Winter TV 2019: Here’s When Your Favorite Genre Shows Are Premiering

2019 is still only a matter of days old, but some are already looking forward to what the new year has in store — especially with regards to television.

As was the case last fall, there’s an impressive amount of new television making its way onto the small screen, especially in terms of things related to or inspired by the world of comic books. From long-standing veterans to new additions, there’s a lot going on.

Luckily, we’re here to fill you in on when all of the major comic book television shows will premiere so you can block out your 2019 schedule (or your DVR) accordingly. While some fan-favorites like Legends of Tomorrow, Krypton, and iZombie don’t have concrete premiere dates, we’ll run down all of the shows that already have confirmed return or premiere dates.

‘Gotham’

This year’s offering of comic book television is hitting the ground running with Gotham‘s final season debuting tonight, Thursday, January 3rd, at 8/7c on FOX.

After the harrowing events of last season’s “No Man’s Land” arc (and the show itself almost facing cancellation), Gotham is back and prepared to take fans on quite a wild ride. While it’s unclear exactly how the series will officially draw to a close, it sounds like viewers can prepare for major moments and Easter eggs along the way.

“We’ve run out of time so we might as well throw it in at the end there. In a reasonably well-constructed way.” Ben McKenzie, who stars as Jim Gordon, told reporters during a visit to the show’s set. “I don’t think we’re just throwing things at the wall we’ve created- I think John Stevens and the writers have created a pretty great- not just template in No Man’s Land for sort of all hell to literally and figuratively break loose. But also a plan throughout those 10 episodes to sprinkle in all those things the fans want to see in a way that pays off. A way that doesn’t just seem like lip service that actually feels like it’s part of the 98 episodes we would’ve done in the course of five years.”

‘Young Justice: Outsiders’

Just a day later is another long-awaited DC return with the third season of Young Justice debuting on DC Universe on Friday, January 4th.

The beloved Cartoon Network series, which followed a new generation of heroes and villains in the DC Universe, is getting a second act after initially ending in 2013. This new batch of episodes, which is titled Young Justice: Outsiders, will see new characters and some old favorites taken into new territory.

According to a press release from DC Universe: “Young Justice: Outsiders continues the story with our heroes still dealing with the events of season 2 while facing the new threat of metahuman teen trafficking and the intergalactic arms race for control of these super-powered youths.”

‘The Flash’

Over a month since the “Elseworlds” crossover wrapped up, The Flash will be returning to TV screens on Tuesday, January 15th, at 8/7c on The CW.

Now that Barry is back to being the Scarlet Speedster, it’s safe to assume that he will have some sort of new challenge ahead especially as the threat of Cicada continues to loom large.

Plus, there’s still Nora’s shady interaction with Eobard Thawne that definitely needs to be further explored.

“You’ll slowly start to get the pieces of info that you need, but there will probably be one episode where we explain how that all happened to get her to come back [in time],” showrunner Todd Helbing said in a recent interview.

‘Riverdale’

Just a day later will be the Season Three return of Riverdale, on Wednesday, January 16th, at 8/7c on The CW.

December’s mid-season finale left the titular town in some pretty dire straights, as Hiram Lodge orchestrated a CDC-style quarantine to keep the townspeople contained.

While it’s unclear exactly where things will go next, we know that it’ll involve new hook-ups, a cameo from Kelly Ripa, and some sort of fallout from Hiram’s actions. 

“I think that Hermione, for her, she wanted to keep that mayoral thing separate from Hiram’s life of crime,” Marisol Nichols, who plays Hermione Lodge, told ComicBook.com. “She’s always trying to go legit, and doing her best to gain some power for herself so that they can be legitimate so that she doesn’t always have to live in fear.”

“She’s the one in charge of that town. So, if anything goes wrong, she knows that’s on her,” Nichols explained. “And so already having to compromise her needs and wants and her moral compass as mayor with already one hit, and the second hit is that, and guess who’s going to be responsible?”

‘Deadly Class’

If Riverdale isn’t enough teen angst for one Wednesday, January 16th will also see the debut of Deadly Class, at 10/9c on SYFY.

The series will follow Marcus, an orphan who gets recruited into an academy for young assassins in the 1980s. The first episode, which ComicBook.com’s Russ Burlingame called “one of the best comic book TV pilots ever”, has been available online since late December.

“It’s great to start from the beginning — the seed of it all from the ground up,” series star Benedict Wong told told ComicBook.com. “It’s fantastic still on so many different levels, where you’ve got Rick [Remender]’s world being realized, they’ve got an exceptional ensemble, cracking directors, got a great team behind us all up in Vancouver. Everybody loves coming to work. That’s great. We’ve got the omnipresence of the [Russo Brothers] behind us, as well. I am excited to work with them again on this, especially we’ve got the great components of making a great series. It’s been fantastic to have an audience to see the work, hear their reaction. It’s a natural reaction. It’s been great.”

But for those who prefer to see the series when it officially debuts (or just want a second look at the pilot), then tuning in on January 16th is the way to go.

‘Star Trek: Discovery’

The sophomore season of Star Trek: Discovery is also poised to debut that week, with the premiere of its first episode on Thursday, January 17th, on CBS All Access.

