Every The CW Superhero Show Ranked Worst To Best

6. Black Lightning

Arrowverse Characters
The CW

What sets Black Lightning apart from the majority of the other shows on this list is that it doesn't even remotely feel like it belongs on The CW. It's nothing like the other offerings in the Arrowverse but it doesn't feel like any earlier non-Arrowverse offerings either.

With its own distinct tone, the show focuses on high school principal Jefferson Pierce who, after years of retirement from superheroics, is forced to return to the streets of Freeland after The 100 gang's hostile takeover puts lives in jeopardy.

A hard-hitting, realistic drama that doesn't shy away from social commentary or tackling important issues head-on, the show thrives because of its strong writing, familial nature and authentic character journeys - and it's capped off by an incredible leading performance from Cress Williams.

The show spent three years unattached to the Arrowverse before Crisis On Infinite Earths had its wicked way with the continuity and retroactively set it on Earth-Prime, but the truth is that Black Lightning's greatest strength lies in the fact that it's only an Arrowverse show in name.

And even though some of the follow-up seasons haven't lived up to its glorious debut, it's still one of the most engaging - and important - shows on network television.

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Michael Patterson is an experienced writer with an affinity for all things film and TV. He may or may not have spent his childhood obsessing over WWE.