It’s that time again! 2017 has had an astonishing number of superhero television shows that have hit the airwaves. This of course is good in some cases and unfortunately downright terrible in some others. From mystical martial artists to a rowdy group of teenagers to a team of time traveling legends, superhero shows are beginning to explore different genres of the spectrum, making them all the more interesting as time goes on (in some cases). While we have some stalwarts entries such as theFlash,Arrow, andAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.making a return, we also have some newer entries in the forms ofIron Fist,Inhumans, andThe Tickto name a few. As was the case last year, we’ll be sticking to superhero fare (not just based on comics or supernatural series) so entries such asPreacher,Lucifer,andThe Walking Deadwill not be included.
Note: This list includes all series that aired in the 2017 calendar year.
For more of the Best of 2017, check out Allison Keene’stop 25 TV showsof the year, Chris Cabin’stop 25, Dave Trumbore’s list of thebest new animated series, and Emma Fraser’s look atthe best songs on TV.
15) Inhumans
Network: ABC
Status: Unknown (Though I hope it’s dead forever.)
There is absolutely nothing redeeming aboutInhumans. Given life on television since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was searching for their own “X-Men” (ironic of course as Disney will acquire the X-Men as part of a Fox acquisition), the Inhumans had been originally slated to have their own movie until Marvel realized that no one in their right mind would care about characters like “Triton” and “Gorgon.” A slapdash attempt at giving Black Bolt and company their own television series on ABC in the wake of an IMAX contract is a slap in the face to not only fans of the characters, but to fans of television in general. Sent out to die on Friday nights, the proceeding series drips with contempt for its viewers. The acting is atrocious on all levels, and it was clearly filmed on ashoestring budget(yet in Hawaii no less). These aspects alone wouldn’t make it the winner of worst superhero show this year, amazingly able to dethroneIron Fist, but the clear message that no one gave any amount of care or respect into putting this together sure did. Just take a look at Gorgon’s “hooves” as they change from poorly CG’d animal feet into what can only be described as fuzzy boots, or the fact that they shaved Medusa’s head in the very first episode as a clear cost-saving measure. Not even a giant teleporting bulldog could saveInhumansfrom hitting the bottom of this list.
14) Iron Fist
Network: Netflix
Status: Renewed for Season 2
I hate this show. I hate it as a TV viewer but I hateIron Fistso much more as a fan of the original source material. Arguably, everything that has come out of Marvel Studios, fromCaptain America: Winter SoldiertoAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ranges from mind blowing to simply “OK”, before Inhumans of course. Iron Fist manages to buck the trend delivering a poorly acted, poorly choreographed and sometimes outright offensive 13 episode series that actively makes you question what everyone involved with this was thinking. Finn Jones absolutely flounders as Danny Rand, a bland lifeless version of Tony Stark who has the ability to perform shoddy martial arts moves thanks to scenes that often comprise up to 57 cutaways. The series nightmarishly slogs along, reminding you of potential cool ideas, such as K’un L’un and an immortal dragon that Rand received his powers from, that you will absolutely never see. Burn this with fire and avoid at all costs.
13) Powerless
Network: NBC
Status: Canceled
The very definition of “dead on arrival," even thoughPowerlesshad an interesting enough premise: watching the world of regular people working at Wayne Enterprises as they attempt to navigate a world of superheroes. Again though, while sound in concept, the execution left much to be desired with mostly flat punchlines and various references to the DC comics universe. Outside of the trappings of Wayne Enterprise and a few random appearances of Z-Listers such as the Crimson Fox,Powerlessdoesn’t manage to be much more than a limp version of theOffice, never managing to find its voice. If not forIron Fistdropping this past year,Powerlesswould have been the last entry in our rankings without a doubt.[Editor’s Note: But it did have thebest title sequenceof the year!]
Network: CW
Status: Unknown
Season 3 and 4 ofArrowreally brought things to a new low, but the fifth seemed to turn things around, bringing the series back to the highs of the first two outings. Season 6, though, seems to be following in the path of the former rather than the latter. Having Oliver give up his post as the Green Arrow in order to not only be a father but also the mayor of Star City could be an interesting hook, but the show flounders with the problems that have always been in the background. It’s especially noticeable asArrowdoesn’t seem to know what to do with Thea, or how to meaningfully incorporate the Newbies. Not even bringing back Slade Wilson and introducing Black Siren is enough to save this troubled season. At least they participated in the amazing “Crisis on Earth-X” Crossover (though amazingly Felicity managed to almost ruin it by getting married to Oliver during someone else’s wedding! Come on girl!)
