20 best superhero TV shows of 2018, ranked

KRYPTON — “The Phantom Zone” Episode 110 — Pictured: (l-r) Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El, Ian McElhinney as Val-El — (Photo by: Steffan Hill/Syfy)

10. Krypton

Kicking off our Top 10 superhero TV shows is one of DC’s new arrivals this season, Syfy’s Krypton. The show had a lot to prove before it even debuted, given that previous Superman prequel Smallville is a beloved cult classic that hasn’t even been off the air for a decade yet. However, it did manage to prove itself, offering us something a little bit different from your modern-day superhero show, as the series is set on the Man of Steel’s home planet 200 years before its eventual destruction and follows the journey of his grandfather Seg-El.

What’s most interesting about the show is its ability to innovate continually, and it absolutely gets away with it because this is history that hasn’t been written yet. Much like DC’s Batman prequel, Gotham, the writers of Krypton have the freedom to rewrite Superman’s history because it’s set long before the superhero rises.

Focusing on Seg-El, the show tells the story of how the House of El were once outcast from Kryptonian society – a far cry from the royalty they are portrayed as in other adaptations. However, things change dramatically when a stranger from the future arrives and informs Seg about many of the significant House of El moments yet to come, particularly the explosion of Krypton and Seg’s own grandson’s modern-day antics as Superman. Thus, the protagonist finds himself torn between saving his people or altering his grandson’s heroic destiny.

With a refreshing look at an iconic mythos, and a compelling performance from Cameron Cuffe, Krypton has been a real delight this season and it has only scratched the surface of what it will hopefully achieve next year.