Dhruv Sharma
Only a few superhero TV shows manage to hit the right balance between comedy, romance, drama, and some kickass action. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is surely one of them. The show is about a time-traveling rogue named Rip Hunter who has seen glimpses of the horrifying apocalyptic future that has been a consequence of many past events. Rip Hunter takes it up as his responsibility to save the world from this grim fate and travels back in time to assemble a group of heroes and villains who may be the only hope for the future of mankind. But can this ragtag team defy the fate that the world is set to meet or are they going to fail miserably? This show is silly, funny, weird and visually stunning, and if you have a good sense of humor and an ability to let go of your comic book grudges, then you should start watching it today itself.
Some of you might have already seen ‘Legends of Tomorrow‘ and the show might have managed to tickle your funny bone. If that’s the case, then you’re probably looking for shows that are similar to this one. Well, your hunt for similar shows ends here because we have made a list of the best shows out there that are very much like this DC adaptation. Some of the shows mentioned below may have a more serious undertone to them but their storyline and action sequences make up for the lack of humor. Then there are other series like ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ that are more on the funnier side. Choose whatever suits you the best and get ready for some superhero madness. You can watch many of the below mentioned shows like Legends of Tomorrow on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
15. Arrow (2012)
‘Arrow’ is like the love child of Castaway and Batman Begins. It’s about a spoiled and pampered billionaire playboy named Oliver Queen who finds himself lost on a distant island after his Yacht sinks in a storm. Everyone else on the Yacht dies which includes his father who makes him promise that he will survive and return to home to clean up his fathers’ mess. Five years later Oliver finds his way back home, but now he is not who he used to be. He’s a completely changed man who has only one goal- keep his promise and clean up the city he grew up in. One by one he targets the people who have been polluting the city and sets out to serve justice as a masked vigilante who is armed with nothing but a bow and arrow.
14. The Flash (2014)
Remember how so many of us tried getting bitten by spiders in the hope that we too would become spiderman back when the first Spiderman film had come out. I’m so glad it wasn’t ‘The Flash‘ movies or series that made it big back in the day because in this one the protagonist, Barry Allen, gets struck by lightning (don’t try this at home or anywhere) and wakes up nine months after this incident to discover that he has the power of super speed. Barry later realizes that a few other people were affected by the same storm that gave him his powers and most of them are now using their powers for evil deeds. Determined to protect his city, Barry fights these other superhumans and makes a difference. But with time Barry will also run into forces that may not have the best intentions but may try to manipulate him and misuse his power and he must learn to confront them. All DC fans out there should surely give this one a go.
13. Smallville (2001)
If you’ve never had the opportunity to admire Superman because of the whole Batman movies overshadowing the Superman films, this is where you should begin. ‘Smallville’ revolves around a younger Superman who is slowly coming in terms with his superpowers and also with the fact that he is very different from everyone else. Clark Kent must now learn to hide his abilities from the girl he loves and also Lex Luthor who will one day be his enemy. Things get worse for Clark when it is discovered that Kryptonite, his only weakness, is present all over Smallville and is causing strange and sinister mutations among its citizens. Smallville is almost like the G.O.A.T of D.C TV shows and if you are not watching it, then you are surely missing out.
12. Supergirl (2015)
Kara was supposed to accompany her younger cousin Kal-El as his protector when he was being sent off to Earth after the end of the planet Krypton. But an unfortunate diversion of events, send her down into the timeless Phantom Zone before she finally finds her way back to a planet where her brother is now a well-known superhero. Years later, Kara’s spark to use her Kryptonian powers reignites and she decides to use them to serve justice to the world just like her brother. What follows is Supergirl’s adventures to balance out her responsibilities as a superhero and her personal life as well where she finds hope, love and a lot of action along the way.
11. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013)
Set in a world that follows the disturbing events of the first Avengers movie, ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’ is about the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement: Logistics Division that hires a team of agents who are responsible for discovering and fixing alien activity all over the world. The team includes Ward, May, Skye, Simmons, Fitz and Phil Coulson who together make the perfect team and have to use their unique skills to identify the activities of HYDRA and stop them from making scientific weapons that they intend to use for spreading terror. This show tends to start off a little slow but if you stick with it long enough, you will learn to appreciate it as it slowly gains momentum.
