iZombie_55076ef74d10f0.71314110

4. iZombie (CW)

The lone show on the list I don’t watch personally, mostly because zombie shows aren’t really my thing, but after reading some of the comments and talking to friends, it looks like a binge is in order.

Also, it’s worth noting again at this point that iZombie is ranked fourth on the list, and very well may belong here, but it’s also being rated only by those who want to watch it. This show doesn’t have nearly the profile of a CBS or ABC drama, so the negative feedback SHIELD or Supergirl gets need not apply here, thus potentially raising the overall scores and somewhat inflating the ranking.

But enough about how this works. Let’s eat some brains and solve some crimes.

Show Hero/ Show Lead Support Cast Main Villain Other villains Overall Storyline Crisis of the Week Show “Look” Overall Score
iZombie 8.89 7.67 6.44 6.33 8.00 8.22 7.89 7.63

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs-bmaWpfP4

“The premise is a clever twist on the murder-of-the-week crime show format, and Liv is a fun character to follow each week (along with her boss, who’s the zombie believer). It’s a lighter alternative to the heavier, more serialized superhero shows.” – Ian Casselberry

“Rose McIver is amazing and the Case Of The Week let’s her show off some fun range.”

“This show isn’t the best but it is the only one besides the Marvel Netflix shows that I can’t think of anything I don’t like about it, at all. Just a fun show.” -Paul L.

“It’s hard to admit this as a 27 year old man, but I watch this show religiously. From seeing the concept and thinking ‘hmm, this could entertain me for an episode tonight’ to binge watching the entire first season in 3 days. It’s fun, refreshing, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Even some meta jokes from time to time. I’m probably not in the demo audience but I love it and recommend it for sure!” – Zach Burke

 

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3. The Flash (CW)

The Flash is DC’s light-hearted answer to the brooding doom of Arrow. On its own, Flash is a good show, but I’m not entirely sure it’s ever going to be great. And yet, as connected to Arrow, it has the balance it needs to be as successful in its first year plus as it is.

Grant Gustin is something of a goofball as Barry Allen, which works great when he’s a forensics guy for the cops, but seems to play less well as The Flash. He’s fine if you buy in to that version of The Flash, but either the character or the actor lacks the sharp wit that a goofball like that would have as a hero. He’s less Spiderman than DC needs for it to really work. (As you can see by the rankings of our panel, most love Gustin as Allen/Flash.)

That said, the supporting cast might be the best of any show, led by Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon—all the Spidey wit any show can have—and Jesse L. Martin, who his great in everything he does, as Joe West, Barry’s father figure.

The show has mastered the villain of the week model, though there is some fear like with Arrow that they’ll just flat run out of storylines before they get to season four. The overall storyline—Barry finding his mother’s killer and all the time-travel that goes with it—has been entertaining, if a bit clunky in execution.

Show Hero/ Show Lead Support Cast Main Villain Other villains Overall Storyline Crisis of the Week Show “Look” Overall Score
Flash 8.54 8.42 8.08 7.42 7.92 7.44 8.00 7.97

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aizunnaiyhg

“The closest a superhero comic book has ever been adapted to live-action. These are the stories so many of us grew up reading; a little bit goofy, with a big dose of wish fulfillment and some darkness to make it feel like it really matters. If only Barry Allen had a compelling love interest… — Ian Casselberry

“Grant Gustin is a terrific Barry Allen, but the true strength of the Flash rests in the show’s supporting cast. Any father-son scene between Barry and Joe West or his real father Henry is guaranteed to choke you up. Cisco Ramon is one of the best characters on any current ongoing show.” – Jordan White

“Grant Gustin is really good, the show is really fun, but gets bogged down a bit when the cast expands.”

“A really ‘fun’ show which doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. When it does, it devolves into the soap opera-like problems of Arrow and becomes almost entirely unwatchable. Grant Gustin is really likable but needs to continue to grow as an actor. The strength of this show is it’s complete lack of f***s given when it comes to cribbing pieces of the DC universe which is a delight for fans.”

“Love it. Currently my favorite show period on TV. Grant Gustin is perfect as Barry Allen, the dialogue is great, the look, the feel — everything was nailed. (Cisco is a perfect sidekick for the record.) I love that they’ve paid homage to the CBS “Flash” and the weekly villain isn’t always a heavy-hitter, opting for lesser-knock ones. My wife — who will go to superhero movies with me, but only the big ones — was skeptical about “The Flash” when we first watched. It’s her favorite show on TV.         ”

“Flash is the show that most accurately resembles the experience of reading an actual comic, in ways both good (lots of craziness! humanoid sharks! telepathic gorillas! alternate worlds!) and less-good (clunky dialogue! sometimes-confusing chronology! an over-reliance on dead mothers!). – Matt Terl

“Might be the most true to source material comic-booky superhero show of all time; whether you think that’s a good thing or not is subjective.” – John M

“It’s like if you made an X-Men TV show starring Quicksilver where he and Professor X took out one mutant a week. Cyclops? Nightcrawler? Pyro? Got them all.” – Joe Coblitz

“Sometimes a little too goofy, and yet it totally works for this show.”

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About Dan Levy

Dan Levy has written a lot of words in a lot of places, most recently as the National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. He was host of The Morning B/Reakaway on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio for the past year, and previously worked at Sporting News and Rutgers University, with a concentration on sports, media and public relations.