43 New And Upcoming Comic-Book TV Shows: Which Will Triumph?

18. Riverdale

Pitch: The series promises a satire of the surreality of small-town life, "the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale's wholesome facade." It includes the principal Archie characters, plus Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats and others. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, writer of the pilot and co-creator of Afterlife With Archie, has said he wants to do annual Halloween-themed episodes as well. Latest News: This series is in development for 2016 from the CW, after negotiations went south with Fox. Odds Of Success: Good. Archie has gone from staid kid's-comic publisher to subversive critical darling in the last decade. With Aguirre-Sacasa at the helm, it clearly means to continue being subversive. Are TV audiences as ready as comics fans were to see Riverdale turned upside down? If any audience would be, it'd be the comic-friendly, youth-focused CW's.

17. Lucifer

Pitch: Lucifer has quit as lord of Hell and come to Earth. He ends up investigating crimes with a human detective as partner, making this something of a cross between the Mike Carey comics spun off from Neil Gaiman's Sandman and your standard supernatural police procedural. Latest News: This series is coming to Fox 2016, and we know the pilot's complete, because it was leaked online. Kevin Rankin just joined as a regular. Odds Of Success: Strong. Whether the pilot was leaked intentionally or not, early reviews claim the show's winning sense of humor stands ready to make it a surprise hit, and there's enough Carey and Gaiman in there to make it interesting and challenging. Predictably, various Christian groups aren't thrilled and are petitioning against the program. This gesture is extremely unlikely to scare Fox away from making the program and probably a source of free publicity.

16. Preacher

Pitch: Jesse Custer is a preacher gifted with The Word, an ability to make anyone do anything he says. Along with is ex-girlfriend Tulip and a sassy, amoral vampire, he is tracking down God in order to hold him accountable for the state of the world. Latest News: Set photos are being released and filming of Season 1 is in progress. Seth Rogen has been using his recent spotlight from his role in Steve Jobs to promote the series and shed light on its development. Odds Of Success: Good. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have an eclectic, edgy portfolio as writers and directors, the casting is largely reassuring, and the set photos look great. Preacher is a hard series to get right and a very hard series to sell to a big audience, but the public might be ready.

15. The Wicked and The Divine

Pitch: "Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead... Welcome to THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, where gods are the ultimate pop stars." Latest News: This series has been optioned by Universal TV, but things have been quiet since May. Odds Of Success: Above average. Though a young series, TW&TD has racked up the awards nominations. It has a lot of characters to keep track of, some of whom aren't that likeable, but that's hardly a deal-breaker. It does seem like it would be quite a challenge to film, though.