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 ofCloak and Dagger, the end of an era withDaredevilcoming to a close (along withIron FistandLuke Cage), and anElseworldscrossover 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 FistandInhumans.
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 listhere, and be aware that there may be some potential plotspoilersif 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 ofKrysten Ritter’sJessica, 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 Jonesstalls 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’sCloak 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 Giftedis a strange duck. It feels a lot like a 90sX-Mencomic 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 aDavid Simonproduction, 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
Status: Renewed for Final Season
Gothamis 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),Gothamdoes 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.Cagewas 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 ofLuke Cagealso 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 thatThe Flashwas 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 foranother season next yeardespite 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-trueS.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,Kryptonmanaged 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 aSupermanfeature film, not a Syfy original series. There are certainly some rough edges toKrypton, but it almost feels like an elevated version ofGotham, for what that’s worth.
Network:DC Universe
Well, I’m certainly willing to eat some crow every once in awhile. Landing with a whimper and a growling Robin exclaiming, “Fuck Batman”,Titanswas 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,Titansactually 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
It’s pretty clear thatThe Tickhas zero budget when you watch it, or at the very least, isn’t anywhere on par with something likeKrypton, 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 SerafinowiczandGriffin Newmanabsolutely kill as the Tick and Arthur, respectively, and their character chemistry is off the charts.Jackie Earle Haleyalso gives an uproarious performance as the Terror, managing to blend villainy and hilarity with a machine gun spray of puns. you may tell that everyone working onThe Tickloves the project, and that fun is infectious. It has also created thesecondbest representation of the Tick this far (behind the Fox animated series, of course).
