Every DC Show on The CW, Ranked

The CW is known for being the home of DC TV shows. As the network shifted from being The WB to The CW, Greg Berlanti capitalized on the success of Smallville by creating Arrow. The Stephen Amell-led show was beloved by DC fans and spawned the Arrowverse, as shows like The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow followed.

Superman & Lois is the only DC show that remains on The CW after the new majority owners, Nexstar, canceled and forced various DC TV shows to end. This happened as Nexstar pursued its aim of making The CW profitable, but this came with a great downside. The image of The CW is not what it used to be. There are barely any genre-related shows left on the network, let alone DC shows. It’s a great shame as the DC-led era of The CW comes to an end later this year with Season 4 of Superman & Lois.

13 Gotham Knights Never Stood a Chance on The CW

• Gotham Knights ran for 1 season on The CW before ending in 2023.

Gotham Knights was made by the creators of Batwoman as they aimed to expand to another part of the Batman universe. Starting after the death of Batman, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son, Turner Hayes, along with his ragtag group of friends, are framed for the Dark Knight’s death. As the Gotham Knights, the teenagers try to prove their innocence and find out who killed Batman.

Gotham Knights came about at the wrong time, airing Season 1 after Nexstar took over The CW. By the time Gotham Knights premiered, The CW had canceled and ended various shows that were popular with fans. There was always a sense that Gotham Knights would be canceled, so there was little anticipation for the Batman-related show, which ultimately turned out to be true.

12 Naomi Was Canceled Too Early

• Naomi ran for 1 season on The CW before ending in 2022.

Created by Hollywood filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship, Naomi follows a young comic book buff who is intent on discovering the origins of a supernatural event. Naomi soon discovers that she has powers and has to step up as the villainous Brutus threatens her life. All her time spent admiring Superman paid off as she became a superhero herself.

Naomi is one of DC’s best recent characters who was introduced in the comics. It’s a shame that The CW’s Naomi didn’t work out, as there was so much story potential, mainly due to her Justice League links and her being from another world. It was given no chance when the ratings didn’t perform like other DC shows on The CW, but also Naomi is not a household name like The Flash or Supergirl. It was ultimately disappointing as Naomi’s story had only just started.

11 Vixen Was Introduced and Then Forgotten by the Arrowverse

• Vixen ran for 2 seasons on The CW Seed before ending in 2016.

Vixen is a CW Seed animated show that ties into Arrow. The show introduced Mari McCabe to the Arrowverse, beginning with her being chased by Flash and Green Arrow on the rooftops of Detroit. The show explains how she became Vixen and gained the powers of the totem that she wields.

Vixen acts as a good setup for Mari McCabe’s first appearance in live-action, as Arrowverse fans who watched the show were already familiar with the character. However, Vixen feels like a bit of a waste in retrospect, as the episodes are so short, and this version of Vixen only appeared in one Arrow episode before becoming a forgotten Arrowverse superhero.

10 Batwoman Got Better With Javicia Leslie

• Batwoman ran for 3 seasons on The CW before ending in 2022.

Batwoman originally starred Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne’s cousin, after debuting in the Elseworlds crossover. With Batman gone, Gotham is left without a protector, so Kate steps up and becomes Batwoman with the help of her friends like Luke Fox. This is all despite her father’s strong disdain for vigilantes, as he runs The Crows, who have been protecting Gotham in Batman’s absence.

Batwoman was controversial since the start with the show getting hate before it even premiered, but that didn’t stop the show from running three seasons on The CW. Batwoman got better after Ruby Rose departed, as Javicia Leslie proved to be a great, fierce Batwoman who was worthy of the mantle. It’s hard to judge the series as a whole due to the two different Batwoman actresses, but the rest of the cast remained the same, and the tone stayed consistent throughout, which helped. Also, Batwoman had some of the best crossover episodes and moments in the Arrowverse. Seeing Batwoman with Supergirl and Leslie’s Red Death in The Flash was a distinct joy.

