Top 27 DC TV Shows, Ranked

The DC Universe is home to some of the most iconic characters in comics. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and even Harley Quinn have become part of the pantheon of pop culture figures, building their fame through historic runs in DC Comics and beloved television shows that go back decades.

HBO Max and Hulu are your homes for all the DC Universe TV shows, both of which are available through DIRECTV. That means you can jump from classic favorites to newer DC series without having to search too far.

You can also watch films from the DC Universe on DIRECTV, including The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, making it easy to keep the DC marathon going.

Ready to dive into the DC Universe? Watch your favorite DC shows and movies with DIRECTV and easily connect your streaming apps in one place.

Explore TV Plans

Top 27 DC TV Shows, Ranked

From prestige dramas to superhero sagas, DC has a TV show for just about every kind of fan. Here are the top 27 DC TV shows, ranked from best to worst:

1. ‘The Penguin’ (2024-)

IMDb rating: 8.2
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Stars: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

The Penguin follows the events of The Batman from Matt Reeves. The series gives a Batman-less look at the criminal underworld festering in the streets of Gotham, where Oswald “Oz” Cobb sets out to claim more power for himself. As Gotham reels from the fallout of the film, Oz finds himself caught in a fight for control of the city’s criminal empire.

2. ‘Peacemaker’ (2022–2025)

IMDb rating: 8.2
Creator: James Gunn
Stars: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma

Peacemaker picks up from the events of The Suicide Squad. After nearly dying, Peacemaker heads home to recover. But that restful dream is dashed when he realizes his freedom comes with strings attached. Recruited for another dangerous mission, he and a new team are pulled into a threat that forces him to confront his past and question who he can trust.

3. ‘Watchmen’ (2019)

IMDb rating: 8.2
Creator: Damon Lindelof
Stars: Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison

Set in an alternate history where vigilantes are outlawed, Watchmen follows the heart of the comics with a foundation of U.S. history overlayed with the characters of the original DC Comics. The series centers on a police detective in Tulsa investigating a conspiracy that pulls her into a hidden world of masked figures, political tensions and secrets surrounding the legacy of the original Watchmen.

4. ‘Lucifer’ (2016–2021)

IMDb rating: 8.0
Creator: Tom Kapinos
Stars: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro

Bored with his life as the lord of Hell, the archangel Lucifer renounces his throne and does whatever aspiring star does: he moves to Los Angeles. There he instantly attracts the attention of the LAPD. Lucifer becomes a consultant for homicide detective Chloe Decker and uses his unique ability to uncover people’s deepest desires to help solve cases.

5. ‘Preacher’ (2016–2019)

IMDb rating: 7.9
Creators: Seth Rogen, Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg
Stars: Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga

Jesse Custer is a man of the cloth cut from a different cloth. He’s a binge-drinking, chain-smoking preacher who just got infused with extraordinary power and his new best friend is a vampire. The DC Comics adaptation brings a Western drawl to the typically metropolis setting of the DC Universe.

7. ‘Gotham’ (2014–2019)

IMDb rating: 7.8
Creator: Bruno Heller
Stars: Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donal Logue

Gotham follows the career rise of James Gordon in Gotham City’s police force. Before Batman learned to fly, the criminals he’d face were just getting started. After the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Gordon becomes involved with the young Bruce Wayne while investigating the city’s growing criminal underworld. The series follows The Joker and Penguin before they became infamous archvillains.

8. ‘iZombie’ (2015–2019)

IMDb rating: 7.8
Creators: Diane Ruggiero-Wright, Rob Thomas
Stars: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli

Based on the DC Comics series of the same name, iZombie follows a promising medical resident who is turned into a zombie at a boat party. But she remains human enough that she can keep living her life so long as she satisfies her taste for human flesh every now and again.

9. ‘Superman & Lois’ (2021–2024)

IMDb rating: 7.8
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Todd Helbing
Stars: Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Alex Garfin

One of the more recent editions to The CW DC Universe, Superman & Lois, follows the world’s most famous superhero and his wife and co-worker Lois Lane after they return to Smallville with their twin sons. They have to learn how to navigate the everyday challenges of marriage and parenthood all while trying to save the world.

10. ‘Pennyworth’ (2019–2022)

IMDb rating: 7.8
Creator: Bruno Heller
Stars: Jack Bannon, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson

A spin-off of the Gotham series, Pennyworth traces the origins of Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth. At this point in his life, he’s not serving tea, he’s a former special-forces soldier in London who starts a security company and gets pulled into a dangerous world of espionage and secret societies.

