Here’s How to Watch the Arrowverse’s ‘Crisis on Earth-X’ Crossover on Netflix

As of today, the entire past year of The CW’s Arrowverse shows is now available on Netflix, providing fans with hours and hours of quips, Easter eggs, and awesome fight scenes. But if you find yourself wanting to binge one of the Arrowverse’s biggest events, it might take a little bit more effort.

In November of last year, the Arrowverse took its annual crossover to a whole other level, with a four-episode event that was dubbed “Crisis on Earth-X”. The two nights of programming presented the crossover in a bit of a different format, telling one epic story as opposed to slightly-related standalone episodes of each show.

“When we first did the crossover, I guess back in our third season and The Flash‘s first season, it was very much like ‘It’s an episode of The Flash where I show up, and then an episode of Arrow where he shows up.’” Stephen Amell, who plays Arrow‘s Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, explained last year. “And even last year, it was like ‘You know, Flash showed up on Supergirl, and then it was an episode of The Flash, an episode of Arrow, and an episode of Legends.’ But this year is just a four-hour movie.”

Unfortunately, that format means that there has been no way for the event to be released as a separate four-hour movie, separate from the individual DVD/Blu-ray releases of each of the shows. And as anyone who has already tried to binge the latest seasons of Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, or Arrow know, Netflix has had a similar fate.

But thankfully, the streaming service now carries the entire crossover, now that Supergirl‘s third season is officially on Netflix. So if you find yourself wanting to properly enjoy “Crisis on Earth-X” – and not be spoiled along the way – here’s what you need to do.

1. If you wait for the Netflix releases for a chance to watch all four shows, we recommend catching up on the first seven episodes of each new season. If you don’t watch one of the four shows, you will still get the gist of things within “Crisis on Earth-X”, but certain plotlines on The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl will be heightened if you’ve been following along all season.
2. No matter which combination of the four shows you watch, once you get caught up, begin the crossover with Supergirl 03×08, “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1”.
3. After that, DO NOT watch the next episode of Supergirl. Instead, click on over to Arrow 06×08, appropriately titled “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 2”.
4. From there, watch The Flash 04×08, “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3”.
5. And finally, cap things off with Legends of Tomorrow 03×08, “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 4”.
6. (This is entirely optional, but) if you want even more tied to the crossover after that, head on over to CW Seed and check out the delightful animated series Freedom Fighters: The Ray.

Sure, the viewing order is a little more involved than past Arrowverse crossovers, and it might require a bit of extra time using your remote. But considering the impact that the event has on each of the four shows, it’s absolutely worth all of the effort. You’ll thank us later.

The Flash‘s fifth season will premiere on Tuesday, October 9th at 8/7c, followed by Supergirl‘s fourth season on Sunday, October 14th at 8/7c. Arrow‘s seventh season will premiere on Monday, October 15th at 8/7c, with Legends of Tomorrow debuting Monday, October 22nd, at 9/8c.