It’s that time of year again my friends! On the big screen this year, we’ve survived an Infinity War, a time-traveling soldier of fortune, a trip to Wakanda, but on the small screen, the comic book world has been chugging along all the same. 2018 saw the arrival of Cloak and Dagger, the end of an era with Daredevil coming to a close (along with Iron Fist and Luke Cage), and an Elseworlds crossover that was about as epic as you can get. This latest entry into the list of superhero shows of 2018 wasn’t too shabby and, as a whole, there certainly weren’t any series that were outright terrible; looking at you, Iron Fist and Inhumans.
While a few of the shows could be considered a slog, there were certainly more pros than cons this year, and now is as good a time as any to dip your toes into the world of “super shows” dotted all across the television landscape.
The following list includes all superhero shows airing in 2018. You can check out the final 2017 list here, and be aware that there may be some potential plot spoilers if you aren't fully caught up, so just scroll on by! Without further ado ...
16) Jessica Jones
Network: Netflix
Status: Renewed for Season 3
Jessica Jones’ first season was dark, riveting, and explored the theme of abuse with the conflict between Jessica and Kilgrave to near perfection, creating, arguably, the best season of a “superhero show” around. This go-round, Jessica struggles with her anger issues and the re-emergence of her mother, which of course leads into a deep dive into Jessica’s past. Meanwhile, Patsy struggles with her addiction to both narcotics and to the idea of power as her best friends rips down doors and punches villains through walls.
The season is entirely carried on the shoulders of Krysten Ritter’s Jessica, a character who simply oozes energy and charisma, while struggling with alcoholism and a sense of nihilism. Netflix has a serious problem with too many episodes of their Marvel series, with 13 clearly being too many per season to harbor one ongoing plot line. Jessica Jones stalls and desperately tries to keep things fresh throughout it's second season but to no avail as it just can’t come close to the first season's message.
15) Cloak and Dagger
Network: Freeform
Status: Renewed for Season 2
When you think about comic book superheroes, it’s safe to say that the first characters to your mind won’t be Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. Freeform decided to dip its toes into the shallows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the story of two teenagers from different walks of life who are bonded together by their powers of light and dark.
Ultimately, while the season manages to create some interesting characters within the backdrop of New Orleans, it fails to create an interesting mystery that the series hinges on throughout its opening ten episode salvo. It takes quite a while for any “powers” to really make themselves known within the first season and it certainly suffers in that regard when compared to its other heroic on-air counterparts. There’s good enough chemistry between our two protagonists, but the series always feels like there’s something missing; maybe that’s the lack of a truly charismatic, and/or dangerous, villain for them to really bounce off of. It’s a frustrating albeit decent series that just never manages to truly find its footing.
14) The Gifted
Network: Fox
Status: Currently in Season 2
The Gifted is a strange duck. It feels a lot like a 90s X-Men comic as there are about a hundred characters and a hundred plotlines battling for supremacy at any given time. In that respect, it tries to be akin to a David Simon production, except with, you know, people with the ability to create teleportation portals and lift metallic objects using only their mind. Unlike a Simon series though, many of the subplots fall flat, especially the storylines involving the Strucker twins.
This season promises to dive further into the character of Polaris, the maybe/maybe not daughter of Magneto, and the developing Hellfire Club. While the series does manage to utilize a ton of X-characters that would not appear otherwise (i.e., Stepford Cuckoos), it doesn’t manage to gel when it comes to storytelling.
13) Gotham
Network: Fox
Status: Renewed for Final Season
Gotham is a cold pizza on the morning following a heavy night of drinking. It's a Sunday afternoon where you decide to catch up on your favorite reality show rather than read the serious novel sitting on your bedside table. It is the guilty pleasure of superhero television, bless it, and it continued going hog-wild this season by introducing even more insane plotlines, most notably the reveal of the “real Joker.” With outside-the-box plotlines like Jerome infecting his twin brother posthumously with a virus to make him the Joker, and changing Butch into Solomon Grundy (which leads eventually into a “No Mans Land” tease), Gotham does manage to always subvert expectations, I just wish there was more to it besides crazy plotting. It’s a guilty thrill, always good for a laugh, but never really achieving a level past that.
