The fall television season officially began this week, which means it’s time to brush off our annual TV Power Rankings.
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The TV Power Rankings is our official list of the best comic book shows on television. As with last year, we’ll start the list with only shows that are either currently on the air or have a scheduled premiere date.
So how do we decide where shows wind up on the list? We take into account fan buzz, ratings, and critical response, as well as feedback from our readers.
We’ll update the Power Rankings back every Saturday, using our criteria as well as your input. We’ve also included a handy poll at the end of the slideshow to give you a voice in pushing your favorite show up the rankings. So be sure to click through to the end and let us know which shows you feel should rank a bit higher.
1) The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadย holds the top spot mainly because of last season’s captivating cliffhanger, which ended with one of Rick’s friends meeting a grizzly end thanks to Negan and his barbed wire bat Lucille. Since The Walking Deadย doesn’t start for a few more weeksย itย likely won’t hold the top spot for very long as other shows pick up steam, but right now we’re all dying to know who doesn’t make it back to Alexandria.ย
2) Agents of SHIELD
Agents of SHIELDย roared back to life this week, as it brought in its biggest Marvel guest star yet: Ghost Rider. Ghost Riderย look like he rode in straight from a Marvel movie, but it did little to helpย Agents of SHIELD‘s already anemic ratings. With Daisy/Quake on the run, a new Life Model Decoy lurking close to Fitz, and Simmons cozying up close to an unseen Director, this season looks to have plenty of intrigue, even if we don’t know who SHIELD will fight this season.ย
3) The Flash
The CW’s top superhero show,ย The Flashย ended on a cliffhanger of its own when Barry traveled back to time to prevent his mother’s death, thus changing the timeline and creating a “Flashpoint Paradox”. The new season’s premiere will be an adaptation of DC’sย Flashpointย arc, but we don’t expect any New 52-esque changes to come out of the episode.ย
4) Luke Cage
Early reviews indicateย Luke Cageย might exceed the high standards set by Netflix’s other superhero shows.ย With a kickass soundtrack, a great supporting cast, and what appears to be a balance to the often overwhelming darkness shown inย Daredevilย andย Jessica Jones,ย Luke Cageย will probably be the show everyone is talking about in less than two weeks. Here’s to hoping thatย Luke Cageย won’t have us feeling as depressed as Netflix’s other Marvel shows.ย
5) Gotham
Gothamย started at a slow burn, introducing the new status quo for most of the show’s biggest players. Gordon is now a bounty hunter, Fish is back with a gang of monsters, and Bruce is ready to take on the Court of Owls after a several month sabbatical in Europe. This week’s episode didn’t really start off with a bang, but there’s enough intrigue to keep us interested in what will happen next.ย
6) Supergirl
One of the big surprises over the summer was the announcement thatย Supergirlย was switching over to the CW this fall.ย Althoughย the show’sย effect budget might take a hit due to the move,ย Supergirlย plans to make a big splash by bringing in Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) for at least two episodes this fall. Mon-El, Miss Martian, Metallo, and Lena Luthor are also set to make appearances this season.ย
7) Arrow
The grizzled veteran of superhero shows,ย Arrowย enters its fifth season looking to refocus after a rough couple of years. Oliver is now mayor of Star City, most of his allies are either dead (RIP Laurel) or have skipped town, and he has a new generation of vigilantes to reluctantly train. Luckily for Oliver (or unluckily if you’re not an Olicity shipper), he still has Felicity to still run the computers and hack the Internet…or whatever it is she does now.ย
8) Legends of Tomorrow
Another CW superhero show that had an uneven season last year,ย Legends of Tomorrowย is adding the Justice Society of America to its cast this year.ย While we’re always happy to see more of our favorite superheroes on television,ย Legendsย already had a crowded cast and we’re not sure more cast members was the solution to that.
If the JSA wasn’t enough, this season will also feature the Legion of Doom, a collection of the Arrowverse’s greatest villains, and the threat of a Thanagarian invasion to keep Rip and his team busy.ย
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9) Fear the Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Deadย still isn’t as good as its parent show, but it has gotten noticably better over the last season. After splitting up the core cast during the midseason finale, last week’s episode teased a reunion of sorts, albeit without Chris.ย Travis and Chris were last seen together a couple of episodes ago, although Travis didn’t seem too happy with his son’s bloodthirsty actions. With only a few episodes left,ย Fear the Walking Deadย will probably have a few twists in store as to Chris’s fate and the safety of the other survivors.ย
10) Lucifer
Luciferย surprised a lot of people when it got picked up for a second season last spring,ย as the show had garnered little buzz among comics fans. Still,ย Luciferย did decent numbers when it premiered this week and introduced a new wrinkle in Lucifer’s mom, who showed up on his doorstep literally covered in blood.ย
Honorable Mentions and Polls
Shows that Missed the Cut: iZombie (CW),ย Outcastย (AMC), Iron Fistย (Netflix),ย Preacher (AMC),ย Dark Matterย (SyFy), American Horror Story (FX), Riverdale (CW)
[Note:ย Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and other shows that don’t have an upcoming “premiere date” have been left off the rankings, but will be added once a premiere date has been added.]
