DC’s Legends of Tomorrowpremiered back in 2016, at the height of Arrowverse fervor withThe FlashandArrowgoing strong andSupergirljoining The CW lineup. The brainchild of super-producerGreg Berlantiand fellow Arrowverse executive producersMarc Guggenheim,Andrew Kreisberg, andPhil Klemmer,and featuring a motley crew of supporting characters fromArrowandThe Flash, the show essentially seems like a gamble by the execs to test the limits of the fanbase they had accumulated.
If fans of their DC shows were passionately devoted to their flagship series, could they then also get behind a series of b-grade characters ripped from both shows, despite it having no precedent or backing in the comics. With no comic book lore to guide them and many of the characters being adapted for the first time, to say that the series took its time to find its footing would be an understatement.
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Despite somepositive reception, the first Season of the show was marred by clichéd writing and an absurdly serious approach to its ragtag band of characters. But while The CW has been consistent in churning out the same middling, melodramatic content,Legends of Tomorrowactually managed to listen to the feedback and reinvent itself in a way no other superhero series ever has. Subsequent Seasons of Legends of Tomorrow began to embrace its wild premise of time-traveling superheroes in a way that stood out. Suddenly, nothing was wild enough to not be included in the show. The show used the endless possibilities of time travel to amp up the comedy and introduce a variety of wild scenarios. From a young Barack Obama in the cross-hairs of Grodd the gorilla to Vikings worshipping a time-displaced cuddly doll Beebo to exploring what the team would look like in alternative timelines,Legends of Tomorrowboldly became a show that was willing to test the limits of genre TV.
The series was able to introduce a plethora of heroes coming from all sorts of backgrounds, making each Season unpredictable and exciting. The show has done wonders for Muslim representation throughTala Ashe’s Zari (both versions!) and her brother Behrad (Shayan Sobhian). The siblings have managed to make their characters stand out from the standard Muslim representation on TV which teeters from characters that are either too devout or just downright maniacal terrorists. The recent inclusion of Spooner provides much-needed representation for people on the asexuality spectrum, with there hardly being any characters or superheroes of that kind on screen. Furthermore, the show has gone all out to introduce a host of other LGBT heroes, from the leads Sarah Lance (Caity Lotz) and Ava Sharp (Jes Macallan) to John Constantine (Matt Ryan) and The Ray (Russel Tovey). Bolstered by an array of diverse, strong talent the series has been able to explore both new kinds of romances within the Arrowverse but also introduce characters that aren’t a carbon copy of typical heroes that make for The CW leads. Plus the show’s rule about updating its cast every Season brings forth fresh talent and richer stories to mine, keeping the magic alive.
The series’ devil-may-care attitude to time travel and space rules also makes the show more exciting. DC’sLegends of Tomorrowdoesn’t need to be bound by a strict code of time travel rules when other shows have solely focused on that aspect for decades. Instead, the series employs the most important tool in its disposal which is to be constantly playful and reinvent itself each chance it gets.
The show also makes for good TV through homages to classic movies (Groundhog Dayin S03, E11: “Here I Go Again”,Shaun of the Deadin S05 E13 “I Am Legends” , etc.) which it not only parodies, but also uses to further the character arc, plot-lines and overall emotional stakes of the series to great effect. Other episodes mock genre tropes and formats (a mockumentary in “Meet the Legends” S05E02, an unscripted reality show in “Lowest Common Denominator” S07E09, etc.). While it is not immune from The CW’s soapy predilections,Legendsknows it operates best when it’s sidestepping the angst for good old comic book fun. The show isn’t afraid to go meta, frequently referencing past failings of the show, most notably Season 1, and showing a self-awareness that other DC TV series can’t dream off. It’s no surprise that the show which started as an underdog superhero series with middling reviews has now become one of the few CW properties to end up onyear-end Best Television lists.
Although the Arrowverse as a whole no longer enjoys the same popularity that it once had, many look toDC’s Legends of Tomorrowas the last vestige of Arrowverse excellence. For all that it gets wrong, and it is by no means a perfect series, the show is an exercise in crafting good network television on a shoestring budget and with a clear understanding of what the fans of the series want. In its run,Arrowmistakenly took a core fanship between its two characters Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak, and decided to center entire Seasons on their romance, shifting from soap-operatic action series to a full-blown CW angsty drama resulting in a steep fall from grace.The Flashon the other hand inflicted damage on itself by doubling the “dark” aspects of the show post-Season one, with subsequent Seasons fluctuating heavily between cartoonish childishness and emotional conflict that no one but the writers on the show cared about. Similarly, the show runners ofSupergirlnever figured out a way to make the series get to the heart of what makes Kara Zor-El such an exciting character in DC lore. Plus their inability to smartly work out their budget for a show that involves nearly constant CGI action made the show alaughingstock online.
Yet, somehow, even in the age of Peak Superhero TV courtesy of Disney+’s Marvel shows and Amazon’sThe Boys,DC’s Legends of Tomorrowremains a favorite among fans. For all the initial hype around other CW DC content, it is almost certain that in the years to come, it will be their scrappy spin-offLegends of Tomorrowthat will be remembered as the singular good Arrowverse series.
