From the Arrowverse to HBO Max shows.
That list is what you're now reading. To be a little bit more specific, this list compiles all of the upcoming DC TV shows that as the time of this writing are confirmed to be in one development stage or another. Existing shows with new seasons in the making, like The Flash or Young Justice, aren't listed here because those are much more well known and I've talked about those (particular the CW shows) already. As for many of these shows its also not certain that they will actually make it to series, I'll also discuss what I think these shows chances are. You know, for funsies. With all of that said, here are all of the upcoming brand-new DC TV shows in no particular order at all.
Let's dive in!
Superman & Lois
From all
the shows on this list, Superman & Lois is the only series on this list
with a set premiere date: January 2021. The show is the newest series set
within the CW's Arrowverse and will follow, you guessed it, Superman and Lois
Lane. Both characters have already debuted within the Arrowverse. Superman was
an unseen presence throughout Supergirl season 1 before finally appearing in
the flesh in season 2. Lois Lane was first seen in the flesh a few seasons
later during the Elseworlds crossover. The show will follow Clarks and Lois's
daily lives after Crisis on Infinite Earths. As the show has been in
development for a while now and premiering (relatively speaking) soon, there's
already a lot we know about the series so I won't say much more here. Just now
that the series will have a heavy focus on Lois and Clark as parents and that
it will focus on the two of them being parents to a set of teenage twins. If
you like the Arrowverse, you'll most likely dig this show as well. If not? It
might be a bit of a harder sell. There's already plenty of the CW's style
(melodrama, for one) to be found in the description alone, so if that isn't
your cup of tea I don't think this show will be for you.
Chances: has already been ordered straight to series, we're getting this one folks!
Green Arrow & the Canaries
The second
of the two CW shows, though this one hasn't been picked up yet. Green Arrow
& the Canaries a spin-off of the recently ended Arrow. It's set in the
future Star City of 2046 and will follow Oliver's daughter Mia as she becomes
the new Green Arrow under the mentorship of both the earth-1 and earth-2 Black
Canaries. As a direct spin-off, the groundwork of the show is already there.
Black Canary has been present in the Arrowverse, in one form or another, since
Arrow season 2 and Mia Queen herself got introduced and was the focus of
seasons 7 & 8's flashforwards. It even got its own backdoor pilot episode
in the latter, so you can check that out if you want to get a taste of what the
show might bring. Personally, I think the chances of Green Arrow & the
Canaries getting a series order is slim. Yes, it has the backdoor pilot and the
history and lore of Arrow working in its favour, but the CW slate is already
bursting with superhero content. We haven't heard anything about the show for
quite a while now. The current situation is definitely to blame for this, but
comments made by the spin-offs creator Marc Guggenheim shows he's quite nervous
which implies that its chances aren't that great. I might be wrong here, but
I'd be surprised if I was.
Chances: I'd say the odds are against it.
Update
(09-01-2021)
BizzaroTV
Before we
get into the big chunk of DC series HBO Max is currently developing, we still
have the single DC Universe original that's still in development; BizzaroTV.
The show is described as a comedy anthology show. The series will be a mix of
different styles, from animation to live-action to puppetry and will focus on
obscure DC characters. Which characters you might ask? Well, among the
confirmed cast are Ambush Bug, the Creeper and Space Cabbie just to give you an
idea. I wouldn't be surprised if a character like Snowflame would make it on to
the show as well. BizzaroTV sounds a lot like Robot Chicken and if you're a fan
of that show (and DC of course) I think it's a show that should be on your
radar. High chances that with the future of DC Universe so uncertain at the
moment, which I've talked about not that long ago, it'll probably switch over
to another platform but as the announcement was made quite a while ago I am
certain that the show will definitely see the light of day.
Chances: around 60/40 in its favour.
Green Lantern
While DC
Universe was marketed as the place for all of (new) DC content, with the
arrival of HBO MAX, this service has basically all but overtaken this aspect.
This is most clear in the amount of DC shows HBO MAX is currently developing,
with a whopping 5 series currently in development. The first of those that was announced
is a show about the Green Lanterns. Head-lined by Greg Berlanti (because it
worked out so well the first time I guess) and produced by Geoff Johns and is
said to be of a cinematic level of quality. the show is reportedly about
"two stories about Green Lanterns on Earth" and will "span
several decades". The only character confirmed for the show is Sinestro,
but the last statement makes me confident that we'll see the original Green
Lantern, Alan Scott, as well. With the show already getting a tease in the
Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover and the number of resources HBO Max has,
reportedly, put in the project this is another one that will surely make its
way to our screens.
Chances: while there's no indication that it has gotten a full series order, I don't think it has anything to worry about.
Justice League Dark
Fitting very neatly right next to the Green Lantern show is
the Justice League Dark project. A Justice League Dark movie had been in the
work for years but has never really managed to get off the ground. We did get
an animated Justice League Dark movie a few years ago, but that was a project
separate from the planned live-action movie. Now though, this project finally
seems to be taking form. HBO Max has given, reportedly I might add, a 'production
commitment' to produce both this Justice League Dark movie and a TV show, with
just like Green Lantern having a cinematic level of quality and to top it all
off with famous director J.J. Abrams attached to it. It might seem a bit weird
that HBO Max would be working on both a movie and TV series about the property
at the same time, but as you'll see later down the list, it's not the only one.