12) Luke Cage
Network: Netflix
Status: Canceled
Luke Cage’s second season focused on Luke’s (Mike Colter) growing celebrity as the hero of Harlem, as well as introducing the villain known as Bushmaster. While B-Master is certainly head and shoulders above the disastrous Diamondback of Season 1, he wasn’t enough to save this new season from diving into familiar Netflix-Marvel pitfalls. Cage was once again hampered by a season that had to hit an episode number requirement, as many of Netflix’s other series have. But ultimately, it was helped along a little bit by a new villain and an intriguing finale that opened the door for what could have been some very interesting stories moving forward ... if Marvel hadn't canceled it.
Season 2 of Luke Cage also had the added bonus of finally figuring out what to do with Danny Rand (Finn Jones), practically redeeming the character by injecting humor and shining a spotlight onto the budding friendship between the Iron Fist and the man with steel skin. Misty Knight (Simone Missick) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) also added some punch to the season, but the monotony of the season overall definitely affected its place on this list.
11) The Flash
Network: CW
Status: Renewed for Season 5
Barry Allen returns with the STAR Labs gang in tow, welcoming to the series his time-stranded daughter from the future. Adding a new dynamic to the series with Barry and Iris stepping up to be parents, along with a new version of Wells that is a play on Sherlock Holmes of all things, this season attempts to bring us a new villain in the form of Cicada.
While there are strengths to this season, it is very “middle of the road” when it comes to so many elements that could return it to its former glory. Caitlin’s subplot with her father drags on forever with her Killer Frost half seemingly pushed to the limits of storytelling this go-round. Cisco honestly doesn’t have much to do after his break-up with Gypsy, and Ralph is just sort of around. Don’t even get me started on the absolutely hideous new costume that Flash is sporting this season. As I was writing this wrap-up for the year, I was honestly amazed as I began to realize that The Flash was the weakest offering of its CW brethren and I hope it manages to turn things around as the first half ends and 2019 begins.
10) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Network: ABC
Status: Renewed for a 6th (Shorter) Season
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the superhero show that never quits, managing to once again narrowly dodge the axe of cancellation and return for another season next year despite its low-rated Friday night timeslot. Following the amazing fourth season, the Agents were brought back once again, this time exchanging supernatural demon riders and Frameworks for aliens and future despotic timelines. While this season was serviceable in tried-and-true S.H.I.E.L.D. fashion, the overall theme and setting couldn’t hold a candle to the “mini-arc” structure of Season 4 and the excitement of the introduction of the Ghost Rider.
Regardless, the characters of Coulson, Daisy, May, Mack, Fitz, and Simmons, along with newcomers such as Deke, managed to work well off of one another while delivering what could have potentially been the show’s final season. This fifth season ultimately didn’t push its boundaries far enough, and certainly didn’t take enough risks with its initial outlandish premise to make it land higher than the middle of the superhero show pack.
9) Krypton
Network: Syfy
Status: Renewed for Season 2
Speaking of taking risks, Krypton managed to debut with a really solid first season, taking what should have basically been a humdrum affair and turning characters, and storylines, on their head. The story of Jor-El could have simply been a bland retelling of Superman’s home planet’s origin while throwing a bone or two to fans by giving them some winks and nods, brandishing the Superman logo whenever they could. Now, don’t get me wrong, these things still happen, but Syfy’s series also takes the opportunity to introduce plot elements such as Adam Strange and a time-traveling General Zod into the mix, along with a pitch-perfect interpretation of Braniac that you would expect to see in a Superman feature film, not a Syfy original series. There are certainly some rough edges to Krypton, but it almost feels like an elevated version of Gotham, for what that's worth.
