UPDATED 2/26/2025
Warner Bros. Pictures’ plans for the DC Comics characters always seem in a state of flux — projects are announced and forgotten, release dates shift constantly, and any attempt to maintain a consistent universe seemingly falls by the wayside. DC’s previous small-screen Multiverse, on the other hand, appeared on firmer ground with long-running shows like Smallville and The CW’s The Flash, surprise successes like HBO Max’s Doom Patrol and Peacemaker, and beloved animated programs including Young Justice and Harley Quinn.
But things have changed. In summer 2022, DC’s new corporate parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, announced to investors a 10-year plan for the characters, with a heavy emphasis on theatrical features. The company’s long hunt for a mastermind (à la Marvel’s Kevin Feige) to take control of a brand reset for film and TV finally ended when James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed their duties as co-CEOs and chairmen at the newly formed DC Studios that November. Meanwhile, the sale of The CW television network to Nexstar Media Group seemingly ended the longstanding foothold for DC on broadcast TV. The last vestige of that era, Superman & Lois, concluded its network run on December 2, 2024.
Of course, the DC superheroes always bounce back from any crisis, so there is always hope to be found. But it is worthwhile to take stock of the series based on the characters currently airing and in development in light of WBD’s and DC Studios new plans. Will your favorites survive a seeming Zero Hour to become Legends in a new (52) environment? And what of the studio’s “Chapter One” roadmap to integrate some TV shows into the new DC Cinematic Universe (DCU)?Let’s take a look at what we know about the various DC TV series for more insight.
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Peacemaker
(Photo by HBO Max)
Status: Wrapped production; on target for a late 2025 releaseWhat We Know: The success of Peacemaker on HBO Max means its planned second season will go forward. No plot details have emerged, but it is easy to imagine Chris (John Cena) seeking to get the band back together for any number of reasons. It is also possible Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) might want to exact some revenge on the task force. And with Gunn now the co-CEO and co-chair of DC Studios, the possibility of Peacemaker continuing beyond the second season increases exponentially. In the interim, though, he admitted to journalists in January 2023 that his duties as DC Studios’ co-CEO means he had not yet written the program’s sophomore outing. A year or so later, production began with Gunn helming a few episodes. Elsewhere, he clarified that the second season will be in continuity with Superman and the other DCU projects — as will most of the first season with the notable exception of the Justice League cameo as the team does not yet exist in the new universe. It will also take place after the events of Superman. Production occurred through the later half of 2024. Per Gunn, the second season will air/stream in the late 2025.
Related: What Peacemaker Season 2 Could Hold
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The Sandman
(Photo by Netflix)
Status: In post-productionWhat We Know: Although the series was welcomed by fans, critics, and viewers when it debuted in August of 2022, its future was unknown for a distressingly long time as the Warner Bros. Television production required a green light from Netflix to continue. Word finally broke of its renewal in early November of that year. As previously reported, co-creator Neil Gaiman said on several occasions that season 2 was mapped out during the writing of season 1. Based on the structure of that debut season, the program will likely move on to the next major Sandman comic book story, “Season of Mists,” which sees Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie in the television series) making a momentous choice and Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) dealing with the fallout. Gaiman’s statement about the renewal strengthens our guess about the subject matter. “It’s time to get back to work,” he wrote. “There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell…” Additionally, paparazzi shots of the set made it clear one shorter story, “The Song of Orpheus” will make its way to screens in the upcoming season. Production was disrupted during the 2023 Screen Actors Guild strike, but resumed that November. In May of 2024, Netflix revealed the actors playing the rest of Morpheus family: Adrian Lester as Destiny, Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium, and Barry Sloane as a sibling known only (for now) as “The Prodigal” — although, fans of the comics will know this Endless’s name. In subsequent months, Gaiman became the center of sexual misconduct allegations and many of his television projects were cancelled or put on hold. The Sandman was added to that roster when Netflix revealed on January 31, 2025 that the program will conclude with its second season. Apparently, this was always the intention and Gaiman’s current troubles are said to not be a factor in the platform’s decision.
