimdark v. Wonder Woman, and what happened with the whole Nolan Trilogy, and so on.

But flying almost silent underneath it all is the sprawling Berlantiverse. The gigantic DC Comics Empire on television. Which gets very little street nerd cred despite being approximately 347% of the non-Riverdale CW Schedule (numbers are approximate). I understand why; it's not super-faithful to the comics. It's more soap-y than prestige. And, of course, the whole DC Universe on TV looks like Canada, but filled with super attractive people, instead of Moosehead-swigging hockey players.

EVEN SO! I wanted to put up a poll in light of the one by Morrus to identify the most popular DC TV Superhero show. I was going to do hero (J'onn J'onzz for the win!) but there are a LOT that have cameos. So just TV shows.

Rules:
This is for the Arrowverse/Berlantiverse, so:
Arrow
The Flash
Supergirl
Legends of Tomorrow
Black Lightning
Batwoman
Stargirl
Doom Patrol
Titans


Not included:
Viven (web series), Freedom Fighters (Web Series), Superman & Lois (not aired), Constantine (not Berlanti-if you have to, vote for him for his role on LoT), Lucifer (cameo isn't enough).

Also not included even though I thought it would be?
Swamp Thing (not Berlanti, not even as a producer).

 

[TwoSix]

Legends, and it's not close. Beebo forever!

 

[Morrus]

I used to watch most of them. I'm down to Titans, Supergirl and Stargirl now.

I liked Arrow, though it got a little boring in later seasons. Flash is very mopey (the first season was fun though). Legends of Tomorrow doesn't really work for me, and I quit on it a year or two ago (there was one period when they were like meeting George Lucas and stuff, which I liked; but then it went into a 'magic' theme which I did'nt like so much). I like Titans OK.

Supergirl and Stargirl are fun and optimistic. Though Supergirl is losing that quality as time goes on. I'm hoping the new Superman & Lois show is good.

Batwoman was not great (the little I saw of it). Haven't seen Black Lightning or Doom Patrol.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I had a really hard time.

I was able to remove Titans (too Titan-y). Stargirl (too new). Doom Patrol (haven't gotten around to it yet).

Leaving just the classic Berlanti shows.

The first elimination was The Flash. The first season of it was SO GOOD, but it's just way too time-y wimey, way too Barry whiney, and just not very interesting now.

Second? Black Lightning. Love the concept. Love the show. Powerful stuff in it, but while the social stuff is great, the plots aren't great (IMO).

Third was Batwoman. I really like the first season ... I even started to not hate Ruby Rose's acting (I know?!?). It's really good. But it's one season only, and it's already lost Kate Kane. OOF!

Now it's really hard. Of the ones remaining.....

Okay, I guess the OG goes next. RIP Arrow. RIP Salmon Ladder. You will always have a place in my heart.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I place Supergirl above Arrow. It may never again reach the heights of the first season with Calista Flockhart, but man, they've really kept it (mostly) light and also very relevant with the cast and overall plots.

Which leaves .... LEGENDS! Any show that can pull of a Bollywood homage has to win, right?

 

[Wolfram stout]

I voted Arrow, but the last two seasons were a bit of a struggle for me.

The first 3 seasons of Flash I loved, even with the Time-Whamm-ness and mopey-ness. But I think the writers boxed themselves in too much season after season. Team Flash would learn the big bad very early in a season then spend 16-17 episodes running up against brick walls, then pull something out of the hat in the last 1/2 of the last episode.

I really liked the first two seasons of LoT, but then they got super-silly, and it was not my cup of tea.

 

[Hriston]

Smallville

 

[Orcslayer78]

For me there is a very simple requirement to be a good super hero show. The show is about Superheroes and Supervillains, do they wear their costumes? And how faithful to the comics are these costumes?

Sadly a lot of modern series today leave the costume aside, or they don't have any costumes (Iron Fist, even if from Marvel, is a good example), or only the heroes have costumes (The Arrowverse has often this problem) or they are very shy with the costumes, showing them in the final episodes only (like Teen Titans, especially in the second season).

For me the quintessential DC TV series from which everyone have to learn is only one: Batman '66. The series is just perfect: the heroes always wear their costumes while in action, the villains as well, costumes which are very faithful to the comic books, you can recognize immediately who's who. Also there are bat gadgets and bat vehicles and goons and fights.

For now, looking at every DC modern tv series of these years I can say that the series which has really learned Batman '66's lesson is Stargirl, good story and no costume shyness, both heroes and villains wear their costumes while in action.

 

[Eltab]

+1 for the old Batman.
Best line: Batman and Robin are chasing Joker through a museum. Joker had earlier smashed a Louis XIV table and poured paint on it, in the name of 'modern art'. Robin enters the room, sees the mess, and asks "What did the table ever do to him?"

 

[Orcslayer78]

+1 for the old Batman.
Best line: Batman and Robin are chasing Joker through a museum. Joker had earlier smashed a Louis XIV table and poured paint on it, in the name of 'modern art'. Robin enters the room, sees the mess, and asks "What did the table ever do to him?"

If the scene was shot today the only answer would be: "The table was offensive"

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

+1 for the old Batman.

Immutable Instruction of Internet Interrogatories

If you propose a poll of any category, within the first page, people will immediately begin suggesting things outside of the category.

Ex.

What is Your Favorite TV Show From The 80s?

Comment 1: You know what, the 80s were blah. The best TV show was ALL IN THE FAMILY!

Comment 2: Total Recall!