Superheroes Take Small Screen by Storm

Ben McKenzie (“The OC”) receives praise for his character on “Gotham.” (Evan Agnostini/AP)

Ben McKenzie (“The OC”) receives praise for his character on “Gotham.” (Evan Agnostini/AP)

By Nicole Fiorica

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has glanced at the blockbuster hits of the past few years that superheroes are getting a second wind. This trend is transferring to the small screen, with new shows “Gotham” and “The Flash” joining “Arrow” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to this year’s fall lineup.

“Gotham” premiered on Sept. 22 on Fox with stellar ratings. It is a Batman origins story that begins on the dark night when Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed, and the case is picked up by Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie, “The OC”), a new arrival to the crime-filled city of Gotham. Young Bruce (David Mazouz, “Touch”) will not become Batman for many years, so “Gotham” will mostly be a police drama with Gordon at the center, while also exploring how the villains of Batman grow into the iconic big bads that fans of the comics have come to love.

While viewers seemed to enjoy the pilot, which received an 8.3/10 on IMDB, there is some concern that “Gotham” will not be able to balance its big supporting cast. Will the backstories of Catwoman, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and other famous villains be as popular as the show’s creators hope? Still, McKenzie shines as a believable Gordon, and his arc throughout the show promises to be worthwhile. Viewers can tune in Mondays at 8 p.m.

Also testing if the superhero genre can survive in police drama format is “The Flash.” As a spinoff of the CW hit “Arrow,” the story follows forensic investigator Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), who, after gaining super-speed as the result of a chemical explosion, devotes himself to protecting his city from other chemically enhanced villains.

“The Flash” will premiere on the CW on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Given the success of parent show “Arrow” (about DC Comic’s Green Arrow), it is hopeful that “The Flash” will have the same trajectory.

The appeal of superheroes is widespread, and in movie form makes for exciting, action-packed blockbusters. Translating that epic appeal to television can be a lot harder. Marvel has released a slew of Avengers movies over the past few years with enormous success, including heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. Meanwhile, its spinoff show “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has seen a hefty drop in ratings and viewers during its second season this fall.

Interestingly, with the exception of the lead character Phil Coulson, who was seen in several Avengers movies, “S.H.I.E.L.D.” is mostly comprised of new characters. While it would seem natural for fresh characters to liven an already worn-out story line, ratings say otherwise, as the show struggles to engage its formerly large audience for another season.

Meanwhile, DC Comics, which has only made one film,  Man of Steel, since its completion of the Dark Knight trilogy in 2012, seems fairly content to recycle the same characters and plotlines on the small screen, with a few changed details here and there (after all, who is the Green Arrow except Batman in a different costume?). It seems strange that these shows would continue to be successful despite being so repetitious, but they capitalize on an important nostalgia that comic fans feel towards their favorite superheroes. While “Gotham” and “The Flash” are still in their early stages, the outlook on both shows is pretty positive, and the odds are high that people will continue to watch in order to catch glimpses of some of their favorite characters and listen closely for subtle hints of characters to come.

Bringing superheroes to the small screen may mean toning down some of the big-budget effects that we love in blockbuster hits, but it also allows viewers to delve deeper into their favorite stories. By making “Gotham” and “The Flash” more police-oriented, both shows drive home the age-old concept of justice. Most comic heroes and vigilantes do not just deal with good and evil, but also tread the gray area in between. Is it okay to do the wrong thing for the right reason? Their struggle to find this balance is a large part of what enthralls viewers, and if these new shows can capture that essence, they will be around for a long time.

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Nicole Fiorica is a Staff Writer for The Fordham Ram. 

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