9 Reasons DC TV Shows Are Better Than The Movies
They've already got one great Flash.
Warner Bros.' attempts to build a big, interconnected DC movie universe hasn't fully gone to plan.
This universe is now four movies in, since it's including 2013's Man of Steel, but in terms of quality it's 1-3. Until this year's Wonder Woman, they'd failed to perform to expectations at the box office, been mauled by critics, and while Warners have peddled the 'for the fans' line (a debate that is becoming increasingly absurd), it's been difficult - as a fan - to see what exactly it is they're offering.
In their hurried attempts to create a comic book movie world, regardless of whether that's to play catch-up with Marvel or not, they've made a lot of mistakes: a tone that's dark to the point of being miserable, rushed world-building, poor editing, and a blueprint set out by Zack Snyder. Now, with Justice League hopefully continuing the course-correct, they're still not sure what they want their shared universe to be - even abandoning the DCEU moniker.
If DC wanted to look at how to successfully create a live-action universe, they don't even need to look at the MCU; they just need glance at their TV shows. Since 2012 The CW has been creating its 'Arrowverse', starting with Arrow, and gradually incorporating The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. The shows all share a world, crossover, and are enjoying a fair bit of success.
They're not perfect by any means but, four shows (Gotham isn't a part of this) in as opposed to four movies, they're doing a lot better than the DC Universe.
9. Doing More With Less
It should all be so easy for DC on the big screen: they've got the money to spend, the audience ready for it, and some of the biggest names in comics history. Despite the fact that they can offer both Superman and Batman, though, they've struggled to turn those characters into something truly compelling in the DCEU (although there's a lot of promise for the future of Batfleck).
The TV shows don't really have that luxury. Sure, they've got away with The Flash, and had Superman appear in Supergirl for a few episodes next year, but that's about it. Arrow, for example, had Suicide Squad and then lost them, and while Hal Jordan has been teased throughout the series, there's not much hope at this point for him actually appearing.
With that in mind, it becomes even more impressive how much they've achieved. Arrow started it all, using a character many were skeptical about having a TV series, but they managed to turn it into one of the finest comic book properties on TV (for the first couple of years), dark without being depressing, and full of some incredible action and compelling storylines.
They've since continued in that vein, whether it's developing more minor characters (see: Legends of Tomorrow) as leading heroes, or taking C-list villains and making them truly fearsome, like Damien Darhk. They've managed to build a number of impressive, popular, successful shows, without a Batman in sight.