It’s that time of year again; the leaves are falling, football is on and all of the best superhero shows are about to air. Obviously, there’s a relatively good selection of shows to watch throughout the year, but the networks seem to keep the greatest ones for those long, chilly evenings.
Whether you’re planning to watch one or all nine of the live-action superhero shows airing this fall and winter, you can find all of the important details right here.
1. Iron Fist – Sept. 7
Superhero season started off strong last week with the Season 2 premiere of “Iron Fist.” All 10 episodes dropped on Netflix on Sept. 7 and were met with good reviews. I won’t give spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen it, but it’s a significant change from Season 1. Marvel really put in their work to fix the existing issues and to strengthen the story.
If you need a reminder, Season 1 ended with Danny Rand and Colleen Wing returning to the city of K’un-Lun and finding it destroyed. In the first season, Colleen has a considerable role change and finds out about some interesting lineage, and Danny finds himself on a new quest to Asia, setting up a clear pathway for Season 3.
The good news is, you can binge-watch this one in a week, freeing up your schedule for all the other great shows this fall.
2. The Gifted – Sept. 25
Next up is Season 2 of “The Gifted,” set to premiere Monday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. EST. The X-men based series will kick off with an episode titled “eMergence.” The final chapter count is still up in the air, but chances are it will follow the 13-episode pattern of Season 1.
At the end of Season 1, Andy and Lauren used their special powers to disintegrate the underground headquarters and kill the Hounds while Polaris took care of Campbell and Montez. After this, several recruits joined Polaris and the Frosts in the Hellfire Club.
Season 2’s details are still relatively “top secret,” but the show’s executive producers promised a lot more time would be given to the character’s background stories. Additionally, the characters will continue to deal with opposing forces in a mutant-intolerant environment.
3. The Flash – Oct. 9
The CW will start its extensive superhero lineup with “The Flash” on Oct. 9. and will run for 22 episodes. Now onto its fifth season, “The Flash” has a pretty intense and emotionally scarring history to follow.
Season 4 ended with Barry and Team Flash defeating DeVoe and saving Central City from a falling S.T.A.R. Labs satellite. The final surprise was the reveal of the mystery girl’s identity — Barry’s daughter from the future, Nora.
Season 5 brings a new villain to Central City: The Cicada. His goal is to get rid of everyone ever saved by the Flash, and the newest trailer shows Joe West as a definite target. Along with this villain’s agenda, Barry must deal with the consequences of Nora’s time traveling stunts — and everyone knows by now that the timeline is not to be messed with or there will be consequences.
4. Black Lightning – Oct. 9
“Black Lightning” airs 9 p.m. EST following the season premiere of “The Flash” on the CW, making for one terrific Tuesday. Season 2 of the series won’t be like the first, according to Cress Williams. Instead, the story will be “harder hitting and a little bit darker.”
Season 1 ended with Black Lightning regaining his powers and taking down Proctor with the help of his team. Tobias Whale ends up with Proctor’s briefcase and declares himself the new “King of Freeland” after viewing the contents. With all the developments of the finale, there’s plenty for Season 2 to work with.
It’s likely that this season will follow the 13-episode pattern, which will keep it from being drawn out. The first episode is currently named “The Book of Consequences,” hinting at a lot of conflict occurring from the end of Season 1. Additionally, whatever Tobias found in the briefcase isn’t going to make things easy for the good guys.
5. Titans – Oct. 12
For those of you who decided to opt in on the new DC Universe streaming service, you get a bonus show this year: “Titans.” The show is set to release exclusively on DC Universe Oct. 12. This series will be an all-new version of the Teen Titans team that you know from the comics and cartoons. While the main cast will still feature Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Robin), Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy, everything so far points to a much darker and more mature version of these superhero characters.
DC’s been fairly quiet on the details so far, but they’ve let out enough tidbits to spark fans’ interest. According to what’s been released, the first season will follow the formation of the Teen Titans in the midst of a global threat, with Dick Grayson ultimately becoming the leader of the group.
