By Ken Parker
On Television that is.
Yes, I know, DC has usually done fairly well on TV, this is nothing new
but they are kicking butt big time right now.
I have been critical of DC’s vision for their movie franchise and
probably unfairly. Their recent Batman
movies were excellent but they have done little else. Meanwhile Marvel is so far ahead of them in
terms of their plans that by the time DC’s first phase kicks into high gear,
Marvel will be in its third phase. It is
not that DC is doing it wrong (Man of
Steel was a misstep for sure) the problem is that it’s taking time getting
going. Not true for Television - DC is doing everything right - in my opinion..jpg) |
| Green Arrow and Hawkman are bonding in Smallville |
DC has had a presence on TV since 2001 with Smallville. Smallville
was incredibly successful and created a mini DC universe by introducing many of
the characters that we will soon see on the big screen. With limitations of character rights and
budgets, Smallville still managed to
almost become a Justice League TV series without actually going that far.
Arrow was next
and what that show has done is begin its own DC universe. With the spin-off of Flash and introducing numerous other DC characters like Canary and
the Suicide Squad, there is another well conceived DC universe on display. So far the TV universe has been
excellent. Again, I am barely
knowledgeable about the comic books and so I will not compare these TV personas
with their inked counterparts. I am basing this article on what I have seen and
what I see looks fantastic. I was
absolutely blown away by the two part Flash
vs Arrow crossover on December 2 and 3.
This was one of the best crossovers ever and really displayed these
shows strengths. 
The contrast between these shows was noticeable and pointed
out by the characters perhaps a bit too many times. It was still great to see the conflict and
differences in tone that the series and characters have. The stories and characters worked perfectly
together and the writers wrapped the plotlines around each other beautifully.
We have been hearing rumors that the new Supergirl series may also be linked
with Arrow and Flash and that is all good in my book. If DC can handle this universe on TV as well
as it has up to this point, it will be successful. Now it may become too crowded on these shows
(does everyone become a superhero?) and of course not everyone is going to get
a spin-off series (is Firestorm next?) but if DC continues to get this right,
anything is possible.
On the flip side, Marvel’s
Agents of SHIELD has been one of the best series on TV since May of
2014. It too is wrapped up into Marvel’s
own universe but on the big screen. This
and the upcoming Agent Carter are
great supplemental viewing for The
Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man
and Thor. It is a part of that universe as any other
movie in the series. What the series did
in reaction to the Captain America –
Winter Soldier movie was perfect.
Now Agents of SHIELD
did not start off that great. It lacked
direction and conviction and could not hold audience’s attention. Despite
turning it around toward the end of the first season, it has never gained back
the ratings it had in its opening weeks in 2013. This is unfortunate, especially when so many
people online know it has gotten better but they just haven’t found room on
their DVRS for it.
Agents of SHIELD
is also about secondary characters in the Marvel universe while DC is dealing
with primary heroes. This makes the
Marvel series less appealing. Obviously
if Iron Man were to have a cameo in one of those episodes, it would do well in
the ratings.
Unlike Marvel, DC has elected to keep its TV and movie
products separate. They have nothing to
do with one another. This will create an
awkward situation once the movies start rolling in. It already has created some friction betweenthe TV and movie versions. Virtually
every character in Arrow and Flash already has a movie counterpart
lined up for an appearance or movie.
This basically creates yet another universe with its own plots, own
origins and own characters. This makes
for a messy universe and will create comparisons. The movies will have to live up to at least
the TV level of quality in some people’s minds.
I do recall thinking that Superman
Returns was a failure, especially compared to what Smallville had done up to that point.
For the casual viewer I would expect the DC universe to get
confusing. “Wait, didn’t Captain Boomerang die, oh, wait, that was the
series.” Perhaps the Flash movie will boost the series
ratings, you never know. Still, we are a
ways away from the DC movies from seeing the light of day but all of their
series are doing well right now.
I remain skeptical of the DC movies, only because I think DC
might be thinking too hard and trying to get cute with their franchises. The Batman movies are a great start but Man of Steel left some people worried
that the rest of the movies won’t live up to expectations. I am more confident in their TV presence and
like what I see. Not sure if comic fans
like this type of thing and for the casual viewer, will bringing in too many
characters turn them away? While I would
love to see a three night crossover event with Flash, Arrow and Supergirl, is
that just too much?
And what of DC’s other successful TV series Constantine and Gotham. I have yet to see Constantine and really don’t even know
if that is in the same universe.
Certainly Gotham is but since Bruce Wayne is just a kid, we are either
back in time a bit or in another reality since it appears to take place in
present day. When I first heard of Gotham I felt that this was another one
of those series that would almost be about the hero, but not quite. It has been more interesting than I thought
it would and I like the acting a lot.
Doubtful it would be serious considered to be in the same universe as Flash and Arrow but that is fine.
All of these DC shows are doing pretty good and will all be
renewed (not sure about Constantine)
but the expectations on Agents of SHIELD
has been higher to start with and it has not quite gotten there. It will be interesting to see what Agent Carter can do and whether the Avengers: Age of Ultron will have any
bearing on Agents of SHIELD’s story
arc or ratings. My money is on DC when
it comes to television – for now.
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