9 Freedom Fighters: The Ray Was an Exciting Earth-X Spin-Off

• Freedom Fighters: The Ray ran for 2 seasons on The CW Seed before ending in 2018.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray was an Arrowverse spin-off that debuted around the same time that Crisis on Earth-X aired on The CW. It follows The Ray as he fights alongside Earth-X’s Freedom Fighters to try and take down the brutal regime that rules their world. Overgirl, Dark Arrow and Dark Flash are amazing villains who are among the Arrowverse’s most imposing threats due to their extreme power.

Although Freedom Fighters: The Ray is canon, there are some strange changes from Crisis on Earth-X‘s continuity, like Dark Flash replacing Reverse Flash. This doesn’t take away from the show, as both versions are fascinating in their own way. The animation is an upgrade on Vixen, which goes full-out with almost endless action as the Freedom Fighters do their best to stop Earth-X’s villains. It was the perfect continuation to The Ray’s cameo in Crisis on Earth-X, expanding his character in a way that the crossover didn’t have time for.

8 Legends of Tomorrow Became a New Show in Season 4

• Legends of Tomorrow ran for 7 seasons on The CW before ending in 2022.

Legends of Tomorrow starts with Rip Hunter, a future time traveler, gathering a mismatched group of heroes and villains to help him defeat Vandal Savage, Season 1’s main villain. The Atom, White Canary and Captain Cold are among the most popular characters to join the show, having debuted in Arrow and The Flash beforehand.

Legends of Tomorrow went through a lot of changes when Season 4 arrived, as the show became more of a comedy than a superhero show. This lost the viewership of many fans who had originally watched the show to see an Arrowverse-like time travel show while convincing many that the new direction was for the best. It remains divisive to this day, but most fans can agree that a number of the seasons were great.

7 Black Lightning Was Always Thrilling and Intriguing

• Black Lightning ran for 4 seasons on The CW before ending in 2021.

Black Lightning took a different approach than most of the other Arrowverse shows, as it didn’t begin with an origin story. It followed Jefferson Pierce, a retired superhero turned school principal, who is forced out of retirement as his community needs him to return to protect the streets. Putting on the suit and taking down enemies in style is what Black Lightning does.

Black Lighting was a welcome presence as only the second grounded Arrowverse show at the time. Also, it’s a show that cares deeply about family and community, as Black Lightning always upholds his beliefs, whether as a vigilante, father, or head teacher at school. Black Lightning became a big part of the Arrowverse, joining the Justice League in Crisis on Infinite Earths and returning to The Flash in Season 8’s Armageddon event.

6 Stargirl Helped the Arrowverse Grow Into Something New

• Stargirl ran for 3 seasons on The CW before ending in 2022.

Stargirl follows Courtney Whitmore, a student in high school, as she steps up and becomes a superhero. Aided by a cosmic staff, Stargirl is granted great power that she uses to defeat enemies such as the Injustice Society of America. The pilot showed the end of the Justice Society of America with most of their members killed in action, but Stargirl revives the JSA in a new form that’s full of young, upcoming superheroes.

Stargirl established a new style of visuals for the Arrowverse, making way for a quality show like Superman & Lois to follow. Using different lenses and taking more care with the composition of shots made a huge difference from the Arrowverse’s network television style of shooting before. It was a captivating show that came to an untimely end. The CW, under Nexstar, canceled Stargirl, making Season 3 the final season despite the show’s popularity.

5 Smallville Was the Original DC TV Show of This Era

• Smallville ran for 10 seasons on The WB before ending in 2010.

Although Arrow started The CW era of DC shows, Smallville came first and set the groundwork for the Arrowverse and other shows to come. Airing on The WB, before it was rebranded to CW, Smallville followed Clark Kent in his early years before he became a fully-fledged superhero. This was the pitch, a show with little Superman action that focused on Clark’s high school years before showing his life as a burgeoning reporter at the Daily Planet.

