Just keeping tabs on new episodes of The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, etc. is an exhausting task in itself. When brand new fans are asked to name some interesting DC series, often these acclaimed names pop up.
But only nostalgic followers can understand how it felt running around in the verandah, waving that red cape after watching Superman in a new episode of Smallville.
While the Arrowverse shows are innately connected to each other through the concept of new Multiverse, there are plenty of other DC shows which have nothing to do with this franchise. So, I have skipped the series of that franchise, because there is already an Arrowverse Watch Order for you to refer to.
Here, I am solely concentrating on other surprisingly good live-action TV serials, which are also based on properties of DC Comics. These are not interrelated, and can be watched separately, thus forfeiting the need for a separate chronological order.
1. Watch Order (canon-only)
Adventures of Superman, a classic telling of Superman’s origin story clearly portrays how he became a fan favorite for years to come.
- Adventures of Superman (S1-S6) (1952-1958)
- Batman (S1-S3) (1966-1968)
- Shazam! (S1-S3) (1974-1976)
- The Secrets of Isis (S1-S2) (1975-1976)
- Wonder Woman (S1-S3) (1975-1979)
- Superboy (S1-S4) (1988-1992)
- Swamp Thing (S1-S3) (1990-1993)
- The Flash (S1) (1990-1991)
- Human Target (S1) (1992)
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (S1-S4) (1993-1997)
- Smallville (S1-S10) (2001-2011)
- Birds of Prey (S1) (2002-2003)
- Human Target (S1-S2) (2010-2011)
- Gotham (S1-S5) (2014-2019)
- Powerless (S1) (2017)
- Krypton (S1-S2) (2018-2019)
- Titans (S1-S2) (2018-ongoing)
- Doom Patrol (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Swamp Thing (S1) (2019)
- Pennyworth (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Watchmen (S1) (2019)
If your thirst for DC content has still not been quenched, I have added more associated shows in the Complete Watch Order below.
2. Complete Watch Order
Here, I have included those TV Shows also which fall under the category of DC Imprints. For those who don’t know, DC Comics is the parent company which oversees the publishing imprints like Vertigo and WildStorm. These imprints help DC to distribute consumable content around the globe.
Vertigo exclusive titles like iZombie, Preacher, Lucifer, etc. are also set in the broadened DC Universe. Now that Vertigo became defunct in 2020, these all have become a part of another DC imprint known as ‘DC Black Label’.
Similarly, the revered superhero satire drama ‘The Boys’ also took place in WildStorm fictional universe. Well, DC does not own its publishing rights now that it has been moved to Dynamite Entertainment.
- Adventures of Superman (S1-S6) (1952-1958)
- Batman (S1-S3) (1966-1968)
- Shazam! (S1-S3) (1974-1976)
- The Secrets of Isis (S1-S2) (1975-1976)
- Wonder Woman (S1-S3) (1975-1979)
- Superboy (S1-S4) (1988-1992)
- Swamp Thing (S1-S3) (1990-1993)
- The Flash (S1) (1990-1991)
- Human Target (S1) (1992)
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (S1-S4) (1993-1997)
- Smallville (S1-S10) (2001-2011)
- Birds of Prey (S1) (2002-2003)
- Human Target (S1-S2) (2010-2011)
- Gotham (S1-S5) (2014-2019)
- iZombie (S1-S5) (2015-2019)
- Lucifer (S1-S5) (2016-ongoing)
- Preacher (S1-S4) (2016-2019)
- Powerless (S1) (2017)
- Krypton (S1-S2) (2018-2019)
- Titans (S1-S2) (2018-ongoing)
- Doom Patrol (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Swamp Thing (S1) (2019)
- The Boys (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Pennyworth (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Watchmen (S1) (2019)
- Sweet Tooth (S1) (2021-ongoing)
3. Where To Watch
4. Conclusion
Now, I know that I previously mentioned how the DC shows are not interrelated (and they aren’t i.e. for the most part), but certain series have been put into the category of ‘Arrowverse Adjacent’. These are:
- Batman (S1-S3) (1966-1968)
- Wonder Woman (S1-S3) (1975-1979)
- The Flash (S1) (1990-1991)
- Smallville (S1-S10) (2001-2011)
- Birds of Prey (S1) (2002-2003)
- Lucifer (S1-S5) (2016-ongoing)
- Titans (S1-S2) (2018-ongoing)
- Doom Patrol (S1-S2) (2019-ongoing)
- Swamp Thing (S1) (2019)
Thanks to the substantial Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, every Arrowverse adjacent show can now be remotely tied up to DC history as a whole. Crisis on Infinite Earths opened the door to infinite possibilities across infinite universes.
It featured Burt Ward from the Batman series of 1966 as an elderly Robin residing on Earth-66, before his world got annihilated by the Anti-Monitor. Similarly, John Wesley Shipp reprised his role from the 1990’s The Flash, eventually sacrificing himself to change the fate of multiverse’s destruction.
Birds of Prey’s lead actress Ashley Scott also had a brief cameo appearance during the Crisis before her home Earth-203 got erased into oblivion by Anti-Monitor.
In 2011, one year prior to the birth of Arrowverse, Smallville had ended its run. Who knew that the Clark Kent-drama would eventually become part of Arrowverse Multiverse canon? The five-episodic crossover also placed Lucifer on Earth-666.
5. How Much Time Will It Take To Watch
Counting all the canon series, it will take you around 35 days and 15 hours to watch the whole mega collection.
Fret not, you don’t have to watch it all in one go. You can take it slow and steady. After all, it’s a cluster of shows produced over seven decades (DCades)!
Here’s a quick breakdown each installment wise:
- Adventures of Superman – 2 days 4 hours
- Batman (1966) – 2 days 12 hours
- Shazam! (1974) – 14 hours
- The Secrets of Isis – 8 hours
- Wonder Woman (1975) – 2 days 12 hours
- Superboy – 2 days 2 hours
- Swamp Thing (1990) – 1 day 12 hours
- The Flash (1990) – 23 hours
- Human Target (1992) – 7 hours
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – 3 days 16 hours
- Smallville – 9 days
- Birds of Prey – 13 hours
- Human Target (2010) – 1 day 1 hour
- Gotham – 4 days 4 hours
- Powerless – 6 hours 30 minutes
- Krypton – 20 hours
- Titans (2018) – 18 hours
- Doom Patrol – 20 hours
- Swamp Thing (2019) – 10 hours
- Pennyworth – 20 hours
- Watchmen – 9 hours
Note: These are approximate values of the runtimes.
6. About DC Movies
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book publishers. It produces material featuring numerous well-known superhero characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow. Most of this material takes place in a shared fictional universe, which also features teams such as the Justice League, the Suicide Squad, and the Teen Titans. The company has also published non-DC Universe-related material, including V for Vendetta, and many titles under their alternative imprint Vertigo Comics.
Film adaptations based on DC Comics properties have included serials, live action and animated films, direct-to-video releases, television films and documentary films.
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