11. ‘Sweet Tooth’ (2021–2024)

IMDb rating: 7.7
Creator: Jim Mickle
Stars: Nonso Anozie, Christian Convery, Stefania LaVie Owen

Sweet Tooth is based on the DC Comics series about a world devastated by a deadly pandemic. In the aftermath, some children are born as human-animal hybrids, like Gus, a part-deer boy who has spent most of his life living in hiding. When he leaves his home, he discovers a dangerous world where hybrids are feared and hunted.

12. ‘Human Target’ (2010–2011)

IMDb rating: 7.7
Creator: Jonathan E. Steinberg
Stars: Mark Valley, Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley

Based loosely on the DC Comics series of the same name, the show follows an ex-assassin who sells his expertise to clients who need a heightened level of security. Christopher Chance goes undercover and becomes the human target himself, taking on different identities to protect his clients while uncovering the threats against them.

13. ‘Adventures of Superman’ (1952–1958)

IMDb rating: 7.7
Creators: Whitney Ellsworth, Robert Maxwell
Stars: George Reeves, Noel Neill, Bill Kennedy

The original superhero show, Adventures of Superman follows the daily push and pull of Clark Kent’s responsibilities at The Daily Planet and Superman’s responsibilities to save the world. Working as a reporter alongside Lois Lane, Clark investigates stories by day and protects Metropolis as Superman when danger strikes.

14. ‘Arrow’ (2012–2020)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey

Back from being presumed dead, billionaire Oliver Queen returns to Starling City, but there’s much more to his life now as he secretly fights crime as the vigilante archer known as Arrow. With the help of a small team, Oliver takes on dangerous criminals while confronting enemies tied to his past and protecting his city.

15. ‘The Flash’ (2014–2023)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, Andrew Kreisberg
Stars: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker

Barry Allen, a crime-scene investigator, wakes from a coma with superhuman speed after being affected by a particle accelerator explosion. Barry becomes The Flash and uses his new abilities to fight crime while learning to control his powers and uncovering the mysteries behind them.

16. ‘Smallville’ (2001–2011)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Creators: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Stars: Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack

Smallville follows a teenage Clark Kent as he comes to terms with his abilities growing up in Kansas. Making that process more difficult is literal Kryptonite lying around, his metaphorical Kryptonite in Lana Lang and a complicated relationship with his friend Lex Luthor. As Clark grows older, he struggles to balance his normal life with his emerging powers and responsibilities.

17. ‘Constantine’ (2014–2015)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Creators: Daniel Cerone, David S. Goyer
Stars: Matt Ryan, Harold Perrineau, Charles Halford

John Constantine is a demon hunter protecting the innocent as he wrestles with his past sins and an encroaching supernatural darkness. When a mysterious message pulls him back into the world of the occult, Constantine reluctantly resumes his work as an exorcist and demonologist.

18. ‘Batman’ (1966–1968)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Creators: William Dozier, Lorenzo Semple Jr., Bill Finger
Stars: Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier

Another one of the original DC TV shows, the series follows Bruce Wayne and his young sidekick Dick Grayson as they take on on Gotham City’s villainous characters as Batman and Robin. The duo faces off against familiar villains like The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman and The Penguin while protecting Gotham in the series’ colorful, campy style.

19. ‘Arrow: Blood Rush’ (2013)

IMDb rating: 7.5
Stars: Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes, Paul Blackthorne

A six-episode companion series to Arrow, Blood Rush takes place during the second season of the Arrow series. When Oliver Queen is unavailable, Felicity Smoak gives Roy Harper a special mission that sends him into the Starling City Police Department to recover a blood sample connected to the Arrow.

20. ‘Titans’ (2018–2023)

IMDb rating: 7.4
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns
Stars: Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Alan Ritchson

Titans is the live-action version of the Teen Titans series from the early 2000s. The series follows Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth as they become caught up in a dangerous conspiracy, eventually joined by Starfire and Beast Boy.

21. ‘Swamp Thing’ (2019)

IMDb rating: 7.3
Creators: Gary Dauberman, Mark Verheiden
Stars: Crystal Reed, Virginia Madsen, Andy Bean

CDC doctor Abby Arcane returns to her home state to investigate a mysterious swamp-borne virus. There she meets scientist Alec Holland, who dies tragically after investigating the strange activity in the swamp. Soon, Abby discovers that Alec may not be as gone as she thought and that the swamp might hold some secrets.