8) Titans
Network: DC Universe
Status: Renewed for Season 2
Well, I’m certainly willing to eat some crow every once in awhile. Landing with a whimper and a growling Robin exclaiming, “Fuck Batman”, Titans was the DC Universe’s streaming app’s first outing in the land of live-action superheroics. Though originally promising to hit audience’s with yet another “grim and gritty” take on what should be characters rooted more in the comic book “silver age” than anything else, Titans actually managed to swing things around and deliver a first season that explores decent character development, nicely choreographed fight scenes, and a slew of Easter eggs for comic book fans looking for that from their superhero media. Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy help to create a shockingly solid season that manages to go toe to toe with the “big boys’ of live-action superhero fare.
7) The Tick
Network: Amazon
Status: Renewed for Season 2
It’s pretty clear that The Tick has zero budget when you watch it, or at the very least, isn’t anywhere on par with something like Krypton, but it makes up for this in spades by delivering a series chock full of laughs and plenty of heart. At the tail end of the first season, the Tick and Arthur are trying to save their world’s Superman, Superion, from being assassinated by “The Terror” while also dealing with a confused, naked thousand-foot-man (aptly called the VLM, Very Large Man), stumbling his way into chaos. This is without even mentioning the sentient boat that falls madly in love with Arthur, the talking dog who must be warned to prevent Superion’s death, or the crazed vigilante who actually dies in one episode but stays alive strictly thanks to “anger and adrenaline.”
Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman absolutely kill as the Tick and Arthur, respectively, and their character chemistry is off the charts. Jackie Earle Haley also gives an uproarious performance as the Terror, managing to blend villainy and hilarity with a machine gun spray of puns. You can tell that everyone working on The Tick loves the project, and that fun is infectious. It has also created the second best representation of the Tick this far (behind the Fox animated series, of course).
6) Arrow
Network: CW
Status: Renewed for Season 7
Arrow certainly tried changing things up this season and honestly, it's the better for it. Oliver Queen is now locked up in Supermax, side by side with the very villains he put away, no longer enjoying the title of mayor. The series also makes the inspired decision to have “flash forwards” rather than “flashbacks”, presenting us with characters and locales much different from what we are used to, and giving us some added enjoyment in seeing exactly how we end up getting from point A to point B. The twists and turns keeps things fresh, with Oliver ending up in a completely different place from the start of the season. Considering the past seasons of Arrow that we’ve seen, it's an accomplishment to say the least that I’m interested in seeing where everything ends up.
5) Supergirl
Network: CW
Status: Currently on Season 4
Supergirl, much like Arrow, really came out swinging this season, giving us episodes that delved deeply into race relations between two different species: humans and aliens of all kinds. Of course, a major linchpin to this confrontation is the reveal to the public that the President herself was in fact an alien, but it really goes to show just how original this season was in trying to present entirely new ideas.
Supergirl’s fourth season decides to tackle some big issues rather than simply going with the tried-and-true monster fight of the week, daring to step outside the box. Kara has come into her own, an inspiration closer to her cousin Superman than her CW cohorts and the show is made better for it. It helps to have her stand apart and create an exciting world that needed a shot in the arm; it certainly got it.
4) Black Lightning
Network: CW
Status: Currently for Season 2
Black Lightning! Man, I really dug this show. Offering a new perspective from the other CW shows we’ve seen so far, Black Lightning gives us a series with a one-time vigilante turned school principal struggling with the problems of his neighborhood and family. What makes this show unique is that we aren’t following around a youthful character/group of characters, but a mid-40s, tired superhero who has had enough of that life but is dragged back in due to circumstances outside of his control. The superheroics are the cherry on top of a series that really focuses on Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) and his family, including his attempts to rekindle his love with his ex-wife, be a father to his two daughters, and be a role model to his students.
If Black Lightning can be summed up in one word, it’s “refreshing.” I found this first season pretty reminiscent of Daredevil Season 1, with Tobias Whale taking the role of Kingpin, and Freeland taking the role of Hell’s Kitchen. Black Lightning manages to deliver a heartfelt, original story without getting hung up on a lot of the issues of other superhero shows do by delivering some exceptional storytelling and likable characters.
