‘Krypton’ Is the Most Exciting Comic Book Show on TV

With Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon and TV series like Legion and Riverdale redefining the boundaries of comic book TV, Cameron Welsh (Constantine, Ash vs. Evil Dead) is taking the world of Krypton to new and fascinating places, while managing to make the world of his TV series much more than just a Superman prequel.

With a pair of rapid-succession game-changing twists, coupled with solid character development, Krypton has become the most consistently exciting comic book show on TV…and there’s more to come.

Here are the reasons you should be checking out Krypton, which airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday nights on SYFY.

Worldbuilding

If there is anything that fans really enjoyed in Zack Snyder’s Superman films, it is probably his sense of worldbuilding.

Whether it’s a Robin costume in a glass case, mysterious graffiti, or implications of a deeper and more complex DC Universe, Snyder filled Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with so many Easter eggs that somebody still seems to find a new one every few months, even years after the movies left theaters.

Krypton operates the same way. Every inch of the screen is covered in Kryptonian writing, most of which is probably just details about this weekend’s poker game or whatever, but it makes the world feel grimy, lived-in, and full of history.

Meanwhile, there are discussions about recent (and not so recent) history that imbues this ancient world with a sense of history and a deeper mythology than any non-comics version of Krypton has ever enjoyed.

Wish fulfillment

Fans of Superman have a few bucket-list items that are getting their legs stretched here, too.

Obviously, we have seen a decent amount of Krypton in things like Man of Steel and Supergirl, but even at their most indulgent, those projects didn’t have the kind of time to delve into the politics, religion, culture, and look of the world that Krypton does by its very nature.

The fact that this series is inspired not by one specific take on Krypton but by a kind of variety-pack approach that allows them to utilize elements of every different version and contribute their own ideas to the pot as well.

On top of that, we get to see a creepy, powerful, and comics-accurate version of Brainiac — something that has been a long time coming.

Plus, trust us (we’ve seen this week’s and next): Colin Salmon as General Zod is the real deal.

Creative freedom

The freedom of taking place years in the past, featuring mostly characters either created for the show, or that nobody really cares to market, means that they can do almost anything with Krypton.

Whether it is using time-traveling versions of heroes who know as much about the DC Universe as the audience does, or villains who can be as true to the comics as anything we’ve ever seen, or even just the idea of creating a universe where Krypton’s destruction plays out differently, or doesn’t play out, or whatever…the idea here seems to be that without a marketable superhero at its core, this is a show where anything can happen.

The fact that it happens a generation before Jor-El and features characters who have been barely mentioned in the comics also gives freedom to play with a lot of big ideas, without stepping on the toes of any writers who have done interesting things with the generation that spawned Superman and Zod.

Diversity

Krypton is a world where gender roles do not seem to be particularly engrained in the culture, at least in the traditional sense.

Jayna Zod heads up the military guild, and since women are not expected to carry children to term, it means there are very few limitations on what they can do in Kryptonian culture.

“On Krypton, it’s quite gender-fluid, almost,” Wallis Day, who plays Nyssa Vex, told reporters during a recent visit to the set. “I think that was actually in the conversation. There’s not really a male species that’s stronger than the female species. For sure, all the female characters, like the male characters, are powerful and independent and strong, strong women who have set goals and have worked f—ing hard to be in the position that they’re in. So there’s a general respect for the characters. For sure, we do go head-to-head. The female characters go head-to-head and those scenes, I think you’re going to absolutely love. They’re incredibly strong scenes. Emotional, strong, powerful scenes. You’re going to see a lot of that.”

Similarly, there does not seem to be any indication that the race of characters like Dev-Em or the Zod family are relevant to their station on Krypton.

All of this means that by slightly tweaking social expectations on Krypton, they are able to create a diverse TV show full of cool, likable characters from all walks of life.

…which, of course, brings us to…

The cast

The cast of Krypton is, like iZombie, a group of largely-unknown cast of actors who are not only supremely talented but able to disappear completely into their characters.

Each week, it seems like some new actor gets an opportunity to blow us away; Nyssa Vex is fascinating, complicated, and one of the most intriguing characters on TV.

Dev-Em’s earnestness and steadfast morality in the face of the horrors he faces makes him compelling, and Aaron Pierre is an absolute powerhouse, especially in tonight’s episode, “Civil Wars.”

Meanwhile, of course, Cameron Cuffe’s Seg-El, Georgina Campbell’s Lyta Zod, and Colin Salmon’s Dru-Zod are some difficult characters to play, with nuanced concerns and torn loyalties, and all three of them absolutely nail it.

If there is any area that TV has to get right even more than TV does, it’s casting, since spending dozens of hours with characters will inevitably bring the best and worst aspects of an actor’s performance to the surface. The fact that Krypton got it so right every time says a lot for all involved.

The twists

When Krypton first began, the big question was “why do it?”

Why make a show about a place we know to be doomed?

Hell, it’s something that even Seg asks in tonight’s episode, proving that they are not lacking in self-awareness.

The last thing anybody probably expected, then, was to have so many twists and so many surprises every week. It’s almost like the show is taking on destiny in an armwrestling match every week and winning.

While the rest of these factors make Krypton a great show, it’s the sharp, surprising writing that makes it consistently exciting.