Related: The Sandman Season 2: What’s Next for the Dream Team
Lanterns
(Photo by Amy Sussman/FilmMagic)
Status: A go at HBO, Set for an early 2026 debutWhat We Know: Announced at a HBO Max preview day in 2019, Green Lantern was said to be most ambitious comics-to-screen adaptation ever attempted by Berlanti Productions (the company behind the Arrowverse, Titans, and Doom Patrol), but those ambitions clearly changed in late 2022. Originally set to star Jeremy Irvine and Finn Wittrock (pictured) as Green Lanterns Alan Scott and Guy Gardner, respectively, word broke in October 2022 indicating the program will now focus on Green Lantern John Stewart. Irvine and Wittrock were released from their contracts and the previously announced showrunner, Seth Grahame-Smith, exited the series. Berlanti and other executives at his company remained involved, but none of the other previous creative staff stayed on. In fact, it was unclear who was developing the John Stewart version of the series.
That lack of clarity made a little more sense in January 2023, when Gunn revealed the Berlanti Green Lantern series had been shelved in favor of a DC Studios concept called Lanterns. The “event” program will focus on Stewart, a new recruit, and Silver Age GL Hal Jordan as they investigate a “dark mystery” in American’s heartland that may or may not be related to the overall Chapter One storyline. According to Gunn, the Berlanti project was a space opera while Lanterns will be set primarily on Earth. On June 25, 2024, HBO greenlit the series with Ozark‘s Chris Mundy serving as showrunner and executive producer. Watchmen‘s Damon Lindelof and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow‘s Tom King will write alongside Mundy in addition to being executive producers on the 8-episode event alongside Ron Schmidt. In September of 2024, casting began with Kyle Chandler signing up to play Jordan and Aaron Pierre agreeing to play Stewart. Production was expected to begin in December 2024. On January 24, 2025, Banshee veteran Ulrich Thomsen joined the cast as Sinestro, the Green Lantern fated to become the Corps’s greatest enemy. Other cast members include Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as William Macon, and Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe — described as a potential love interest for John.
Creature Commandos
Status: In production on season 2
What We Know: Just before the conclusion of its successful first season, Max quickly renewed the animated program for another year on December 24, 2024 — although we imagine this was in the works for sometime as scales of economy make it cheaper to produce two seasons than just the one. Task Force M will continue on with the Bride (Indira Varma) inducting new team members and finding a way to get along with the others. What that means for Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) or Frankenstein (David Harbour) is anyone’s guess. Additionally, Grillo will reportedly be seen as Flag in the live action second season of Peacemaker and this summer’s Superman.
Batman: Caped Crusader
Status: In production on season 2
What We Know: Like our suggestion about Creature Commandos above, Caped Crusader was designed with a two-season order in mind. Production began in September with voice cast excitedly announcing they received scripts for voice recording. Storylines in the new season are anyone’s guess, though, as Batman’s gallery adds a few more rogues, including Joker. Of course, if voice recording commenced last fall, it may still be awhile yet before fans can return to Caped Crusader‘s Gotham City.
Waller
Status: In development
What We Know: Viola Davis is set to star in a Chapter One live action series focusing on her morally flexible Suicide Squad character. Watchmen‘s Christal Henry and Doom Patrol‘s Jeremy Carver are writing the program with unspecified members of the Peacemaker cast set to reprise their roles. When asked about the series during a press event in February 2025, Gunn revealed the script ran into some unspecified troubles and had to be rethought once the second season of Peacemaker jumped forward in the schedule — it was originally meant to air after Waller. It is unclear if Henry and Carver remained attached to the project.
Paradise Lost
Status: In development
What We Know: This Chapter One live action series will focus on the genesis of Themyscira — Wonder Woman’s birthplace — and the political intrigue as its all-women society takes shape. In 2025, Gunn and Safran said the series remains in development.
Booster Gold
Status: In development
What We Know: Based on the popular DC Comics character, this Chapter One series focuses on a going-no-where man from the future who uses everyday technology in his era to become a superhero in ours. Will it lead to riches and brand deals or will Booster become a genuine hero with a Justice League membership? Like many other DCU projects, it awaits Gunn receiving a script he’s happy with before it can go forward. At the February 2025 press event, he and Safran said the series will go forward, although an unnamed showrunner previously interested in the superhero comedy has moved on.
Blue Beetle
Status: In development
What We Know: Stemming from the 2023 film of the same name, the adventures of Jaime Reyes continues in the realm of animation with director Angel Manuel Soto and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer on board as executive producers. Miguel Puga will direct with Cristian Martinez writing. Also, per Gunn’s previous statement that Blue Beetle is part of DCU canon, star Xolo Maridueña will presumable lend his voice to Jaime. According to Safran at the Febrary 2025 press event, the series should get its green light soon.
