DC TV has been at home on The CW for the network’s whole existence. From Smallville to Arrow, which of the DC TV shows are the best?
The CW Network first made its presence felt on TV screens back in 2016. A new network designed to take over from The WB and UPN, it hosted a lot of those stations’ programming. One of those shows was the former network’s Smallville, a superhero origin series about a young Clark Kent before he would ultimately become Superman.
The success of Smallville brought DC heroes back to the small-screen, with its successor Arrow spawning what is quite possibly the greatest shared universe on television. The Arrowverse paved the way for spinoffs The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and more. And even though it has all come to an end now, we wouldn’t be experiencing this wonderful superhero renaissance without them.
The era is unfortunately coming to an end, as The CW’s new owners Nexstar are controversially pivoting away from everything that worked for the network before. This has resulted in the cancellation of most DC shows and the end of the Arrowverse. There is just one DC show left on the network with Superman and Lois, and whenever that ends, the era will likely be over.
But what an era it has been. On that note, let’s reflect upon an incredible two decades of DC TV and rank all 11 of The CW’s superhero shows.
If you’re a fan of the Arrowverse, DC TV, or Superman and Lois, listen to The CW Spiral Podcast for news and updates on the genre. Subscribe to their YouTube Channel here.