22. ‘Stargirl’ (2020–2022)

IMDb rating: 7.1
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns
Stars: Brec Bassinger, Trae Romano, Amy Smart

On a parallel Earth, high schooler Courtney Whitmore discovers the Cosmic Staff of Starman and becomes the unlikely leader of a new generation of the Justice Society of America. As Courtney learns that several people in her new town are connected to the original JSA, she begins assembling a team of young heroes to stand against the Injustice Society.

23. ‘The Flash’ (1990–1991)

IMDb rating: 7.1
Creators: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo
Stars: John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays, Alex Désert

A forensic scientist named Barry Allen is working for the Central City police when he is struck by lightning in a freak lab accident. When he wakes up, he finds he has superhuman speed and takes on the superhero identity of The Flash. This 1990 series was the original live-action Flash show, years before the character returned to television in The CW’s 2014 series.

24. ‘Wonder Woman’ (1975–1979)

IMDb rating: 7.0
Creators: Stanley Ralph Ross, William Moulton Marston
Stars: Lynda Carter, Lyle Waggoner, Tom Kratochvil

Another DC television classic, Wonder Woman follows Diana Prince as she returns a lost American pilot to the United States and takes on a new identity while adjusting to life in the modern world. As Diana learns to navigate her new surroundings, she uses her superhuman abilities as Wonder Woman to fight criminals and other threats while keeping her true identity hidden.

25. ‘Krypton’ (2018–2019)

IMDb rating: 6.8
Creators: David S. Goyer, Damian Kindler
Stars: Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Shaun Sipos

Krypton is set 200 years before Superman’s birth and follows his grandfather Seg-El after his family has been ostracized from their home planet. As Seg fights to restore the House of El’s honor, an intergalactic traveler named Adam Strange arrives with a warning about the future of Krypton. The series plants the seeds of Krypton’s relationship to Earth, the Fortress of Solitude and the threat of Brainiac.

26. ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ (2016–2022)

IMDb rating: 6.7
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer
Stars: Caity Lotz, Amy Louise Pemberton, Dominic Purcell

Another spin-off from the Arrowverse, Legends of Tomorrow follows Rip Hunter, a time-traveling adventurer who recruits an unlikely band of heroes and villains to stop a threat that could unravel time itself. The team is strung along on a series of time-traveling missions, taking them across different eras as they work to protect the timeline.

27. ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ (1993–1997)

IMDb rating: 6.7
Creators: Deborah Joy LeVine, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
Stars: Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Lane Smith

A 1990s spin on the Superman lore, Lois & Clark follows the daily life of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at The Daily Planet. Clark is immediately enamored with Lois, but Lois has eyes for someone else: Superman. As the two work together on stories for the newspaper, Clark tries to balance his feelings for Lois with keeping his alternate identity a secret.

Animated Shows in the DC Universe

The DC Universe is also home to some beloved animated series. Here are a few favorites:

‘Justice League Unlimited’ (2004–2006)

IMDb rating: 8.7
Creators: Jack Kirby
Stars: George Newbern, Kevin Conroy, Phil LaMarr

Justice League Unlimited continued the legacy of its animated predecessor and put voice-over legend Kevin Conroy in a starring role as Batman. The series expands the team beyond its original core, bringing heroes like Green Arrow, Supergirl, the Atom and countless others into the fight against powerful villains and threats to the planet.

‘Justice League’ (2001–2004)

IMDb rating: 8.5
Creators: Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston, Joe Shuster
Stars: Carl Lumbly, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum

Justice League is a must-watch for young comic readers and helped define the DC Animated Universe. The series brings Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter together as the Justice League, who face threats that no single hero could handle alone. This series laid the groundwork for the success of the DC Universe when it hit the big screen.

‘Teen Titans’ (2003–2006)

IMDb rating: 7.9
Creators: David Slack, Bob Haney
Stars: Hynden Walch, Greg Cipes, Scott Menville

Teen Titans is one of the most beloved series in the DC Animated Universe. The series follows a group of young heroes, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy, as they live together in Titans Tower and take on villains threatening Jump City.

Keep Exploring the DC Universe

Ready to explore more of the DC Universe? Watch DC shows and movies with DIRECTV and keep up with your favorite superheroes, villains and everything in between.

Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Sign up today!

Explore TV Plans