My Adventures With Green Lantern
Status: Greenlit
What We Know: The first of three animated series geared toward younger viewers Gunn and Safran revealed at the February 2025 press event, My Adventures with Green Lantern will focus on Jessica Cruz — re-imagined as a high school student who gets a crash course in intergalactic heroing when a GL power ring chooses her to be its new bearer. Other debris from whatever made the ring fall to Earth will also give her trouble, as will a cohort of the Green Lantern Corps’s foes. Jake Wyatt serves as executive producer with Stephanie Gonzaga along for the journey as co-EP.
DC Super Powers
Status: Greenlit
What We Know: Taking its name and title treatment from the classic 1980s DC action figure line, the program will instead center on the Alliance School for Heroes and a batch of heroes-in-training that includes Lightning, a Flash, Plastic Man, Aquagirl, a Green Lantern, and Terra. Keeping a close eye on them as principal of the school is J’onn J’onzz — aka the Martian Manhunter — as they work hard to become the next generation of Super Friends. Matt Beans is the executive producer while Michael Chang serves as supervising producer
Starfire
Status: Greenlit
What We Know: The popular Teen Titans characters gets a spotlight of her own courtesy of executive producer Josie Campbell and co-EP Brianne Drouhard. Serving as an origin story, the series will feature the adventures of Koriand’r, a Tamaran native who leaves her planet in an ancient spaceship to see the stars. Once out in the cosmos, she meets space-bikers, plant-loving new pals, and Amythest, the teen ruler of Gemworld. Like the other newly-revealed series, it is unclear if they will be part of the DCU or their own distinct realities, a la Teen Titans GO! or Harley Quinn.
Wonder Woman Animated Series
Status: Rumored (sort of)
What We Know: In March of 2023, Gunn responded to a comment on Twitter stating he is trying to set up a Wonder Woman animated series. It is unclear if the project will part of the DCU or an “Elseworlds,” but Diana definitely deserves the Batman: The Animated Series treatment. While we would normally leave a rumored project off the list, Gunn’s comments suggest it may be something series. Then again, the executive made no mention of this potential project at the February 2025 press event, so maybe it was just a passing thought.
The Penguin Season 2
Status: A possibility?
What We Know: While The Penguin was always positioned as a limited series to lead into The Batman Part 2, its creative success — and the awards showered upon star Colin Farrell — led meany to believe another season could be in the works. At the February 2025 press event, Safran told reporters a lot of variables could stand in the way of another year. Gunn added that Farrell’s willingness to wear the make-up in a long-term production situation could be one of those factors.
Arkham Asylum
(Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images)
Status: ShelvedWhat We Know: Growing out of Reeves (pictured) and Max’s plan to develop a series centered on the Gotham City Police Department, the Arkham Asylum series was to focus on the family known for running the infamous mental institution. In October 2022, The Staircase’s Antonio Campos signed on to serve as executive producer and showrunner. In July of 2024, word broke indicating the series will not go forward.
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Young Justice debuted on Cartoon Network in 2010 and featured a different take on the teen sidekicks of the DC Superheroes. Robin, a new version of Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis formed a covert group aiding the Justice League while being trained by Black Canary. As the season progressed, the group added more members. In the show’s second year, the story jumped forward two years to follow a new covert team, while the original group found their places in the Justice League. Both groups would continue to grow and change as a storyline featuring classic DC villains Vandal Savage and Darkseid led to a surprising cliffhanger.
And then Cartoon Network pulled the plug.
(Photo by DC Universe)
“Our boss [Warner Bros. Animation executive vice president of creative affairs] Sam Register told us that we created the perfect show for streaming, we just did it five years too early,” Bourassa said. “We always thought that was funny, because it is sort of designed to be consumed in that way — or at least [it is] a completely viable way to consume it because it has so much continuity, and so much connected narrative strands, and our fans picked on that.”
The first two seasons found their way to Netflix, and thanks to the emergence of platforms like Tumblr and Twitter, fans never stopped talking about it or asking Bourassa and producers Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman — who also spoke with us — about a potential third season, Bourassa said.
“Whenever we would go to do promotion or whenever active on social media promoting current projects, I would hear constantly from the fans about how much they loved Young Justice regardless of what I was talking about,” Bourassa said, crediting Weisman with “cultivating lot of their energy into a direct appeal … [so fans’] voices could be heard.”
