Fall is just around the corner. Ok, for all intents and purposes, it’s here. That means that new TV is on the air, and right now, geeky TV is all the rage. A big portion of this new geeky TV is a bunch of shows based on material from comics, mostly superheroes. The two big comics publishers are presenting quite a bit of new material this fall, and a lot of it looks pretty good. While Marvel seems to own the summer box office, the small screen seems to be up for grabs. Here are the offerings from each company for the Fall:
DC
Arrow
This may be the best superhero themed show ever. Notice what I wrote there. Not just going on right now, or in recent memory, but EVER. It is well written, well acted and well produced. When this show premiered a couple of years ago, it took me a couple of weeks to really get into it, but once I was in, I was in. I like the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow character. He’s like a grittier, somehow darker version of Batman. Plus, even though he’s filthy rich, like Bruce Wayne, he seems more relatable. Plus, the growing supporting cast is pretty good too. This has a lot going for it, and as it continues to succeed, more money will go into it and it will only get better. Plus, Ra’s al Ghul. This is worth checking out for sure, and until I see something better, this is the champ of the comic book shows. Arrow: Season 3 premieres on the CW on October 8.
The Flash
Want to know if a show is doing well? One clue is if the studio behind it decides to make a spinoff. Enter The Flash, featuring a Barry Allen that we meet for the first time in Arrow during Season 2. This is the second full on super hero show that DC is bringing to the masses on the CW. It looks to be of the same quality as Arrow, so let’s hope it holds up, and maybe there are more shows coming down the pipe for us, based on more characters in the DC multiverse. The Flash is about a guy, Barry Allen who gets struck by lightning near some chemicals and this gives him super powers, as he becomes “the fastest man alive.” I love the Flash character in the comics. He was always upbeat, positive, a genuinely good guy, and I think this Barry Allen looks the part. Another interesting thing is that the show introduces us to the term metahuman, which is the DC version of people with super powers. I am excited to see where this new series takes us, and I hope it does well. The Flash also premieres on the CW on October 8.
Gotham
Gotham brings us the story of Gotham City and James Gordon before Batman. It gives us a glimpse of life in the city before Bruce Wayne grew up. It seems like we are going to get the back stories of some pretty nasty characters and see what life was like for a young Bruce Wayne just after his parents were murdered. From all of that, I feel like this is basically giving Batman the Smallville treatment. However, this has been getting rave reviews from critics, and geeks everywhere are anxiously anticipating the premiere of this series. One major difference between this show and Arrow and the Flash: Don’t expect to see the Dark Knight in costume, similar to what we saw with Smallville. The show still looks interesting, with plenty of very disturbing and fascinating supporting characters in the Batman universe. Gotham premieres Monday, September 22 on Fox.
Marvel
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents returns for round 2. This was a runaway hit last year for Marvel. Many people wondered how fans would respond when Marvel tried to bring their big screen world to the small screen, and people loved it. Of course, most of the season was partially building up to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, helping people to get excited for the new film. In return, the film rewarded the show by destroying the titular organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. I imagine that this season will deal with how these agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. go on in a post-S.H.I.E.L.D. world. The biggest draw for this show is the connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It builds on that hype, but really delivers little in the way of actual super powered people. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 premieres on Tuesday, September 23.
Agent Carter
Agent Carter from Captain America will also be getting her own series this fall. Late this fall. No trailer on this one, and not a lot of information, except that this series will follow the adventures of Agent Carter and Howard Stark. Fans have been excited about this idea for a while now, so there is a lot of buzz. The series, though, will not be starting with the rest of the fall bunch of shows. Instead, it will be premiering during Agents of SHIELD’s mid year break.
Lots to look forward to from the big comics studios. In addition to the shows listed here, DC’s Constantine will be premiering on NBC this fall, and the productions for Marvel’s NetFlix shows are moving forward. IT’s too bad that we have to wait for Daredevil and Ironfist on Netflix before we get a Marvel show about actual super heroes.
What do you think? What are some of the shows you are looking forward to this fall? Share your thoughts in the comments.