With HBO Max specifically stating that Justice League Dark has gotten a
'production commitment' instead of direct confirmation of the series being in
development and the already troubled production history I wouldn't call the
show a 'certainty'. I also don't think that they would announce J.J. Abrams
involvement if they weren't at least confident in getting the show off the
ground. With DC Fandome only a few weeks away, it probably won't be long until
we hear more.
Chances: with the properties history in mind my guess it's about 50/50.
DC Super Hero High
Now we're getting into the odd stuff again. DC Super Hero
High (not to be confused with DC Super Hero Girls like the search engines kept
doing) is a comedy show which follows a group of students at a boarding school
trying to navigate teenage life. The twist? They're destined to become
legendary DC Super Heroes. The series is being executive produced by Elizabeth
Banks and is slated to premiere sometime in 2021. There's not much known about
the series yet beyond this, other than that the show will have 30-minutes
episodes and was revealed alongside HBO Max teenage focused line-up. This has
led me to believe that DC Super Hero High will be the HBO Max's equivalent to
original live-action Nickelodeon shows like ICarly and Victorious. I don't have
anything concrete to support this theory, but all of the marketing and
descriptions I've read about the show just radiates this type of aura. To me at
least. I don't even think it would be such a bad idea if that's the direction
the show goes in. The format is popular for a reason, it would diversify DC
portfolio and above all else, I just think it would be interesting to see how
DC would pull off this type of show.
Chances: there's not much known about the show (yet), but with a concrete release date and Elizabeth Banks attached I think we'll see it happen.
DC's Strange Adventures
The other odd-ball in the HBO Max lineup (in my opinion at
least) is Strange Adventures based on the comic book with the same name. As per
the official description that came alongside its announcement, the show will be
anthology series exploring close-ended morality tales about the intersecting
lives of mortals and superhumans. I never read the comic series myself, but
from what I've heard it was similar to the Twilight Zone so expect something
like that here. Greg Berlanti, who executive produces the show, has said that
the show's stories will also be cautionary tales which sounds a lot like Black
Mirror if you ask me. That's basically what you can expect from the show: a mix
of the Twilight Zone and Black Mirror with superheroes. Not a bad pitch. Both
shows are quite unique and have a following. I do worry that DC and HBO Max
won't be able to pull off the twists and social/political commentary those
shows are known for but who knows, maybe they will manage it.
Chances: I'm feeling optimistic about this one, I feel like it'll make it to a full series no problem.
Aquaman: King of Atlantis
I remember this show getting announced, not long after
Aquaman had ended its run in theatre, but I had honestly already completely
forgotten about it. Aquaman: King of Atlantis is set to be a 3-episode animated
mini-series about Aquaman. It's headlined by Aquaman's director James Wann and
will focus on Arthur Curry during his first few days as Atlantis's king. In
case James Wann's involvement didn't tip you off already, the show is set to be
a part of the DCEU. We don't know if anyone from the movie will reprise their
roles for the series (I personally doubt it) but we have gotten some other
production updates. The shows has found its composer for example, which means
that the show's production has been moving along quite nicely even with
everything that's currently going on in the world. Everyone who enjoyed the
movie and wants to know what happened after the credits rolled (until its
sequel comes out that is) should have this show on the radar.
Chances: It's coming. No doubt about it.
'Gotham P.D.'
The final show on the horizon is one that has only been
announced a couple of days ago. It's so new in fact that it doesn't even have a
proper name yet! The Batman movie might have had to halt its production due to
the global crisis, but that doesn't mean the team behind it have been sitting
still. Produced by The Batman's director Matt Reeves promises to "build
upon the motion picture's examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham
City" and "further explore the myriad of compelling and complex
characters of Gotham," to launch a "new Batman universe across
multiple platforms." Lots of buzzwords there. To boil it all down: the
show is set before the movie and focuses on the Gotham Police Department and
how a corrupt organization it is then. To be honest, I feel like DC is counting
their chickens before they've hatched with this one. The movie isn't even out
yet and they're already making a spin-off. I mean, there's being confident and
then there's just being cocky. Oh well, nothing I can do about that other than
just wait and see where it'll lead to.
Chances: Really depends on if the movie does well.
...........
That's that. Those were all of the upcoming new DC TV shows that have been announced. Eight shows are currently in the works, that quite a lot isn't it? Personally, I don't really know what to think of it. There are some shows here that sound interesting and others that don't or are I either find odd that they would make a show about it. Still, looking at this line-up I am a little amazed to see how far superhero properties have come. It used to be that superhero was a genre. That the whole selling point of your show used to be that it was a superhero show. Nowadays though, just being a superhero show isn't enough anymore. Their approach as being a teenage drama for example just set within a superhero world with superhero characters. It's a subtle chance that not everybody might see, but it's quite a big one if you start to think about it and one I quite like.
Update (19-09-2020)
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