(Photo by DC Universe)
That cultivation coincided with early planning for original content on the DC Universe streaming service, which created a perfect storm for Young Justice‘s resurrection. Weisman joked that there’s not much difference between the two eras of the show, just that he is “older and wider.” Seriously, though, Vietti told Rotten Tomatoes that the creative team wanted to strike a balance between feeling both fresh and familiar.
“We wanted to build something that was familiar to our fans in the first two seasons, but also pushed into new territory,” he explained.
While the arrival of Darkseid seemed imminent toward the end of the series’ second season, Outsiders picks up two years later and the villain is nowhere to be seen. Instead, the show picks up with the world facing a metahuman trafficking crisis: Young people with the potential for powers are being kidnapped and turned into weapons. The League even finds some of these press-ganged children on other planets, and it falls to Dick Grayson — who quit the team at the end of season 2 — to assemble a new covert group to investigate the metahuman smuggling syndicate.
Members of the new team include Geo-Force and Halo, both characters with long histories in the comics — including the 1980s story Batman and the Outsiders, from which the new season takes some inspiration — but known in animation more as guest characters.
“These [are] young characters that aren’t really sure what they want to be when they grow up. They don’t come from a sidekick type of relationship with an older hero; they’re just normal people — ish,” Vietti explained.
Geo-Force, for example, is a young Markovian prince thrust into the superhero world after the disappearance of his sister. Halo, meanwhile, is a refugee from the fictional DC Comics Middle Eastern country of Qurac, stuck in Markovia and trying her best to avoid detection as a metahuman in a country terrified of powers.
“They’ve got very strong personal stories that draw them into a larger story between heroes and villains,” Vietti continued. “Characters like Nightwing, Tigress, and Superboy sort of become their mentors, and that is our starting point.”
While Markovia was introduced in Batman and the Outsiders, Vietti felt the fictional DC Universe monarchy offered a fresh perspective on current events and a way to comment on refugees, international relations, and other hot-button issues. As that nation faces “questions about both immigration and national identity” and the “added sci-fi of metahumans and metahuman trafficking,” the setting proved to be a natural fit.
In DC Comics lore, Halo is traditionally depicted as a blond, white American (with an entity from The Source hitching a ride in her body), but Weiss and Vietti felt it was thematically important to re-imagine the character as Quraci. It allowed a subplot established in the first two seasons — an invasion of Qurac by another fictional country — to gain a human face and make both the refugee and metahuman trafficking plots “feel very real to us,” Weiss explained.
“That’s always been one of the goals of the show,” he said. “We got this show that’s got sci-fi and magic and fantasy and superheroes and aliens and all that great, fun, genre stuff we love. And yet one of the goals of Young Justice from day one was to ground the show in as much reality as we possibly could, down to the designs of their costumes and the timestamps that we’ve put on every new sequence. That led itself to our decisions with Halo.”
(Photo by DC Universe)
Addressing current issues in a more straightforward way was one of the freedoms the producers found in creating the third season for DC Universe. Where the Cartoon Network seasons had a younger demographic and a mandate to sell toys, the Outsiders season allowed the production to push “the maturity of the stories, and some of the visuals in the show in a way that serves story,” according to Vietti.
“We didn’t want to be immature with the mature content that we were visualizing and writing to have onscreen,” Vietti said. “We’re telling stories of superheroes and normal people in a dangerous world. The stakes are very heavy and dangerous and deadly, and the only way to really sell that in a story is to, in some cases, show deadly consequences. So I think our fans will hopefully look forward to that progression, that evolution in our style in our third season.”
While the series is no longer constrained by the need to promote action figures or assorted accessories, Bourassa added, “we still all want toys, though.”
In another departure from its cable channel days, the series features full end-credit sequences. Each presents a new, serene scene after the preceding 20 minutes of action.
“We wanted the end credits to feel peaceful,” Vietti explained.
Aiding that tone is a new lullaby orchestration of the Young Justice theme, which also serves as a contrast to the more ominous orchestration during the title sequence.
“We also slowed the credits down, just so people had a better chance at reading them, and there was time to play out the lullaby,” he continued.
Weisman added, “It’s our little gift to the fans as well because they’ve been so great supporting us and wanted to give them as much as we possibly could give them — within our budget.”
Taking the time to give the end credits a little something extra is part of Weisman’s overall philosophy for the show. Said the producer, “We really wanted to pack as much entertainment value in through the show as humanly — or metahumanly — possible.”
