It truly is the age of subversive TV shows, and why not? Life is a bit messy ( the understatement of the century), so it’s easy to understand why audiences are drawn to flawed characters, dipped in realism — and this includes superheroes. Here’s the thing; for the most part, the big screen solely features squeaky clean superheroes. It's true! God-complex or not, most blockbusters are characterized by larger-than-life characters shaped by past traumas, just trying to shoulder the burden of superpowers (Tony Stark obviously didn’t get the memo). Caped Crusader, Man of Steel, and Captain America are the typical hero archetypes, cloaked in long-suffering and a strong sense of duty. Of course, this isn’t etched in stone, there is the occasional Deadpool, members of The Suicide Squad, and let’s not forget Kick Ass, but you have to admit that they don’t hold a torch to The Avengers saga.
Yet, it can be argued that some of the most well-rounded and relatable superheroes are on TV. Think about it, The Umbrella Academy, Doom Patrol, The Titans, The Boys, and many more are revolutionizing the way superheroes are perceived. Despite having a huge following, these shows aren’t considered big screen material. Don’t take it personally, most times it all boils down to hard currency. Not to point fingers but TV was a much safer bet for shows like Jupiter’s Legacy. Perhaps the hype about it was so monumental that it fell flat, or there was a typical case of overkill, but the show did not meet expectations. Despite its $200 million budget, shows like Shadow and Bone outperformed it using a monumentally lesser budget.
Developed by Steven S. DeKnight, the Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy attempts to examine the family and generational dynamics of a Superhero team called the Union of Justice. Think of it as The Umbrella Academy if it was five shades darker (yes, we know that’s practically midnight black). The show itself is centered around Sheldon Sampson (Josh Duhamel), the Utopian, and five other pioneer superheroes, who build their union on two ideals which are to never take a life and or interfere in political issues. They never counted on how those ideals, coupled with the sheer weight of being a superhero, would affect their friendships and familial relationships. It sounds like a great watch on paper, and boy did the trailer and teaser keep audiences on their toes. Yet, it fell flat to a point that Netflix didn’t renew it for a second season. Then again, this is an extreme point, typically new shows ease in with something within the range of a $50 million budget (meanwhile Shadow and Bone pulled it off with a $28 million budget, did someone say "impressive"?).
Here’s where this point is headed, imagine if Jupiter's Legacy was a big-screen production, they would have had to really bring out the big guns to ensure it was a Box Office hit. With the entire Avengers saga costing over $1 billion, it is evident that shelling out blockbusters requires deep pockets and, perhaps a more widely relatable storyline. You’ve got to admit that the niche nature of most of these superhero shows often works for and against them. Think about it for a second through some Legion-colored glasses, it's not for everyone. Some viewers liken the experience of watching it to tripping on narcotics, we’ll just have to take their word for it. What we can confirm is that the show does come off as incoherent, but its intricate nature simply means that it's not an easy watch — the viewers have to connect on a more intellectual level. As fun as it is to follow its premise, it scores zero in terms of mass likeability. 'Let's watch this new TV show so we can think deeply,' said very few people, ever.
Then there are shows like the Doom Patrol, with its dark humor and ‘reject mentality’, admittedly the first few episodes (or more) come off as gimmicky, and dare we say, spoofy. It really does take a patient superhero show buff to sit around until the characters become more wholesome. The Umbrella Academy tests viewer patience even more and definitely rubs a lot of people the wrong way. There are threads upon threads on how slow and anti-climactic it is. Guess what? The show is doing so well that the cast got a sizable pay bump before even filming season 3. In other words, slow, anti-climatic shows can garner a large loyal following.
A more obvious example is Black Lightning, anyone who has seen it knows it's part social movement, part superhero movie. Exploring themes like, police injustice, experimentation and drugs, parenting dynamics in the black community, and even racism, it is obvious that Salim Akil wanted to make a statement. Truthfully, this storyline is not as potent for some as it is for others, as it features certain elements that take a lot away in terms of mass appeal. Not everyone wants to be confronted by the socio-economic struggles of marginalized groups at such a close range, but best believe that TV is the perfect platform to transport these stories to the people that connect with them. Think about it — an entire intricate universe is woven to accommodate your specific preferences — the big screen does not have space for that. The bottom line is that it is much safer to play with these dynamics on TV because it creates a win-win situation for the producers and viewers.
Then again, TV is not just a great platform because it's cost-friendly, it's simply not as limiting when it comes to the content that could potentially top the charts. Viewers are at liberty to engulf themselves in intricate storylines that are a lot more controversial or, at the very least, unconventional. There is no better show to drive this point home than WandaVision. It's weird, warped, and as intricate as it gets. Exploring a whole other reality (and timeline) after the Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision uses the tool of storytelling to create something completely different from what Marvel Studios typically offers. It is expressive, and, dare we say, experimental as far as the genre is concerned. It just goes to prove that TV is a perfect canvas to throw paint at, once in a while you end up with a Monalisa, other times you get infantile finger painting. Either way, the aftermath is less life-altering.