3) Legion
Network: FX
Status: Unknown
Legion continues to be a psychedelic, trippy experience that can almost hardly be called a “superhero show”. The further adventures of David and Division 3 manage to take their source material from the comics and expand upon them tenfold, with each episode offering a scene that, most likely, you’ve never seen on television before. I cannot tell you how many times I have watched the dance scene/astral plane fight between Legion and two of the minds of the Shadow King earlier in the second season, for example.
Legion manages to weave an intricate story while also delving into the theme of “madness” and “creeping dread” so successfully that you’ll be jumping at shadows after some of the episodes. While not entirely reaching the heights of the first season, Legion still manages to be one of the best shows on television period. It can sometimes be difficult to follow considering we’re talking about a show wherein a man wears a basket on his head while communicating with his three assistants who are robots taking the forms of mustached women, but that’s par for the course with this mindtrip. I cannot say enough good things about this one.
2) Legends of Tomorrow
Network: CW
Status: Currently in Season 4
Man alive, where did this show come from? Following a really good second season, Season 3 of Legends of Tomorrow leans in hard into what makes it so special: hilarious insanity. What other show out there has a time-traveling psychic gorilla attempt to kill a college age Barack Obama while trying to “Make America Grodd Again”? Where shows like Krypton and Gotham manage to lean into fun outlandishness, Legends of Tomorrow takes the wheel and steers, full throttle, directly into it. It's really almost impossible to try to count the number of ways the series creates amazing ridiculous scenarios and plays them out for a bewildered yet satisfied audience.
Keeping in mind the Obama vs Grodd fight, we also have episodes like “Beebo God of War”, an earlier episode wherein Isaac Newton becomes one half of Firestorm, and “Amazing Grace”, an episode that sees the team attempting to steal a “Death Totem” inside of Elvis Presley's guitar. These ideas are so harebrained that you can’t help but be transfixed to your television screen as the cast manages to create some great chemistry with one another to really hammer these plots home. There are also some scenes that I still marveled at, mind the pun, such as the incorporation of “Return of the Mack”, an episode featuring charismatic villain Damien Dahrk. I highly recommend you watch this season, even if you aren’t a Legends fan. If what I just described doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will.
1) Daredevil
Network: Netflix
Status: Sadly, Canceled
SIGH. Of course, the season that manages to fix all the problems of Marvel’s Netflix entries is also its last. Daredevil’s third season is a masterclass of television. Not a minute is wasted, all the side stories are interesting and characters both new and old manage to make exquisite arguments for their screen time. Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox find themselves on a crash course as Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock respectively, with the former gaining more and more power as the latter continues spiraling. The season also introduces us to Daredevil’s “Joker” in the form of Special Agent Poindexter, aka Bullseye. You may best remember Bullseye as portrayed by Colin Farrell in the 2003 major motion picture where he ate scenery faster than Matt Murdock’s love life running down the drain. While they still have “Dex” showing off the same sides of insanity here, they’re done much more subtly and more “down to earth”, giving the audience a surprisingly in-depth character that, dare I say, surpasses the comics.
While Daredevil was canceled, this season does a fantastic job of tying everything off before it's swan song and 100% deserves to be at the top of this list.
Bonus Holiday Mention: The CW's Elseworlds
Just had to give a shout out to what has to be, if nothing else, the most ambitious endeavor in superhero network storytelling. This series manages to, in no particular order: re-introduce John Wesley Shipp’s 80s Flash, turn Oliver Queen into The Flash and Barry Allen the Green Arrow, introduce the tenant DC supervillain Amazo, introduce Batwoman and Gotham City before she is given her own CW series, introduce the Monitor of Infinite Earths and Psycho Pirate, slap Superman into a black costume, and manages to juggle dozens of characters from three different TV shows. I get tired just thinking about it!
While this latest entry into the massive annual CW crossover isn’t as strong as last year’s “Crisis on Earth X”, the sheer enormity of this three-episode event must be respected. Bravo to the CW for swinging for the fences.
(Quick question: Are these crossovers really confusing for non-comic book people? Let us know in the comments!)