Young Justice: Outsiders releases three new episodes every Friday on DC Universe.
Great news: it’s the time of year where it’s completely socially acceptable to spend any and all free time curled up in front of the TV with a cup of hot cocoa and keep warm with some of the best that TV has to offer. Luckily, December has that in spades with 10 returning programs that we can’t wait to catch up on in time for new episodes later this month. Among our recommendations: Amazon’s award-winning comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, J.K. Simmons’ sci-fi spy drama Counterpart, the return of the animated superheroes of Young Justice, and more.
What it is: In 1950s New York City, Midge Maisel’s (Rachel Brosnahan) husband, Joel (Michael Zegen), admits to having an affair and leaves her. Rather than getting back, she gets even, and decides to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian — which makes sense, because she was the funny one all along.
Why you should watch it: Certainly the runaway comedy hit of the past year, Maisel won top honors at both the Emmys and Golden Globes and is well-positioned to do it again this award season. Brosnahan’s star-making performance (and her scene-stealing costars like Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein) anchor a series that is smart, funny, and full of heart — not to mention super timely. Quite simply, it’s a home run. Season 2 streams in full on Amazon Prime Dec. 5.
Where to watch: Amazon
Commitment: Approx. 7.5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: From creator Justin Marks, Counterpart is a sci-fi drama centered on Howard Silks, a low-level employee at a nondescript agency in Berlin who comes to learn his employer is actually guarding and operating an underground tunnel that connects to a parallel world that mirrors his own. The catch is that everyone has an identical-but-different counterpart in this parallel dimension, and his is a top-level spy intimately involved in the brewing war between both sides of the tunnel.
Why you should watch it: Counterpart is probably one of the great new shows that you’re not watching — and this is the perfect time to change that. Among the best-reviewed dramas of the past year, this espionage thriller is tense, gripping, and altogether unexpected in the best of ways. Plus, J.K. Simmons is in top form, pulling double duty as the central Howard and Howard Prime and offering a revealing study of cause, effect, and how our choices have repercussions out of our immediate control. Season 2 premieres on Starz Dec. 9.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 10 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Based on the beloved Archie comic and from creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, this iteration of Sabrina the teenage witch has a dark and spooky twist, charting the titular witch’s (Kiernan Shipka) coming of age as she’s forced to choose between human normalcy and her magic’s haunting lore.
Why you should watch it: Sure, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina may have just made its big Netflix debut this Halloween, but will premiere an hourlong Christmas special, “A Midwinter’s Tale,” this month. That makes it a perfect time to binge the first 10 episodes of season 1, which was an immediate sensation with lovers of Riverdale and the original Melissa Joan Hart–starring series alike. “A Midwinter’s Tale” premieres Dec. 14.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 10 hours (for the first season)
What it is: From creators Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan, Timeless stars Abigail Spencer, Malcolm Barrett, and Matt Lanter as a trio (a professor, a soldier, and an engineer) tasked with traveling through to save the world — and history — as we know it.
Why you should watch it: Christmas is coming early for the devoted fans of NBC’s sci-fi action drama that was resuscitated not once but twice. Though the network canceled the series after its first season, it quickly reversed the decision days later. The cancellation after season 2 stuck, but after more fan outcry NBC decided to bring the series back for a two-hour installment to wrap up loose storylines. Thrilling, entertaining, and featuring dazzling set and costume design pieces across its many time periods, Timeless is the kind of series that lives up to its name. Catch its anticipated final installment on Dec. 20.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 18 hours (for the first two seasons)
What it is: Creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage leave their mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this hit Hulu series based on the comic of the same name, which follows a motley group of super-powered teens who unite to stop their supervillian parents.
Why you should watch it: By this point, you know what you’re getting with an MCU project — but Runaways still manages to have a few surprises up its sleeve. Led by a cast of a excellent young actors and featuring a unique spin on the hero-villain narrative (and exploring relationships between friends and family in the process), the streaming series is a welcome addition to the already well-trod Marvel empire. We can’t wait to see what season 2 has in store when it premieres Dec. 21.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 8.5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Those poor, poor Baudelaire orphans — always getting caught up in events that are, well, unfortunate. Netflix’s whimsically dark series follows Violet, Klaus, and Sunny who, after their parents’ death, are put in the care of an evil distant cousin, Count Olaf, who’s set on getting his hands on their sizable inheritance.