11) The Defenders
Status: Unknown (Though each character will be getting another season of their individual solo series)
What a disappointment.The Defenderspromised to unite the stars of the Marvel Netflix series together in the heart of New York City, and while it made good on that promise, it failed to capitalize on creating a credible and interesting threat. While it manages to avoid the pitfall of the “13 episode curse” by going with a more wieldy 8, it still comes across as somewhat monotonous. The character moments between Matt Murdock, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and yes even Danny Rand are where the show really shines, but these are few and far between (and come far too late in the season). More time is designated instead to Elektra and the Hand, causing the show to stutter and slowly move along to the next ninja fight (though you can hardly call them ninjas, as they never seem to wear that attire). If not for another series on this list, the Marvel Netflix shows for 2017 would pretty much be a wash.
10) Supergirl
SupergirlisSupergirl. It’sfine. This season introduced Reign, a new villain who is a “worldkiller” sent from Krypton to Earth by a doomsday cult. Meanwhile, Kara is still struggling with her day to day life after as the loss of Mon-El in Season 2. Ultimately,Supergirlis a stalwart within a sea of superhero shows, not necessarily standing out, but not ever being terrible. Melissa Benoist still does a fantastic job of portraying “the Girl of Steel,” but we are hittingSmallville-levels of drama with the rest of the characters (I’m looking at you Jimmy Olsen and Lena Luthor).
Network: Fox
Status: Unknown
Gothamcontinues to be the ultimate comic book television show guilty pleasure. While the “proto Batman” costume that Bruce now wears is about one of the most ridiculous looking things I’ve ever seen, the series manages to learn from previous mistakes while leaning into the crazier aspects of the city at large, which is surprising considering how bonkers the show has been to this point. Professor Pyg, a little-known Batman villain, is introduced this time around and brings some delicious ridiculousness our way. Fox’s prequel to the Batman universe continues with some decent character work as actors chew up the scenery. I mean, come on, how can you not have fun with a series that has R’as Al Ghul applying for diplomatic immunity in order to commit further super crimes?
8) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Status: Unknown (Though this seems like it could be the last season)
Now I won’t necessarily say “How the mighty have fallen” with this one but the fifth season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.hasn’t yet hit the highs of the fourth, that’s for sure. Taking a page fromBattlestar Galactica,Agent Coulson and the gang now find themselves in the far future where the Earth has been destroyed, humanity is in shambles, and the remnants are ruled with an iron fist by the Kree. While the characters we’ve grown to know and love are still in full effect, with hilarious barbs and genuine character moments between one another, ultimately, the series feels claustrophobic in its new surroundings. Still, we’re super early into the fifth season so it may take some time to really get the engine revving – stay tuned.
7) The Gifted
Status: Unknown (Still too early for these muties)
What a surprising series. What could have been a vehicle for simply promoting the next movie in the X-Franchise,The Giftedmanages to hammer home one of the key tenements of the X-Men: fear of the other. By focusing on lesser known X-characters such as Polaris, Blink, and Eclipse to name a few,The Giftedmanages to convey the true feeling of being a mutant without leaning too heavily into the superheroic antics. While the Strucker twins are the main focus here (man, the Struckers really get around in all these universes as they were also inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!…sort of), the show manages to deliver quite a few surprises along the way as well. On top of all this, the characters are legitimately interesting to follow, and show a variety of different perspectives from both the mutants and those who hate them.
6) Runaways
Network: Hulu
Sometimes, sticking slavishly to parts of the source material can work for the best! As Hulu’s first Marvel television series,Runawaysmanages to bring the insanity of the comics to the small screen. While the premise alone – a bunch of teenagers discovering a terrifying series about their parents – doesn’t tread new ground, what does are the show’s ties to the world of superheroics. The teenagers themselves happen to be half alien, allowing for super strength, fire gauntlets, and a pet velociraptor to name a few things. It’s amazing that Hulu managed to bring such otherworldly elements and make them work in this setting. The actors bring their A-game across the board, and were this a different year, I think this would have been higher up in the rankings overall. Give this one a shot.
