One of the biggest superhero franchises out there is DC. Based on the DC comics, the DC universe keeps expanding with new series and movies being released almost every year. The DC universe has given us some of our favorite superheroes that we grew up watching and idolizing. Some of our favorite shows as kids were from the DC comics. But with a universe so vast, there are shows that went well. But some DC TV shows did not and ended up getting canceled. The fans of the shows still look back and think about them. They can’t help but think that they were way ahead of their time. Here’s a list of DC TV shows that got canceled for different reasons and fans think they were ahead of their time.
ABC’s Batman was too ahead of its time
In the mid-1960s, American television became a bit weird. Among shows that would make viewers awkward came to Batman in 1966. The show about the Dark Knight was not as dark as the comics. It had bright colors, over-the-top action and plots, and weird antagonists. Also, the show had strange comic representations like words such as kapow flashing on the screen. At first, it served as a change and high ratings. But slowly the rating started to drop with every season and was canceled by the third. Later, NBC wanted to restart the show, but the studio had destroyed the set. Rebuilding it would have cost too much so it remained canceled. But it’s still one of the most talked-about DC TV shows.
Batman: The Animated Series was stopped before it had to
Another Batman DC TV show that got canceled for being ahead of its time is the animated series of the superhero. It was noir, moody, and thoughtful. Though its target audience was young kids, it stayed true to the original theme of the Dark Knight comics. The show did quite well and even won a number of Emmy awards. It was appreciated at its time but not enough. By the time it reached the 85th episode, it stopped. The writers said that it was because they ran out of ideas. Though the fans hated the abrupt ending some still think it was better as it was ahead of its time.
The Flash of 1990 came out at the wrong time
When the new Flash came with Grant Gustin starring as Barry Allen, fans couldn’t help but think about The Flash that came out in 1990. The 1990 Flash had John Wesley Shipp as the protagonist. The show just like any other show of that era was dark, gritty, and full of crime. The studio, CBS was certain that the show would do great and spent a lot on its production. Only to suffer a loss of $6 million on the pilot episode itself. The show did not even find an appropriate time slot to air and hence was canceled after the first. The show wasn’t bad but too ahead of its time, if only it were made now it would have done better.
Krypton needed to be released a little later
One of the DC TV shows that fans think came before the time is Krypton. Krypton is the real home of Superman, he was sent to Earth by his parents to save him before the planet got destroyed. The show was based on the ancestors of Superman and their glorious past. At first, the show did quite well and garnered a huge following when its first season came out in 2018. But after some time, they started getting bored, and slowly the ratings began to drop. They were no longer interested in the lives of the soon to die ancestors of the boy who would be Superman. With a far more interesting script, the fans would’ve loved it even more now.
Wonder Woman did not do so well on TV
Being one of the mainstream superheroes, a show based on Wonder Woman was expected to do good like other DC TV shows. But in the 1970s it wasn’t that well received. Fans today think that the series was funny, exciting, and brought in a new age of superhero shows. Back when it was released it was ranked #45 in the ratings it received. And after the third season, CBS canceled the show. Looking back at it now, it was one of the best representations of the superhero. If it was released now, it would have done much better.
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