Why you should watch it: Neil Patrick Harris is doing more than just stealing the show (as he did for nine seasons on How I Met Your Mother) — he is the show, making each of Olaf’s master-of-disguise getups more beguiling than the one before. It’s just an added bonus that the sets, music, and just about everything else about this series are technically dazzling. Season 3 premieres in full Jan. 1.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 13 hours 9for the first two seasons)
What it is: A spinoff of Kenya Barris’ beloved and award-winning black-ish, grown-ish charts eldest daughter Zoey Johnson’s next big journey: college.
Why you should watch it: We already expect the Johnson family of black-ish to fearlessly deep dive into hot topics with heart and humor, and grown-ish carries the torch on to the college campus. Plus, if Yara Shahidi’s take on Zoey in the former series didn’t make it clear enough, she gives an absolutely star-making turn as the leading lady on this spinoff. Season 2 premieres Jan. 2.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 4.5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: The city of Gotham was a mess well before Batman had anything to do with it, and this Fox hit depicts exactly how and why in this origin story of Commissioner Gordon’s rise to prominence and Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman — and the varied ne’er do wells they dealt with along the way.
Why you should watch it: Now that Gotham is rounding the bend into its fifth and final season, this is the perfect time to binge and catch up on all the DC Comics fun of this gritty and endlessly entertaining series. An assortment of characters both known and new, it’s especially grounded by Benjamin McKenzie’s take on a young Det. James Gordon. Season 5 premieres Jan. 3.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 65 hours (for the first four seasons)
What it is: Before Runaways was charting the lives of teen superheroes coming into their own, there was the beloved (and until recently, much-missed) Young Justice, a Cartoon Network animated series from Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman that follows teen superheroes and sidekicks as they try to prove their worthiness of the Justice League.
Why you should watch it: It is with a great sigh of relief that the fan-favorite Young Justice returns from its elongated hiatus for an adventure-filled third season, titled Young Justice: Outsiders. This outing has the likes of Nightwing, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and others taking on meta-human teen trafficking, and even appears to have the team venturing off into space. Season 3 premieres on streaming service DC Universe on Jan. 4.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 19 hours (for the first two seasons)
What it is: To reveal very much about the twists and turns of this complex cat-and-mouse drama would spoil the fun, but the impetus of the series is rooted in its pilot, in which FBI agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) is called to a peculiar case where the highly pursued fugitive Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) turns himself in and demands to speak to her — and only her. Promising that he has intel on some of the world’s most dangerous underground terrorists, they build an unlikely partnership.
Why you should watch it: The guarantee for first-time viewers of the long-running and much-loved Blacklist is that you’re in for one heck of a rollercoaster ride. Led by a stellar performance from Spader as the central criminal mastermind, the series has time and again reinvented itself and upped the ante with each outing. It’s a safe bet that season 6, which premieres Jan. 4, will do the same.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 80 hours (for the first five seasons)
(Photo by DC Universe)
DC Entertainment’s upcoming streaming service DC Universe has teased fans all summer with its content and community features. It even offered beta access to potential subscribers during Comic-Con International: San Diego with a special pre-order bonus. But it held back one key detail until today: when the service will go live.
During a live broadcast of the service’s DC Daily on Wednesday, DC Universe finally announced it will be open to the public on September 15 – Batman Day in comic book stores across the country. Across the two-hour DC Daily event, hosted by geek luminary Kevin Smith, other features and announcements were made public, and Rotten Tomatoes had a ring-side seat at the broadcast. Let’s take a look at some of the things we now know about DC Universe.
After all the paparazzi shots, publicity stills, and one red-hot Comic-Con trailer, DC Universe’s first live-action television show, Titans, will debut on October 12, and new episodes will be released weekly on Fridays. Based on a concept originally devised by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani – and revised by Marv Wolfman and George Perez as New Teen Titans in the 1980s – the 12-episode first season will feature most of the Wolfman/Perez team as Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) recruits Starfire (Anna Diop) and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) to help him aid a troubled young girl known as Raven (Teagan Croft).
(Photo by DC Universe)
While key members of the comic book Teen Titans like Donna Troy may eventually appear in the series, Cyborg will appear on DC Universe’s 2019 series Doom Patrol in the form of actor Jovian Wade. Additionally, DC Universe will debut the first episode of Titans at New York Comic Con on October 3rd.
While the long-anticpated third season of Young Justice, Young Justice: Outsiders, will not debut until next year, the earlier two seasons will be available on the service at launch. Produced by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, the series reimagines the sidekicks of the DC Universe as a loose group of acquaintances brought together when Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash discover a clone Superboy in Cadmus Labs.
