From Saturday morning cartoon shows to live action rehashings, millions of people around the world hold comic book television series close to their heart. Some shows become a part of overall pop culture, such as The Walking Dead, which is still referenced and understood by people who have never even watched an episode. Other series, such as Daredevil, delivered what can be considered the pinnacle of superhero television action sequences. In the last decade, the comic book madness has exploded into a constant stream of new content. That means there is also a steady output of garbage mixed in there as well. We can herald The Flash and Arrow, but at the same time, we know that Iron Fist and Inhumans had no business being created.
Despite the lake of bricks out there, there are the superhero television shows that we will never forget. The series that made us run around with towels as capes as kids, or that have us binge-watching Netflix after coming home from our 9 to 5 jobs. Some of them are classic, and helped define our imaginations. Others are still on television unraveling storylines that keep us coming back for more. From classics like the animated X-Men series to the more recent masterpiece Legion, here is our list of the best comic book televisions shows.
Smallville
Premiere Year: 2001
Seasons: 10
A decade of Smallville set the stage for the line of CW DC shows on the air today. Young Clark Kent must maneuver high school as his powers begin to manifest. Lex Luthor begins as a close friend, giving the series a new twist that helped flesh out some of the best character stories in DC television. The show got a bit corny around the 8th season, but it still trudged on for another two years to close out the story of Young Clark and introduce Superman.
Agents Of Shield
Premiere Year: 2013
Seasons: 6
The MCU expanded to ABC television in 2013 and has been the most successful TV series in the franchise. Unlike the canceled Netflix shows, or the good but underperforming Hulu and Freeform Marvel shows, Agents Of Shield has been going strong with both content and reviews. The series was originally grounded in the identity of the MCU and Phil Coulson, but as the series matured it created its own niche that functions very well without constant connection to the big screen counterparts.
Justice League
Premiere Year: 2001
Seasons: 2
While the highly popular Justice League Unlimited had more episodes, the OG Justice League show deserves the spot on this list. This animated series brought together Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Hawkgirl. The series re-introduced a generation to DC heroes, and was so popular Cartoon Network launched the continuation series Unlimited to further the stories of the League. The most important takeaway from this show was a new, African American Green Lantern, who became an immediate fan favorite.
Arrow
Premiere Year: 2012
Seasons: 7
Other than the fact that it feels like Arrow utilized Batman’s rogues' gallery, this series is heralded by comic fans. Much like another hero in the DC Universe, Oliver Queen is a wealthy man by day, and masked vigilante by night. Queen was stranded on an island, where he learned how to survive and become the hero of Starling City. The superhero tropes are heavy in this series, but if you can get over them, Arrow features strong performances from the core cast and enough action and twists to keep you glued to the television screen.
The Flash
Premiere Year: 2014
Seasons: 5
Barry Allen wasn’t the most popular hero before being brought to life in the DC television universe. The Scarlet Speedster got the respect he deserved with The Flash series though. The trauma of losing his mother as a child pushed Barry to become a detective, and then a hero. After being blessed with the power of super speed due to the Speed Force, Allen decides to save the world from others who wield the same power for evil. The Flash is the best DC live action show, and its success allowed the CW to branch out even further with Legends Of Tomorrow, Black Lightening, and Supergirl.
The Walking Dead
Premiere Year: 2010
Seasons: 9
Despite the descent into mediocrity in the last 2-3 years, The Walking Dead is one of the most wildly successful comic book TV series of all time. It launched as a horror survival show, but matured into much more over its nearly 10-year span. Rick Grimes and his crew of survivors battle zombies, cannibals, tyrants, politicians, and each other while trying to find a place to call their home. The show reached its heights between 2011-2017, but halfway into the Negan storyline, the show ran off the rails quite a bit. Not to worry though, the new season of TWD has breathed new life into the series.
Legion
Premiere Year: 2017
Seasons: 2
This series is based on Charles Xavier’s son, David Haller, who is a villain in the comic books. Legion is deliciously dark and wildly entertaining. The show is shot from the perspective of Haller, who believes he has a mental illness. This causes a very splintered and fragmented form of storytelling. If you don’t know what the hell is going on halfway into the season… don’t be alarmed. This show ties everything together in the final few episodes, offering imaginative conclusions to storylines and character development. Aubrey Plaza deserves every award for her performance on this show.
X-Men: The Animated Series
Premiere Year: 1992
Seasons: 5
The theme song of this show alone will excite comic book fans. The X-Men series of the ’90s brought several iconic storylines to life with a newly revamped team of mutants. In the early ’90s, Marvel had done a massive makeover with the X-Men which included iconic costume changes (Wolverine’s yellow outfit, Cyclops' yellow and blue costume, Storm’s all-white attire), new heroes, and new villains. From Dark Phoenix to Apocalypse, Sinister to the Sentinels, this series hit all of the high notes from the comic book with precision and efficiency.
Daredevil
Premiere Year: 2015
Seasons: 3
Matt Murdock got some redemption from Marvel after the horrific Ben Affleck film of the early 2000s. This time, Charlie Cox brought a truly dark and haunting tone to the Man Without Fear. His talent as the hero was matched by Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, which was one of the best live-action Marvel villains of all time. Over the three seasons, the scope of Matt’s adventures get bigger, but the second season was the absolute peak of Netflix Marvel shows. It introduced The Punisher and Elektra, with the former getting a spinoff show of his own as well.
Batman: The Animated Series
Premiere Year: 1992
Seasons: 5
Batman: The Animated Series introduced an entire generation to the mysterious vigilante. While prior generations had to live through the bright and colorful Batman of the 70s (RIP Adam West), Batman debuted in 1989 in theaters, and Batman: The Animated Series launched three years later. The darker, more brooding, take on Batman brought things back to his original design before the mass censorship of the comic book industry. The Animated Series is the pinnacle of superhero shows. It was well written and the actors’ voices are ingrained into every 90’s kid’s memory. Mark Hamill’s iconic Joker laugh set the tone for decades, and the perfect integration of horror, noir, and action makes this show the best superhero series of all time.