Superhero movies have been all the rage for the past 15 years, but fans shouldn’t overlook great superhero TV shows, too. In fact, a lot of comic book characters lend themselves better to a more serialized storytelling approach that big-budget movies can’t replicate. Here are the fifteen best superhero shows of all time!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)
Kevin Eastman’s half-parody, half-serious comic book series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been interpreted, rebooted, and adapted more times than you can count. For many fans, the definitive version is the 1987 cartoon, which introduced legions of young fans to the pizza-loving martial arts masters.
The Powerpuff Girls
Made from a combination of sugar, spice, and everything nice, the Powerpuff Girls are a trio of superpowered youngsters with a wide and varied rogue’s gallery. This adorable show was a critical part of many Millennial viewers’ childhoods, and it holds up as one of the best superhero shows ever.
The Incredible Hulk (1978)
Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno as David Bruce Banner and The Hulk, respectively, made this 70s series one of a kind. By eschewing many of the staples of Hulk comics of the time, the show used a more grounded tone that appealed to a mass audience and made the rage-fueled green monster a household name.
Arrow
The CW found a winning formula when it started treating its TV superheroes like the soap opera stars they really are. What’s a weekly comic book series if not a long-running soap opera in tights? Arrow is a great example of this ethos working correctly, with pretty actors shouting about justice and doing cool martial arts stunts. Pure comic book goodness in distilled form.
Heroes
For its first one and a half seasons, Heroes was the best thing on television. This show knew how to translate the energy of a comic book into the format of primetime TV in a way that really hasn’t been replicated since. Sadly, the 2007 writer’s strike obliterated the show’s momentum, so Heroes will always be remembered as a flawed masterpiece.
Justice League (2001)
The 2001 animated series Justice League is among the best interpretations of the long-running superhero team. The ensemble cast is a strength, instead of a weakness, as episodes find ways to explore the unique characters and how they solve problems by joining forces.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The MCU’s first foray into TV came with the Clark Gregg-led Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This shiny, big-budget ABC show brought superhero action to primetime TV by focusing on the titular agents, keeping the stakes grounded while allowing for occasional cameos from the more outlandish characters seen on the big screen.
The Flash
Like Arrow, The Flash knew how to use its protagonist in a weekly serial. Monsters of the week, long-running background plotlines, and plenty of quips made The Flash a fun piece of television that once again vindicated The CW’s willingness to treat comic book characters like the long-running soap opera stars they really are.
Batman Beyond
There are few shows that look and feel quite as cool as Batman Beyond. The show gave the first genuinely believable sequel to the Batman mythos, presenting an aged Bruce Wayne and a new generation of heroes and villains for Gotham. Comics are so rarely allowed to move the timeline ahead, which made Beyond such a breath of fresh air.
X-Men (1992)
The 90s X-Men series is fascinating and infuriating in equal measure. In some episodes, it’s telling Emmy-caliber stories about diversity, tolerance, and acceptance. In others, it feels like the budget full through and the writers just needed to fill time for 22 minutes. Still, when this show works, it’s one of the best adaptations of the X-Men ever made.
Teen Titans (2003)
Don’t let Teen Titans Go color your impression of the far superior 2003 show Teen Titans. While the original shares its main voice cast and general premise with the garish Go, it’s a serious-minded and well-made drama that knows how to treat its characters like human beings—even when they’re extradimensional demons, extraterrestrials, or cyborgs.
My Hero Academia
Did you expect to see an anime on this list? My Hero Academia takes everything that rules about the X-Men, smashes it into Dragon Ball Z at 1000 miles per hour, and feeds the resulting pulp to you with a spinning karate kick. Just flip this one on and tell me you’re not grinning from ear to ear by the end of the first episode.
Jessica Jones
Everything in the Netflix series Jessica Jones works. Krysten Ritter as the protagonist is enthralling and impossible to not root for. David Tennant as The Purple Man is a menacing monster who feels frighteningly plausible. And the show’s tight scripts and excellent visuals just bring it all home.
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Batman: The Animated Series
Bruce Timm and his team took Tim Burton’s vision of Gotham from the 1989 Batman, mixed in neo-noir visuals, and created a singular masterpiece with Batman: The Animated Series. This show is so fundamental to the modern understanding of Batman that you’d be forgiven for thinking some of its original characters came from the comics.
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Daredevil
Netflix’s take on Daredevil is nothing short of a revelation. Charlie Cox is mesmerizing as Matt Murdock, the morally conflicted lawyer-turned-vigilante who is faced with moral quandaries the size of New York City around every turn. This stunning show is concerned with some heavy themes, including justice, the nature of the truth, fairness, and punishment. Oh, and its bone-crunching fight scenes certainly help propel the story along.
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