10. X-Men (1992)
Long before any of the movies or TV shows came out, the ‘X-Men’ animated series was the epitome of superhero comic based entertainment. This ‘Fox Kids Network‘ feature was absolutely viral and was the major reason why people were starting to know about the world of Charles Xavier and his school for “Gifted Youngsters”. This series will take you back to the origins of the X-men and their world where they struggle to be accepted by the human race. It also features their adventures and battles against the evil deeds of Magneto, Apocalypse and genocidal robots known as The Sentinels. This is still probably one of the best cartoon series ever made and still holds a lot of significance for its loyalty towards the comic books.
9. Justice League Unlimited (2004)
‘Justice League Unlimited’ is another great Cartoon Network series from the early 2000s that is still appreciated for its absolute perfection. One of the best animated shows ever made this one just had something more to it that always held it level above other. Love interests, entertaining action scenes, an amazing plot and also shedding some light on life values like working in a team and watching everyone’s back while you’re at it. This DC series will restore your faith in DC if you have been having some trouble wrapping your head around the DCEU. This one is surely worth watching and once you start off again with this classic, you will not stop till the very end.
8. The Tomorrow People (2013)
‘The Tomorrow People’ is the story of a bunch of young people who start discovering their superhuman abilities which include teleportation, telekinesis, and telepathy. The main character Stephen Jameson thinks he’s going insane when he first discovers his ability to teleport while he sleeps. But he soon starts realizing that he may not be the only one with such extraordinary abilities. He unites with all of these people and together they call themselves ‘The Tomorrow People’ because they hold the key to the evolution of “tomorrow”. But an organization called Ultra wants them dead and is against the idea of them being the future of the human race. Who will win this war of evolution ‘The Tomorrow People’ or humans who run Ultra?
7. Constantine (2014)
If you haven’t seen the ‘Constantine‘ movie that stars Keanu Reeves, then you should watch it right now because it’s one of the most underrated films of our time. This show traces back the origins of the man who struggles with the terrifying memories of his past and is a now slowly becoming the savior of humanity against sinister forces that lurk in the darkness and can only be seen by selected few. Keanu Reeves did a great job playing the role of ‘Constantine’ but surprisingly Matt Ryan manages to pull it off even better. This show has an amazing dark and gritty vibe to it that will make the hair behind your neck stand right up and also has some humor here and there. Also, it remains loyal to what one would truly expect from a John Constantine show- nudity, gore, religious references and spine chilling darkness.
6. Jessica Jones (2015)
Jessica Jones who was once a crime-fighting superhero has now crumbled into the miseries of her life but she is still trying to rebuild her life working as a private investigator which involves cases involving people who are just like her and possess the most extraordinary abilities. This show showed some promising content with its first season and gained immense popularity for consistently dark theme and uniqueness. Though it was equally bad during its second season, high hopes are being held from the upcoming season three that will probably be its last.
5. Inhumans (2017)
‘The Inhumans’ is set up around a family that rare genetic anomalies that make them different and more powerful than a normal human being because of the unique powers they possess. They prefer staying in absolute isolation away from the world on their own Royal island called Attilan. But when the family is attacked by outside forces from the outside world some of whom possess dark unearthly powers, the family must get together and protect their home from the invasion of these forces while dealing with the grimness of international politics as well. Do not judge a book by its cover and do not judge this show by its reviews, watch it yourself first and only then judge this one.
4. The Messengers (2015)
A group of strangers, reawaken with an unusual sense of connection with each other after they knocked down by a shockwave sent out by crashing comet. They now possess unique powers and will determine the future of humanity on Earth. The show initially showed immense potential but later was led off in a direction that would make it more appealing to the younger audience just like any other typical show about vampire and werewolf stories, that is where it entirely lost its way and even the potential that it had. You can still check it out and be the judge, you might enjoy the cliched storyline that it offers.
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3. The Gifted (2017)
‘The Gifted’ is quite an interesting show about how a family lives happily like normal people until they suddenly discover that the kids in the family possess inhuman extra-ordinary abilities and are forced to seek help from a community that could be their only hope. This show from the Fox Broadcasting Company is a little different from other superhero shows because of its lack of cheesiness and shiny superhero suits, but that’s what makes it better than most.
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2. The Defenders (2017)
Four heroes- Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and The Daredevil, work solo to save the city of New York from criminal injustice. But when they realize that working solo may not be enough anymore the four combine forces and form The Defenders to be more equipped to fight the Big Apple and protect the city in ways which were earlier not possible when they worked solo.
1. Runaways (2017)
A group of teenagers discover the lie that their parents have been hiding all these years which reveals their evil intentions to them. These teens decide to team up and set off on a journey to stop their parents from committing the terrible deeds that they have planned and also figure out their own origins along the way. This show tends to get better with each season, so if you patiently manage to get through the first season, you will be rewarded well in the second one.
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