(Photo by DC Universe)
Their performance during the operation leads Batman to suggest they form a covert team which, oddly enough, never adopts a name. Taking over the League’s original base in a hollowed-out mountain, Black Canary becomes their trainer as the group grows to include Miss Martian and Green Arrow’s newer sidekick Artemis. In the second season, set five years later, a new team of heroes takes the place of the original sidekicks as Robin – now known as Nightwing – agrees to train and supervise them.
According to Weisman and Vietti, Outsiders will feature another time-jump despite the second season’s infamous cliffhanger. A team composed of many of the second season members will face what Vietti called “metahuman trafficking” — as seen in the clip aired during DC Daily, Nightwing is leading the investigation into those trying to turn ordinary teenagers into metas.
(Photo by DC Universe)
With Titans debuting in October and Young Justice: Outsiders slated for a 2019 release, DC Universe will offer a live daily program at launch called DC Daily. It will will provide “added depth” to announcements regarding the DC Universe service’s original series, its library of comics, and the burgeoning community. Hosts for the series will include new anchor Tiffany Smith, with former Arrow star John Barrowman, Freaks and Geeks’ Sam Levine, and Harley Quinn Smith also contributing to the series. Other contributors will include Green Lanterns comic book writer Sam Humphries, Cineverse’s Hector Navarro, Nerdist correspondent Clarke Wolfe, geek culture specialist Brian Tong, DC Movie News’s Markeia McCarty, and John Kournouris.
(Photo by DC Universe)
Besides its television offerings, the service will also bring classic DC Comics titles to your television screen in an impressive, scalable interface. The initial roster of comics will include the first appearances of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman and fan favorites like Batman: Gothic, The Authority, Green Arrow: Year One, Shazam, The New Teen Titans, Identity Crisis, The Batman Adventures, and Jack Kirby’s New Gods. Of these, we would recommend The Authority and New Gods as an example of the sort of breadth contained in DC Comic’s fictional worlds. Alternatively, The New Teen Titans is an excellent showcase of DC’s core brand. Also, if you’ve never read the first Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman stories, they will be revelations for a new reader both in how far the characters have come in 80 years and how much of their core was already on display in the first page.
As promised in the initial announcement, the service will also run contests, like The Ultimate Batman Studio Tour Sweepstakes. Subscribers who pre-order DC Universe before September 12 — and those who have already pre-ordered — will be entered to win a visit to Warner Bros. in Burbank, California, where they will take the WB Studio Tour Hollywood, visit DC Entertainment’s headquarters, ride in the Batmobile, and receive a prize package that will include an original piece of art drawn by DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee during the DC Daily broadcast, among other goodies.
With the service aiming to deliver just about all the DC Entertainment content it can, DC Universe will also offer feature films like The Dark Knight and the original four Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. It will also offer other animated television shows like the remastered Batman: The Animated Series and Legion of Superheroes. It is unclear if it will offer stranger curios, like the 1967 Wonder Woman pilot or the truly strange The Adventures of Superpup pitch film released on various Superman anthology box sets, but the 1950’s The Adventures of Superman – long absent from streaming services – will definitely be available.
Here are the official descriptions of the original series in development for the streaming service:
Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and loveable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes.
Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Crazy Jane. Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder they’re called into action by the ultimate hero for the digital age, Cyborg. Banding together these rejects find themselves on a mission that will take them to the weirdest and most unexpected corners of the DC universe.
Swamp Thing follows Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets. When unexplainable and chilling horrors emerge from the murky marsh, no one is safe.
Young Justice: Outsiders features the return of the fan favorite animated series with a huge cast of DC’s most iconic young superheroes – plus brand-new characters, many of whom are just discovering their unique meta-powers and special abilities. Set against the backdrop of a rich, deep world that touches all corners of the DC universe, the season focuses on meta–trafficking, and an intergalactic arms race for control of these super–powered youths.
Harley Quinn follows Harley’s adventures after she breaks up with the Joker and strikes out on her own in this new adult animated comedy. With the help of Poison Ivy and a ragtag crew of DC castoffs, Harley tries to earn a seat at the biggest table in villainy: the Legion of Doom.
DC Universe is priced at $7.99 per month with the option of a $74.99 annual subscription.
(Photo by DC Universe)
(Photo by DC Universe)