Whether DC is confident enough in the show to renew it already, the announced “Doom Patrol” series coming early next year will supposedly pick up where “Titans” leaves off. “Doom Patrol” will also be a DC Universe exclusive, so you may want to invest in that extra monthly streaming service if “Titans” peaks your interest.
6. Supergirl – Oct. 14
Next up is Season 4 of “Supergirl,” airing Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. EST on the CW network. News from the executives says that the fourth season will feature not only new cast members but also a change in direction. The good news is that many of the core characters will be returning (Supergirl, James Olsen, Alex Danvers, J’onn), but sadly characters like Winn will be less frequent, and Mon-El may be gone for good.
The series finished its third season earlier this year with a lot of action and a big surprise. After Kara defeated Reign, a lot of the characters’ roles and plans changed, leaving the court wide open for the new cast members the show runners wanted. The big ending also revealed that a second Kara had been created from an aura that was released during her battle with Reign.
Robert Rovner, one of the showrunners, told TVLine that this part of the storyline for Season 4 “is inspired by the iconic DC Comics’ Red Son, which told an alternate origin story for Superman.” The villain for this season will be Agent Liberty, the founder of a hate group that doesn’t tolerate aliens. His involvement will supposedly lead to an increase in anti-alien movements, and Kara will end up using her journalism skills to help the situation more than she has in the past.
7. Arrow – Oct. 15
Going into its seventh season, Arrow will air Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. EST, also on the CW. Stephen Amell’s been hinting that this season is going to be intense — like pushing the censorship limits intense — and will bring more twists and turns than any of the six seasons before it.
Season 6 ended with Team Arrow chasing down Diaz and Oliver making amends with many of his teammates before finally revealing himself as the Green Arrow. As a result, he was sent to a maximum-security prison, where the story will pick up in October.
Amell also revealed that the first episode with have Oliver doing something “reprehensible,” and he hopes that it makes fans mad. Just what that is will have to wait for Oct. 15, but this season should open up a lot of possibilities for character development for not only Oliver but all the other team members as they protect the city without him.
8. Legends of Tomorrow – Oct. 22
The “Legends of Tomorrow” crew returns Oct. 22 to (you guessed it) the CW. The show will air 9 p.m., following “Arrow.” This will be Season 4 for the eclectic group of super-powered rejects, though last season’s team will be a bit altered.
The Season 3 finale started off with Rip sacrificing himself to save the team, leaving the rest of the Legends to sort out the totem situation. Damien was able to save his daughter but also sacrificed himself as her replacement. Amaya finally returned to Zambesi, and the other Legends came back to the present time where Constantine revealed that Sara accidentally let out more than just Mallus when they unleashed the time demon.
Season 4 will bring on a few new regulars while letting go of others like Kid Flash and Vixen. They may appear later but not as permanent team members. The plot will carry the Legends throughout time as they fight the “Fugitives” that are now scattered after escaping the time barrier. Constantine will be a new regular on the show and an expert on getting these fugitives back to where they belong.
9. Runaways – Dec. 21
Last but not least, “Runaways” Season 2 will air on Hulu Dec. 21. There will be 13 episodes picking up right where Season 1 left off.
Season 1 ended with the kids all finally running away from their parents and assuming the iconic outfits they have in the comic books. Additionally, the season left them all facing charges of kidnapping and murder, so they were on the run from their parents and the law.
According to Newsweek, Season 2 will have the kids staying in the Hostel of the comic books now that they’re out on their own. This element of “adulting” will comprise a lot of their conflict because they’ll have to live without actual adults in the picture. This will force them all to work together, instead of individuals trying to make it in the real world. Along the way, it’s rumored that they’ll be welcoming a new face or two to the team, adding some more powerful characters to the gang.
Executive producer Josh Schwartz also said that the parents won’t be as much of a factor as the first season, but they’re still an element in the grand scheme of things. Either way, the Runaways will ultimately have to figure out how to survive and take down PRIDE before it’s too late.