After taking the Trek franchise into a bold new direction last year, Discovery is setting up to bring even more surprises, as well as some major connections to the canon that fans know and love. After answering a distress signal from the U.S.S. Enterprise, season two of Star Trek: Discovery finds the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery joining forces with Captain Christopher Pike on a new mission to investigate seven mysterious red signals and the appearance of an unknown being called the Red Angel.

Along the way, some new takes on iconic characters will debut, including Ethan Peck as Spock and Anson Mount as the aforementioned Captain Christopher Pike.

‘The Punisher’

That same weekend, another streaming series will be back on television screens, with the second season of The Punisher premiering on Friday, January 18th, on Netflix.

The new batch of episodes will place Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle in a new predicament as he becomes embroiled in the attempted murder of a young girl (Giorgia Whigham). As he is drawn into the mystery surrounding her and those in pursuit of the information she holds, Castle attracts a new target on his back as new and old enemies force him to confront whether he should accept his destiny and embrace a life as “The Punisher.”

Granted, the recent onslaught of Marvel shows being canceled by Netflix has filled fans with worry, but there’s still quite a bit of hype for the new season nonetheless.

‘Supergirl’

And rounding out that weekend will be the mid-season premiere of Supergirl, which will air on Sunday, January 20th, at 8/7c on The CW.

Now that “Elseworlds” is all said and done, the Girl of Steel will be back on Earth-38, juggling her personal and professional lives in some particularly interesting ways (especially with the whole Red Daughter situation still afoot).

“It’s all about the circumstance,” series star Melissa Benoist told reporters during a set visit last year. “Someone with the powers that a Kara Zor-El has, you have to really think about the way they were nurtured, where they came, from and their circumstances of becoming a superhero. Overgirl obviously [came from] a Third Reich-type scenario, so she was not using her powers for good and we all know Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers iteration very well and that is who she is. Red Daughter, it’s really fun to play with this. The way we’re developing her this season is we’re sort of seeing how she’s nurtured and how she becomes who she is. So I kind of get to discover it as we go this season. It’s fun. I’ve not been able to do that outside of doing it with Kara Danvers.”

‘Arrow’

The CW’s Arrowverse of shows will continue their midseason debuts on Monday, January 21st, at 8/7c, with a new episode of Arrow.

The second half of Season Seven is set to bring major changes for Oliver Queen and company even as the nature of Oliver’s “Elseworlds” deal looms overhead. Based off of the midseason premiere trailer, fans can expect more action sequences, character beats, and some answers regarding the New Green Arrow, Emiko Queen.

“The only thing that is left for [Oliver] to do – and he doesn’t need to die to do this – is he needs to leave a legacy.” series star Stephen Amell said in a previous interview. “Because we have all these other shows that exist. So whether Arrow continued on in the absence of Oliver Queen, or someone else took up the mantle of the Green Arrow… I think leaving a legacy is the last box left to tick for the character.”

Plus, this new half-season is set to bring the series’ “fun” 150th episode.

‘Black Lightning’

Right after Arrow will be the midseason premiere of Black Lightning, which will premiere on Monday, January 21st, at 9/8c on The CW.

Jefferson Pierce’s role as the protector of the town of Freeland has had some ups and downs in the show’s sophomore season, culminating in December’s explosive midseason finale. While it’s unclear exactly what the back half of Season Two has in store, fans can expect another member of the Pierce family to soon suit up with the recent reveal of Jennifer Pierce’s Lightning super-suit.

“Part of her feels like she should step up, but that’s also why she’s so mad that she has powers,” China Anne McClain, who plays Jennifer, said during a set visit last year. “She’s like, ‘I shouldn’t feel like this. I shouldn’t feel forced to step up because my sister has fully accepted it and you know, my dad’s been demoted so to try and help those he can’t given his situation and stuff. I shouldn’t feel like this. I’m sixteen.’ You know what I’m saying? ‘Everybody leave me alone.’ But I definitely think that part of her feels that way. She feels the responsibility to step up, put her suit on, and get her butt out there and help. And she will, eventually.”

‘The Walking Dead’

Headed into February, comic book fans can expect some TV returns as well, with The Walking Dead coming back on Sunday, February 10th, at 9/8c on AMC.

Season Nine’s winter premiere will bring about some new changes for the long-running zombie drama, in part because it will be the first without Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan as part of the cast. But with new narrative changes and the threat of The Whisperers in store, it sounds like the series isn’t slowing down.

“Creatively, we are doing some different things in Season Nine,” AMC programming president David Madden said in a recent interview. “Season Nine takes a big time jump. There are a lot of new situations that propel us into a very different tone. You look across the board at ratings, every show is dropping from where it used to be. But we’re still looking at big numbers, so we’re hoping for a long future with The Walking Dead.”

‘Doom Patrol’

And finally, February will bring a one-of-a-kind comic book show into the pop culture world with Doom Patrol premiering on Friday, February 15th, on DC Universe.

Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Crazy Jane. Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder they’re called into action by the ultimate hero for the digital age, Cyborg. Banding together these rejects find themselves on a mission that will take them to the weirdest and most unexpected corners of the DC universe.