Superhero series seem to become more ubiquitous with each passing year. The cape and cowl genre as a whole has become the fastest growing and most popular in the last 20 years of cinema, thanks in no small part to the rise of the MCU on the big screen. It’s the small screen where the action continues, able to better flesh out costumed heroes over multiple seasons of in-depth storytelling.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: PENNYWORTH
If you’re not watching Pennyworth, the origin series about Batman’s famous butler, you need to adjust your bat channel. The gritty spy thriller follows a young Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) as he maneuvers from life in the British special forces to starting his own security company. While orbiting England’s criminal underworld, he encounters a certain American billionaire.
But this isn’t just the story of Alfred’s association with Thomas Wayne, but how Alfred came to acquire the personal traits and skills we associate with him in the capacity of Bruce Wayne’s valet. Solid acting, a complex storyline, and swinging ’60s flair make this a refreshing addition to all the cape and cowl fare. Season 2 premiers on Epix in the Fall of 2020.
NOT: JUPITER’S LEGACY
Jupiter’s Legacy, based on Mark Millar’s series of the same name for Image Comics is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in 2020, and the preliminary buzz doesn’t look good. The series will focus on the children of Earth’s first generation of superheroes, struggling to live up to their parent’s legacy.
It remains to be seen if this series will be as campy as Disney’s The Descendants (about the offspring of Disney villains), or if it will channel the edginess of most of Millar’s work. So far, Stephen DeKnight has already exited as showrunner before the launch, and the first round of photos from the set looked lacking.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: TITANS
The gritty (while also ridiculous) Titans has seen a return to form for content featuring live-action versions of Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire, and the other teen titans. The series has followed Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) and his superhero team for two seasons so far, putting him up against villains like Deathstroke.
Season 2 saw some pretty super-sized moments, including Grayson being held responsible for the death of Jericho Wilson, the team going their separate ways, and the debut of a new Bruce Wayne/Batman (played by Game of Thrones star Ian Glenn). Season 3, the plot details of which haven’t been revealed, will debut in Fall of 2020 on DC Universe.
NOT: SUPERMAN AND LOIS
Fans of the Big Blue Boyscout have enjoyed his appearances on CW’s Supergirl beginning in Season 2, where he’s been played by Tyler Hoechlin for the last several seasons and appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths, the epic Arrowverse crossover featuring dozens of famous DC superheroes and villains.
Lois Lane, Superman’s longtime love interest was featured in Crisis, and already there’s talk of a Superman and Lois series for 2020 revolving around Supe and Lois as new parents. This is underwhelming for several reasons, least of which because fans felt Smallville’s Tom Welling deserved better, and because a slice-of-life Lois and Clark series already aired in the ’90s. With all the new superhero content being released, this seems like a retread.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: STARGIRL
By now we’ve all ooh-ed and aah-ed over the trailer for Stargirl, the latest superhero series coming to DC Universe and the CW in 2020. It follows Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), a young sophomore trying tohttps://screenrant.com/tag/stargirl/ navigate high school and her relationship with her step-dad (Luke Wilson), who she has no idea used to be a superhero sidekick.
When he happens upon an anti-gravity cosmic staff, the weapon once wielded by Starman (Joel McHale), she soon finds that she has unexpected powers of her own. She gets introduced to the Justice Society of America, which features Lou Ferrigno, Jr. (aka the son of the original Hulk!) as Hourman, who’s a chemist with the ability to acquire super strength for only an hour a day.
NOT: GREEN ARROW AND THE CANARIES
As Arrow, the CW’s flagship superhero series comes to an end in its eighth season, the ninth episode will serve as a pilot for the spin-off series that will take its place: Green Arrow and the Canaries. It’s set to premiere in 2020, but take place in 2040.
Arrow already introduced us to one of its stars in season 7 - the grown-up daughter of the Green Arrow and Black Canary, Mia Smoak. This mostly female-led series is going to focus on the future Team Arrow, along with two Black Canaries Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake. Mia’s on-screen character hasn’t been very impressive, and we would have preferred Connor Hawke or Olivia Queen in a series if the Green Arrow franchise needs to continue.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
It comes as no surprise that we’re excited about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, starring Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon. Their onscreen chemistry throughout the Avengers series has been one of its many highlights.
The events of the show, which premiers exclusively on Disney+, will take place after Avengers: Endgame. The pair will face off against Baron Helmut Zero, the terrorist behind the Avengers breaking up in Captain America: Civil War, and encounter Sharon Carter (Peggy Carter’s niece), as well as a government-created successor to Captain America. The series will debut with six episodes.
NOT: BIZARROTV
DC Universe has recently announced BizarroTV, an anthology series named after the cube-shaped world in DC Comics where alternate versions of primary superhero storylines play out (similar to Marvel’s What If…). It’s also where the Superman villain Bizarro lives, portrayed as the exact opposite of Superman.
The show will include a mix of live-action, animated segments, puppets, and CGI, all featuring both recognizable and obscure DC characters. We imagine this could either be as groundbreaking as MTV’s Liquid Television Shorts, or go the way of the short-lived Swamp Thing. We are leaning towards the latter, especially if it isn’t properly marketed.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: THE BOYS
After Season 1’s spectacular and shocking finale, we can’t wait to see the ramifications of Homelander going rogue, the downfall of the Seven and Vought, as well as the revelation about Billy’s wife and son. They say never meet your heroes because you’ll see them for who they really are, but we can’t wait to reunite with them in 2020.
NOT: DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
Legends of Tomorrow has always been a risky series for CW. Out of all the Arrowverse lineup, it consistently has some of the lowest ratings while simultaneously being the most expensive. Each season has featured a recognizable DC character being introduced only to leave by the next season, creating a lot of discontent among fans.
Fans that love it for its ridiculous, over-the-top story arcs, random interjection of aliens, and reinstatement of John Constantine will praise Beebo that it’s back, but the rest of us will just wonder if it’s worth putting in the effort season after season.
