Every Arrowverse TV Show Ranked From Worst to Best

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The Arrowverse is widely considered the most successful superhero franchise ever created for television. It began in 2012 with the show Arrow, and while it might have seemed unusual to build a universe around Green Arrow, it proved to be a great choice. The franchise then expanded to include five more live-action series: The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. Though there were also animated shows like Freedom Fighters: The Ray and Vixen, these aren’t officially considered part of the main Arrowverse. Similarly, Superman & Lois intentionally distanced itself from the shared universe and is therefore not included in the core Arrowverse franchise.

Here’s a ranking of the six main shows that make up the Arrowverse, based on how good they are overall.

6) Batwoman

When Batwoman first aired as part of the Arrowverse, it faced significant challenges. A lot of fans disliked the show from the beginning due to controversy surrounding the lead actress, Ruby Rose. This led to low viewership, ultimately causing Rose to leave and her character, Kate Kane, to be replaced by Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie). Kate Kane later reappeared, but played by a different actress, Wallis Day.

The constant drama happening off-screen significantly hurt Batwoman, making it the weakest show in the Arrowverse. While it ran for three seasons and introduced compelling characters like Lucas Fox and Renee Montoya, it’s ultimately the most easily forgotten of all the Arrowverse series. The off-screen issues distracted from the stories being told on the screen.

5) Black Lightning

Black Lightning quickly became a standout hit within the Arrowverse. Unlike other shows in the franchise, it introduced an older, retired superhero who had previously fought crime as a vigilante. Interestingly, the show initially existed outside of the main Arrowverse storyline, but was later integrated into it – a path similar to that of John Constantine, though he eventually joined a team-based series.

Black Lightning aired for four seasons, but didn’t connect with the other shows in the Arrowverse until its third season with the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ storyline. The series follows Jefferson Pierce, a former superhero known as Black Lightning, who is pulled back into action when past villains reappear. He soon discovers his children have also developed superpowers. It was a great show that added important diversity to the Arrowverse, and the universe benefited from it.

4) Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow is easily the most enjoyable show in the Arrowverse. It’s packed with sci-fi action and features a quirky team of time travelers who never take things too seriously, even when facing major threats. This makes for a uniquely entertaining experience within the Arrowverse. The show began with a team including well-known faces like Atom, Sara Lance, Firestorm, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Rip Hunter, Captain Cold, and Heat Wave.

As the series continued, new characters were introduced, and several, like Vixen and Steel, became popular stars. The show also brought back Matt Ryan as John Constantine, despite his previous series not officially being connected to the Arrowverse. After seven seasons, Legends of Tomorrow stands out as a consistently strong part of the Arrowverse.

3) Supergirl

Both Supergirl and Black Lightning started as DC shows separate from The CW’s ‘Arrowverse.’ Supergirl originally aired on CBS as a standalone series. However, when it moved to The CW for its second season, it quickly became part of the Arrowverse through storylines involving travel between different universes with characters like Supergirl and The Flash.

This show redefined Supergirl for TV and film audiences, establishing her as a strong, independent hero who didn’t rely on Superman to succeed. Although Supergirl interacted with Superman in the shared ‘Arrowverse,’ his spin-off, Superman & Lois, eventually moved away from that universe – the reverse of what happened when Supergirl initially joined it. Despite this, Supergirl offered compelling stories, and Melissa Benoist delivered a fantastic performance as the iconic character.

2) Arrow

Arrow was the first series in what became a popular universe of shows. It starred Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, a wealthy young man who was shipwrecked on a deserted island after his father’s death. The show used flashbacks to reveal how Oliver survived on the island and transformed into the hero he’d become, cutting back and forth with present-day scenes of him fighting crime as the vigilante known as the Arrow, targeting enemies from a carefully maintained list.

The show lasted eight seasons with 170 episodes, and Green Arrow was its main hero – the foundation of the entire shared universe. Oliver Queen ultimately sacrificed himself during the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, a necessary act because his show was the most crucial part of the Arrowverse.

1) The Flash

Although Arrow launched the Arrowverse, The Flash was the stronger show overall. Arrow introduced the universe’s first superhero, but The Flash brought the first character with actual superpowers, which really expanded the possibilities for future storylines and set the stage for the rest of the franchise.

Stephen Amell truly embodied Oliver Queen, and Grant Gustin was perfectly cast as Barry Allen, the hero of Central City. The Flash stood out as the most genuinely heroic character in the Arrowverse, offering a hopeful contrast to the darker tone of Arrow. The show also boasted a fantastic collection of villains, mirroring the comics, and with nine seasons, it became the longest-running series in the entire Arrowverse. Overall, the Arrowverse was a great run, and The Flash was its strongest show.

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2026-02-16 18:11