These 10 Superhero Shows Would've Thrived in the Streaming Era
His dedication to his craft has attracted renowned talent like Yuri Lowenthal to collaborate with him on his projects. As he grows and improves, Eddie is a shining example of a self-starter.
Before the age of streaming services, superhero television shows primarily found their homes on television networks like Freeform, The CW, and more. This was a far different time than audiences know of now, as, because of the platform they aired on, they had much smaller budgets than they do now and far longer episode counts (for the most part).
Despite being on networks, though, there are some series that feel like they could easily find their place on a streaming service if they were produced today. Whether it be because of their serialized storytelling style, their shorter episode count, or high-production quality, some shows feel like they were built for streaming and have even found a second life on these platforms, too.
1 'Justice League' (2001–2004)
The shows within the DC Animated Universe have commonly found themselves being some of the highest-praised superhero shows of all time, and for good reason. Said reasons are also some of the ones that depict why shows like Justice League feel like they're built for streaming. Much like many other animated shows that could fit on streaming, Justice League's perfect blend of serialized and episodic storytelling is a huge factor.
Being an animated series, it only makes sense that Justice League fits into a more episodic style of storytelling, and it does so more than most other animated series. However, despite this, it still finds a way to be serialized when it needs to be, by handling longer stories with a multi-part format, which makes binging this series feel natural when it comes to longer storytelling.
2 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' (2013–2020)
When it comes to the ever-beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe, its first real television project came in the form of the series called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which followed the now revived Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) — previously thought to have died in The Avengers — as he led a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents specialized in supernatural occurrences. Despite being a network television show, Marvel Studios still put a lot of eggs in this basket here to make sure this show felt like it could earn its part in the high-quality-focused MCU.
Because of this dedication to making this show feel like it could truly take place in the MCU, it automatically feels like it could fit in on Disney+ with the rest of their projects there. While it's not as high-budget as their other shows, like Moon Knight or Loki, it still has the MCU feeling that captures large-scale storytelling very well, despite its lower budget.
3 'Marvel's Cloak and Dagger' (2018–2019)
After Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s success, Marvel Studios decided, eventually, that they were going to bring in shows that had fewer episodes, so each one could get more budget allocated to it. One of the best examples comes in the form of Marvel's Cloak and Dagger. Despite not surviving for too long, the show is actually quite good, and its shorter episode count led to a fully serialized storytelling style, formatting it pretty much exactly like a streaming series is typically formed.
Most streaming service television shows have the same kind of shorter episode numbers for the exact same reason, which leads to much higher production quality on an episode-to-episode basis. Marvel's Cloak and Dagger having this almost makes it feel out of place on network television, and (aside from the characters' smaller popularity in 2018), therefore, much more fitting for streaming services like Disney+. One could even argue it would have been far more successful had it been released in modern day, due to the characters' larger popularity—thanks to their inclusion in Marvel Rivals—and the mass attention always shot towards Marvel Studios' Disney+ projects.
4 'The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes' (2010–2012)
To this day, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is known among fans as one of the best depictions of the Marvel universe outside the comic books. This is thanks not only to their reluctance to adhere to the MCU style (which was exploding in popularity at the time), but also to how well they adapted iconic comic book storylines and included almost every single major Marvel hero in some way, shape, or form in a natural-feeling manner.
The way in which The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes goes about telling these comic stories is fully serialized, and that helps it stand apart from the likes of other team shows like Justice League, and fits it closer to the storytelling styles found in modern streaming shows. This makes going back and binging it on Disney+ feel like it truly belongs on a service like that.
5 'Smallville' (2001–2011)
While Arrow may have kicked off the "Arrowverse" of DC Comics television, The CW started its live-action superhero television tenure with the one and only Smallville. Following a high school-aged Clark Kent (Tom Welling), this series tells the story of him coming into his own, discovering his powers, and growing into the Superman everyone knows and loves.
