Age of the Geek

Super Hero Rundown
     I was planning on doing a column of the noteworthy new shows on the air for this fall's television season, but having already looked at "MacGyver," "Lethal Weapon," and "The Exorcist," there honestly aren't enough new arrivals left to make a column out of.
     So instead, let's check in on the state of comic book adaptations this week. It's hard to believe that less than a decade ago superheroes on television were a rarity. For the longest time, the closest we had was a Superman series that refused to put Superman in a costume.
     Now look at the TV landscape. Four color characters as far as the eye can see. Starting with…
 
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
     After years of holding back, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has finally started doing what people expected them from the start. They've got Marvel super-heroes on the show.
     Not long ago Marvel Studios regained the rights to Ghost Rider from Sony. After two failed movies with Nicholas Cage starring as Johnny Blaze, the most famous incarnation of the character, people have been waiting to see what Marvel Studios would do with the property. (My money was on a Netflix original)
     The TV version of Ghost Rider is Johnny Blaze, but is instead Robbie Reyes, a very recent addition to the lore. (And I only just now realized those names rhyme.) With only a single 12 issue run to his name, there isn't a lot to the character, making it easier to flesh out on-screen. There's already talk of Ghost Rider getting his own spin-off series, but this show has already failed to launch a spin-off once so I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
Arrow
     Time has not been kind to "Arrow." It may be the progenitor of the CW's DC's television universe, but the show has been in a perpetual identity crisis since its second season. Once upon a time, "Arrow" was about a lone vigilante facing off against corrupt businessmen and realistically re-imagined Batman villains. Lately though, nearly everybody on the cast is either a vigilante or working with one.
     This season there appears to be a shake-up with the cast, introducing a new wave of vigilantes to the mix. I'm not sure that's what the show needs, but I'll keep watching anyway.
 
The Flash
     "The Flash" may be a spin-off, but it's safe to say that it's surpassed "Arrow" in quality. Who would have thought that The Flash would become TV's most popular super-hero?
     In the third season of The Flash, it seems that Barry Allen is still messing around with alternate realities. No telling yet who the big-bad of the season is going to be, though one can hope we won't have three consecutive seasons of Barry going up against another speedster and struggling to get even faster.
 
D.C.'s Legends of Tomorrow
     Being super-hero shows, "The Flash" and "Arrow" have built up quite the roster of secondary characters. Rather than shelve them in limbo, The CW has given some of the more popular characters a show of their own. (Including Iowa's own Brandon Routh, who once played Superman and is currently The Atom.)
     It'd be easy to write off "Legends of Tomorrow" as a B-Team show, but their time travel high jinks were pretty entertaining for their first season and I don't see them slowing down for the second.
 
Supergirl
     "Supergirl" had a solid first season on CBS, but it apparently wasn't getting the ratings it needed. Fortunately, Greg Berlanti, who is the show runner for three previously mentioned shows, found a home for Supergirl on The CW.
     Moving production from Los Angeles to Vancouver might have cut costs, but it also comes with a price. Specifically, the downgrading of Calista Flockhart from the main cast to a recurring character.
     Still, there is an upside. After a season of off-screen teases, Superman has finally made a full appearance. The new location will also make crossovers with other CW shows easier, so expect fair number of team-ups in the future.
 
Gotham
     Over on Fox, "Gotham" remains the most interesting show with the least interesting main character on TV. The drama around Jim Gordon's journey to becoming the Police Commissioner we know and love isn't particularly compelling, fortunately the wacky antics of the Penguin, Riddler, and the increasing number of super-criminals more than makes up for it.
 
     Outside of super hero fare, there's also "Lucifer" and "iZombie" drawing inspiration from comic books. Later this season we'll also see "Powerless," an NBC comedy about insurance adjusters in the DC universe; and "Riverdale" a CW teen drama based on "Archie Comics."
     Not a bad line-up, all things considered. The inner kid in me will never stop being amazed that there's a super-hero show for every night of the week.
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and picked a bad time to start up a Netflix subscription.