8 Classic DC Comics TV Shows We Want to See on DC Universe

DC Comics fans are set to have quite a lot of awesome content at their fingertips, with the release of the upcoming DC Universe streaming service.

The platform has been in the works for several years now, but was given an official name and such just last month. While details are still relatively slim, it sounds like the service will offer fans a wide array of content, including comics, television series, and movies.

There are a slew of new original series that will be coming to DC Universe, including Titans, Doom Patrol, Young Justice: Outsiders, Harley Quinn, and Swamp Thing. But there are a pretty large number of DC Comics-inspired television series that have been made over the years, many of which don’t currently have a dedicated streaming home.

Sure, Netflix has Gotham and The CW’s Arrowverse of shows, CW Seed has some new and forgotten classics, Amazon has Batman: The Animated Series and such, and there’s a decade worth of Smallville currently on Hulu. But there are plenty of DC television series that we think would be a good fit for DC Universe. Here are just a few that we have in mind.

‘Shazam!’ (1974-1976)

In less than a year, DC is set to introduce Billy Batson/Shazam! to a whole new generation, with the release of David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! movie.

But quite a lot of viewers already have fond memories of Shazam!, thanks to the live-action series that ran from 1974 to 1976. The series saw Billy Batson and his guardian “Mentor” saving the day and traveling the country in a Dodge motorhome.

Yes, the Shazam! series was about as campy as you would expect. But it’s arguably one of the more underrated early DC TV shows, with the series most recently being re-released on DVD back in 2012. Putting the series on DC Universe would allow viewers young and old to appreciate Shazam!’s legacy well before the film debuts (and maybe better understand some of Sandberg’s trolling in the process).

‘Wonder Woman’ (1975-1979)

Speaking of movies that are currently on DC’s radar, the hype is already beginning to build for next year’s Wonder Woman 1984. While Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is already a bonafide cultural phenomenon, there still are a fair share of fans who wouldn’t mind watching – or rewatching – the late ’70s Wonder Woman series.

The series, which starred Lynda Carter as the Amazon, is easily one of the most iconic pieces of comic book television. But, surprisingly, the series isn’t available to stream anywhere, and can only be purchased digitally on Amazon, iTunes, and Vudu.

Like with Shazam!, putting the Wonder Woman series on DC Universe would be a major dose of nostalgia for subscribers, or an excuse for newer fans to check out the series.

‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’ (1993 – 1997)

Smallville and Supergirl might be easy to stream, but another beloved live-action “Superfamily” series doesn’t have a specific streaming home – Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

The ’90s drama starred Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and provided a unique – but charming – take on the DC Comics world. Even as Cain and Hatcher have had somewhat of a reunion on Supergirl, fans have expressed an interest in seeing the series revived in some way.

With DC Universe already bringing Young Justice back to life, it doesn’t seem completely impossible that they could do the same for Lois & Clark, in the form of a full new season or a wrap-up movie. Either way, it’d certainly give fans of that series a reason to subscribe to DC Universe, especially if it already had the previous episodes of Lois & Clark available.

‘Justice League of America’ (1997 Pilot)

As fans have learned over the years, a surprising number of DC Comics-inspired television series have not actually made it to series.

One of the standouts of those is Justice League of America, a 1997 TV movie that was set to introduce various DC Comics characters to a mainstream audience. The film followed The Flash, Green Lantern, Fire, Ice, and The Atom, as they attempt to balance their lives and relationships with fighting The Weather Man.

The end result is honestly a bit bizarre, feeling like a mix between Friends, The Office, and Roger Corman’s forgotten Fantastic Four movie. Still, there’s an oddly charming “so bad, it’s good” quality about the pilot, which has led to bootleg copies being passed around in the decades since. Even if DC would rather forget about the pilot, there’d definitely be an argument for putting it on DC Universe.

‘Krypto the Superdog’ (2005-2006)

Granted, there are quite a bit of DC-inspired animated series that could make their way to DC Universe. But one that has a soft spot in many fans’ hearts is none other than Krypto the Superdog.

The series followed Krypto (Samuel Vincent), a dog that was accidentally sent from Krypton to Earth. Once he arrived on our planet, Krypto essentially became a fully-grown superpowered dog, who ends up being adopted by a 9-year-old boy and his family.

The 39-episode series was absolutely adorable, and allowed young viewers to get into DC’s superheroes through their animated counterparts. Krypto would be a pretty good way to help make DC Universe an all-ages platform – or just give older viewers a good dose of nostalgia.

‘Aquaman’ (2006 Pilot)

Bouncing back to forgotten pilots, Warner Bros. briefly made an attempt to bring Aquaman to television twelve years ago.

The Aquaman pilot, dubbed “Mercy Reef”, was the Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar’s attempt at adapting Arthur Curry for the modern era. The pilot starred Justin Hartley (who later went on to play Smallville‘s Green Arrow) as Arthur “A.C.” Curry, whose life in the Florida Keys is turned upside down when he realizes he’s the Prince of Atlantis.

Ultimately, the newly-minted The CW network passed on the series, but the pilot found a sort of second life through iTunes and Smallville‘s DVD releases. Considering how popular the pilot was at the time – and how many people would be curious to see it around the time of this Christmas’ Aquaman movie – it feels just weird enough to find a home at DC Universe.

‘Powerless’ (2017)

Powerless has had a weird sort of place in the recent DC television landscape, as it attempted to adapt the comic lore within the context of a half-hour NBC sitcom.

The series followed Emily Locke (Vanessa Hudgens), who works for Wayne Security’s R&D department in Charm City. Emily and her coworkers are tasked with creating projects to help ordinary humans survive amongst supervillan attacks, from anti-Joker serum to Kryptonite-proof window glass.

In the process, fans got a delightful amount of obscure references and Easter eggs, as well as genuinely charming performances by Hudgens, Danny Pudi, Ron Funches, and Alan Tudyk. Powerless just managed to find its footing before it was cancelled last May, leaving several episodes of the series still unaired. As we’ve argued in the past, the remainder of the season still deserves to be released, and maybe DC Universe could be the place to do it.

All things Swamp Thing

And finally, with a new Swamp Thing series among DC Universe’s most high-profile new projects, we think it’d be a missed opportunity to not include the character’s past incarnations.

Both Swamp Thing and The Return of The Swamp Thing can be purchased on various digital outlets, but do not have a place to stream for free. The same can be said for USA Network’s Swamp Thing television series, which aired from 1990 to 1993.

While there could be a slight licensing issue to get those past shows on DC Universe, it’d be pretty cool to have them available on there. 

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Which established DC TV series do you want to see on DC Universe? Let us know what you think in the comments below.