The fall television is underway, and our TV Power Rankings is back for Week 4.
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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 every week, 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
Last Week’s Ranking: #1 (no change)
We’re literally hours away from the big Season 7 premiere, and I don’t think anyone could be more excited than us here at ComicBook.com. Our crack Walking Dead expert Brandon Davis has all the latest news about the new season, including how closely it will follow the comic and a tease about the show’s newest community. To help get you caught up, we’ve also crammed 6 entire seasons of The Walking Dead into an easy to follow two minute video.
Be sure to join us Sunday after the show for all the analysis and reactions you’ll need to recover from what’s sure to be a horrific opening episode.
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2) Westworld
Last Week’s Ranking: #3 (up 1 spot)
Seriously, if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, or any other sci-fi/fantasy style drama, you need to be watching Westworld. The ComicBook.com office is hooked on the new HBO series, and so we spend our day coming up with some pretty fun and crazy theories. Here’s our best guesses as to who the mysterious Man in Black is, and what role Westworld’s (allegedly) deceased co-founder Arnold will play moving forward. We also explained exactly why Dolores’s self-defense was so important and its implications on the rest of this season.
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3) Supergirl
Last Week’s Ranking: #2 (down 1 spot)
Supergirl ended with a few departures last week, as both Superman and Cat Grant left National City (at least for the time being). While producers didn’t dismiss the possibility of a Tyler Hoechlin-led Superman show, they said they didn’t have plans for the series at the time, meaning that Kara will remain the CW’s leading Kryptonian for the time being. That’s a shame, as our very own Russ Burlingame had high praise for Hoechlin’s version of the Man of Steel.
4) Arrow
Last Week’s Ranking: #9 (up 5 spots)
Arrow gets a big boost because of our weekly poll, which has consistently ranked the show as one of our readers’ favorites. This week’s episode featured former WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes as a new drug dealer in town. Stephen Amell and Rhodes faced off in the squared circle in 2015, so it was nice to see Rhodes venture into the Green Arrow’s turf for a fight.
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5) The Flash
Last Week’s Ranking: #6 (up 1 spot)
This week saw the return of Earth-2 Harrison Wells and his daughter Jesse, who had taken over the role of Earth-2’s superhero speedster. While the episode was a bit forgettable, it did set up two very plot points. Wally now knows that Doctor Alchemy can restore powers from the Flashpoint universe, and Jesse got her very own superhero costume. The Rogues return next week, so expect The Flash to get a big bump in the rankings.
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6) Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD
Last Week’s Ranking: N/A (our bad!)
Agents of SHIELD finally got the gang back togther, as Daisy rejoined her former team after James betrayed her and revealed he was helping the Watchdogs in their hunt for the Inhumans. The battle between Ghost Rider and Hellfire was pretty cool, and next week’s hunt for the Darkhold should also be interesting.
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7) Gotham
Last Week’s Ranking: #8 (up 1 spot)
Poor Butch. The Penguin’s former right hand man was ruthlessly taken out of the picture by Nygma, after Butch clumsily tried to put himself back in the Penguin’s good favor. If you want more details on this week’s episode, be sure to check out the new episode of “Good Night Gotham”, our weekly recap show. This week’s episode features an interview with Gotham’s very own Chris Chalk, who plays Lucius Fox on the series.
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8) Legends of Tomorrow
Last Week’s Ranking: #10 (up 2 spots)
Legends of Tomorrow gets a little boost for introducing the JSA into the “Flarrowverse”. Unfortunately, not everyone from the JSA made it out of the episode, as the Reverse-Flash killed Hourman in an attempt to change history. That gives Vixen a reason for joining the Legends team next week, and will probably cause some major fallout for the rest of the season.
9) American Horror Story
Last Week’s Ranking: N/A
We’re giving American Horror Story a shoutout on the rankings this week for a throwing in a unique twist halfway through the season. The first half of the episode was a faux-documentary called “My Roanoake Nightmare”, which detailed a family’s horrifying brief stay at a rural North Carolina house. The “twist” was that the second half of the episode is a compilation of found footage that documents a failed attempt at a second season. The reason why the second season failed? Everyone involved with the show died…except for one person.
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10) Lucifer
Last Week’s Ranking: N/A
Lucifer has also been absent from the Power Rankings for weeks, as it’s had a pretty quiet second season so far. Although the show doesn’t get talked about much on ComicBook.com, it still has experienced pretty steady ratings and is slowly pushing its way to a third season.
Honorable Mentions and Poll
Missed the Cut: iZombie (CW),ย Outcastย (AMC), Preacher (AMC),ย Dark Matterย (SyFy), Riverdale (CW), Fear the Walking Dead (AMC), Iron Fist (Netflix)
[Note:ย Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and other shows that don’t have an upcoming “premiere date” have been left off the rankings unless there’s some sort of new news about the show, but will be added once a premiere date has been announced.]
