How do you possibly decide what to spend your money and your time on with so many movie and TV offerings in the world? Every company has a full docket of new releases on the big and small screen, but we are going to hone in on the DC Entertainment Universe and see where it is heading… and if we want to follow.
DC Comics has arguably some of the most complex and longest lived stories in all of comic book history. From Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, to the Swamp Thing, Zatanna, and Constantine, there are certainly a wide variety of stories to chose from, and storied characters.
The DC TV Universe is solid, at least so far, with the CW’s heaping helping of heroes. Green Arrow, The Flash, Black Lightning, The Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, create a great foundation for this part of the entertainment universe. The shows range from more light and comedic (Legends) to much darker (Arrow), from girl power (Supergirl) to electric power (Black Lightning). Each show survives on its own merits, but they also play well together, except for Black Lightning, so far.
I have finished watching the last seasons of each of the shows, and the am working through the current season of Black Lightning, which is really good with the creation of metas in the town having been caused by a drug provided to children through vaccines back in the 1960s-70s and now through a street drug called Greenlight. Add to the the Sange and Perdi, two clans of meta(-ish?) people battling each other for supremacy. There are a lot of racial overtones in the show, which is good, and the issues they are dealing with are real ones, besides the facts they have powers, but, in the end, everyone can relate if they have ever felt different or excluded or bullied or just out of place.
I have to wait till the shows come onto Netflix, but who knows what will happen in the coming seasons with the introduction of DC’s new DC Universe, the streaming service with all the new shows like Titans, Swamp Thing, and Doom Patrol, as well as many of the animated films and live action and animated TV shows of the past. Have a hankering for some Linda Carter or George Reeves playing the heroes? You got it. John Wesley Shipp as the Flash way before he was Barry’s dad? Yep, that is there, too. You can even read comics! Pretty cool idea, unless you are already paying for Netflix and Hulu, like I do.
As the other shows wrap their seasons in the coming months, we want to look forward. Black Lightning has already been renewed for Season 3. Arrow was just announced renewed for Season 8 on the CW. Supergirl will be back for Season 5 and Flash returning for season 6. We can expect the DC Legends of Tomorrow back for another season, as well.
With all of this, you have to consider the plethora of content that DC has committed to the television arena. If you are not watching these, you should at least give them a try. and tune in for part two where we talk about the DC Movie Universe.