Smallville may be primarily episodic, but it's incredibly bingeable, which is perfect for streaming, because that's honestly many people's original attention grabbers. People love sitting down and watching a dozen episodes with their friends and family, which Smallville is perfect for, because while it may be episodic, it always has an underlying plot throughout a whole season.
6 'X-Men: The Animated Series' (1992–1997)
While on the surface, X-Men: The Animated Series may seem episodic, it actually is quite serialized, taking on a similar storytelling style to Justice League's multi-part episodes. This series is separated into what could be considered as "sagas," with each season mostly segmented into numerous multi-part stories. It's such a good fit that it only makes sense that the revival series, X-Men '97, was put on Disney+.
Having a series segmented like this gives the perfect blend of episodic and serialized storytelling. Audiences can binge through a saga and take a break between them when they want to. This makes it the perfect mix of sagas and episodes in which the seasons can be broken up into different parts. X-Men: The Animated Series is such a great series to sit down and watch for a good, but meaningful time.
7 'Batman Beyond' (1999–2001)
Taking place many years after Batman: The Animated Series, this animated show depicts a far older Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) aging out of the Batman legacy, so he hands the mantle—and a futuristic, techy Batsuit—down to a young man named Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle). Batman Beyond is a breath of fresh air for the Batman mythos and incredibly bingeable.
While it may be episodic, Batman Beyond tells an overarching coming-of-age story, which makes its episodes a joy to watch back-to-back. Terry McGinnis is a super enjoyable character to watch, and viewers simply don't want to stop once they've started. His journey is wonderful and makes for an adventure that is a joy to watch.
8 'Young Justice' (2010–2022)
When it comes down to serialized, more mature animated superhero television that feels built for streaming, it's none other than Young Justice. While still made for all audiences, Young Justice leans more in the direction of young adults, and the storytelling is all the better for it. It acts as a dramatic superhero story with some incredibly emotionally compelling young heroes.
In fact, Young Justice is formatted so streaming-positive that when it made a comeback with additional seasons many years after it was cancelled, it was made into a streaming service show. If that isn't proof that the series works perfectly on streaming, then what else could possibly be? Young Justice is the perfect example of a show for a serialized show for all audiences, while leaning more mature, which is great for streaming.
9 'Superman & Lois' (2021–2024)
While at first glance, Superman & Lois may seem like a streaming series, it is actually not. Originally made for the CW network, Superman & Lois is not like the other shows there, like The Flash. This series actually had a much larger budget and production quality, which makes it feel like so much more than a network series.
Much like Marvel's Cloak and Dagger, Superman & Lois genuinely feels out of place as a network television show. It's shot like a streaming show, written like one, and has an episode count like one. This makes the opinion that it was pretty much built for streaming all the more valid. Superman & Lois is of very high quality and more than worth the watch over on HBO Max.
10 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' (2008–2009)
Another animated series from the likes of Greg Weisman that feels perfect for streaming (but, for some reason, has trouble staying on one) is the iconic The Spectacular Spider-Man. A lot like the previously mentioned Justice League and Batman Beyond, The Spectacular Spider-Man perfectly balanced serialized and episodic storytelling, as well as having a through line character arc for Peter Parker (Josh Keaton) that keeps people invested.
Everything that makes The Spectacular Spider-Man great for streaming is also what makes people love it so much. It's wildly rewatchable, meaning having it on a streaming service gives people a place where they can continuously come back and revisit it. So, if the fans get what they want, The Spectacular Spider-Man should follow in its sibling's—Young Justice—footsteps and go to streaming.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
- Release Date
- 2008 - 2009-00-00
- Directors
- Victor Cook, Jennifer Coyle, Dave Bullock, Troy Adomitis, Dan Fausett, Kevin Altieri, Michael Goguen
- Writers
- Greg Weisman, Kevin Hopps, Matt Wayne, Andrew Robinson, Randy Jandt, Nicole Dubuc
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 2
- Creator(s)
- Greg Weisman, Victor Cook
- Streaming Service(s)
- Dis
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