Superhero films have become the biggest genre in the modern film industry. This genre has the ability to draw in between $600 million and over a $1 billion with one movie, and the film studios involved with their production are laughing all the way to the bank in most cases. The quality of the genre has significantly increased in recent times with such critically acclaimed films like Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," Joss Whedon's 'The Avengers," and James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy." The genre shows no signs of slowing down as Warner Brothers has announced its slate of almost a dozen DC Comics-based films between now and 2020, starting with "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" next year. Marvel Studios has also announced its slate of films for the third phase of its Cinematic Universe, and so has 20th Century Fox, which also has quite a number of upcoming releases based on the Marvel properties it owns. However, superheros aren't taking over just the big screen; they are also impacting the small screen in big ways as well. From a crimson speedster to a blind butt-kicker, TV has never been this super. Here are five amazing superhero TV shows you should be watching:
"The Flash"
When it was announced that the CW was developing a Flash spin-off from its popular superhero series "Arrow," it was met with mixed reactions from fans. Many were excited that Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) would be brought into live-action media, but many also felt that the character deserved his own film rather than a TV show. Nevertheless, the show premiered to the highest ratings ever on the CW since the network's inception and held up as the highest rated show on the network for the entire 2014-2015 season. The show proved a hit with fans, and not only did it explore massive story lines from the Flash's comic book lore, but it also offered a lighter tone when compared to the CW's moody "Arrow." The second season premieres in October (at the time of this writing) and plans to introduce more speedsters like the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick and Wally West, known to many comic book fans as Kid Flash.
Marvel's "Agents of SHIELD"
Coming off the success of the first Avengers film, Marvel announced that they would be developing a TV show set in the same cinematic universe and chronicling the adventures and personal lives of SHIELD agents. The first season of the show struggled to find its footing, and many fans were left disappointed as the show wasn't quite what they had expected. But after the fall of SHIELD in 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the show found its tone and its footing, and its quality has improved exponentially. With the advent of the Inhumans and more superpowered characters, the show is now delivering to the audience what they expected when they first signed on. With the third season set to explore the Secret Warriors story line from the comics, fans are eagerly anticipating its return.
Marvel's "Daredevil"
Capitalizing on the Netflix model of binge-watching, "Daredevil" catapulted onto screens this past spring. The show, set in the same Marvel cinematic universe, explores the dark and gritty side of Hell's Kitchen, New York, and the blind lawyer who makes it his mission to save it from the criminal underworld. Charlie Cox plays Matt Murdock, who with his super-enhanced senses fights crime by night and manages his law office by day. The series, which has been critically acclaimed, is the first in a string of superhero shows on Netflix that chronicles the adventures of Marvel's street-level superheroes before their big team-up in the Netflix miniseries "The Defenders." One scene in particular that has been highly praised is the epic hallway fight scene that was done in a single continuous shot (see video above). The second season premieres in 2016.
"Arrow"
Kicking off its fourth season this week, "Arrow" tells the tale of rich boy and vigilante Oliver Queen, who comic fans will know as Green Arrow. The show, which premiered in 2012, took quite a few liberties with its source material in its earlier season but has been playing closer to canon in recent seasons. The tone of the series is much darker than the other superhero shows on broadcast TV, in the vein of Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. The show has been a constant hit for the CW and has been the progenitor of two spinoff series so far: "The Flash" and the upcoming "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." With a whole team of heroes, a new costume, and a new outlook on life, Oliver Queen seems ready to finally adopt the Green Arrow moniker when the fourth season premieres.
Marvel's Avengers Assemble
Want something to hold you over until the next Avengers team up on the big screen? Then this show is perfect for you. This animated series chronicles the adventures and personal lives of the Avengers that audiences have come to know and love from the films. The animation style is beautiful, and it not only captures the tone of the films, but serves to explore more story lines from the comics that only a serialized weekly show could deliver (as opposed to a movie every three years). The next Avengers meet-up on film should occur next year in "Captain America: Civil War," in which Earth's mightiest heroes are poised to fight each other. But between then and now, you can catch up with their adventures (and get more acquainted with new team member Ant-Man) on Disney XD.
Who knows how long the superhero mania will last, Steven Spielberg recently said that superhero movies will soon go the way of the Westerns. But whether it is a fad or not, the TV side of superhero portrayals show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. "Supergirl" premieres on CBS this fall, "Jessica Jones" starts streaming on Netflix this November, and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" starts next Spring on the CW.
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