2. Smallville
Before Arrow, before The Flash, and before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was dominating movie theaters, there was Smallville. A series that flew the superhero flag at a time when costumed crimefighters were sparse on the small screen, the DC TV series focused on Clark Kent’s teenage years, showing us how he dealt with the highs and lows of high school all while trying to keep Smallville safe and figure out who he was destined to become.
The reason that Smallville worked so well in a non-superhero era of TV was down to how well it mixed genres. Yes, it was technically a superhero show, but a superhero show in the way that Buffy The Vampire Slayer was (without tights and capes). And it was, at its heart a teen drama and a family drama, both of which were staples of the early 2000s.
The show was a Superman story for a younger generation and it was incredibly successful, which isn’t surprising given how television appealed to teenagers. What it lacked in costumes, it made up for in heart, ensuring that you felt every last thing the characters were feeling when the creative team wanted you to.
Yes, it may have went on for too long and there are some of its seasons that completely missed the mark, but Smallville never stopped making us believe that a man could fly. And 10 seasons later, it finally happened.
Who knows where this superhero era would be without the young Man of Steel.