To this day, Smallville has a huge fanbase who remain attached and in love with the show. Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum regularly attend conventions and are developing a Smallville animated sequel show that could expand on the canon ending to Season 11, which was seen in the comics. The passion that fans showed allowed Smallville to go on for so long, as people became attached, wondering at what point Clark would become Superman, wearing the full costume.

4 Arrow Formed the Most Successful Shared Universe on Television

• Arrow ran for 8 seasons on The CW before ending in 2020.

The Arrowverse came about after the initial success of Arrow Season 1, as Grant Gustin appeared as Barry Allen, aka Flash, in Season 2. After returning home from Lian Yu, Oliver Queen kills targets from his father’s list as The Hood before transitioning to Green Arrow, a hero who does not kill. Aided by his friends and family, Green Arrow is swift and effective in taking down threats, but has struggled when facing villains who get under his skin.

Arrow was solid throughout its eight seasons, delivering mostly grounded stories, unlike shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. However, Damien Darkh changed the show in Season 4 as the villain introduced magic into Arrow, which was a big mistake. This is seen by how dark and brutal Season 5 went with Prometheus, which realigned the show back to its original mission. It’s such an important show for DC, as it started the greatest shared universe on television.

3 Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl Was Massively Influential

• Supergirl ran for 6 seasons on The CW before ending in 2021.

Following in Grant Gustin’s footsteps, Melissa Benoist was cast as Supergirl after playing Marley Rose in Glee. Supergirl follows Kara Danvers as she goes about her daily life, working for Cat Co. as an assistant-turned-journalist. Kara becomes Supergirl after saving her sister’s plane from crashing, which makes her a sensation in National City. Kara developed into one of the Arrowverse’s most important heroes, contributing in every crossover as a leader alongside Flash and Green Arrow.

Supergirl lasted six seasons before Melissa Benoist and the showrunners decided to end the show. It was always divisive, as some Arrowverse fans loved the show while others complained about certain things, like Superman being less powerful when he appeared in Season 2. Either way, Melissa captured the hearts of endless DC fans around the world, paving the way for Sasha Calle and Milly Alcock to become Supergirl.

2 Superman & Lois Is the Highest Quality DC TV Show

• Superman & Lois will end with Season 4 on The CW.

Superman & Lois is unlike any other Arrowverse show, as its production quality is far beyond anything The CW has ever made. After seeing the impact Stargirl made, Superman & Lois followed suit as they took great care in crafting beautifully cinematic images, unlike the network television style of filmmaking seen in the rest of the Arrowverse. Quality over quantity proved to be seriously effective.

Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch are the perfect pairing as Clark Kent and Lois Lane. They are complemented by great writing with compelling storylines like Season 2’s Bizarro and Season 3’s Bruno Mannheim story. However, Superman & Lois is more than just a superhero show as it balances truly hard-hitting stories like Lois getting cancer, which was tactfully told, along with great action that is excellently executed. Superman & Lois is the highest quality DC TV show to date.

1 The Flash Is the Arrowverse’s Most Beloved Show

• The Flash ran for 9 seasons on The CW before ending in 2023.

The Flash didn’t start the Arrowverse, but it was ultimately the most popular DC TV show on The CW. The Flash follows Barry Allen as he becomes the Scarlet Speedster, teaming up with his friends and family to fight crime and find other metahumans like him. Everything started with Barry figuring out who the Man in the Yellow Mask was, which was a mystery that went on throughout Season 1 until Team Flash figured out that Harrison Wells was Reverse Flash.

The Flash ran for nine seasons, captivating viewers every week with great villain arcs and mysteries for the Scarlet Speedster to tackle. The show had many great crossovers, like the Duet musical crossover, which was entirely unique to the rest of the Arrowverse. Also, The Flash took on the duty of ending the Arrowverse with various cameos in the final season that pleased fans. The show had its ups and downs, but Grant Gustin and Candice Patton always delivered on The Flash, which helped to retain viewers during the tough periods.