The Arrowverse’s Best Show Exposed All The Problems With The CW

The Arrowverse had a phenomenal run from 2012 until 2023, but one of the best shows from this period highlighted a lot of weaknesses with the other The CW entries. The Arrowverse began with Arrow in 2012, a relatively small DC Comics character who was used in the show as it was easier to coordinate than using the big characters that were so often reserved for the big screen.

From there, the Arrowverse began expanding rapidly, thanks to the success of Arrow, and the subsequent popularity of the first spin-off series, The Flash. And it continued to grow and evolve as more shows joined the lineup, and continued to cater to a broadening fanbase.

But, with these shows largely being developed by and for The CW, it led to some highs and lows for the Arrowverse as a whole. It meant that there was a lot more flexibility to connect these shows and explore a shared universe, but it also appeared that many of the shows became a little too formulaic in their approach to telling their unique stories.

Superman & Lois Was The Best Entry In The Arrowverse

Enter Superman & Lois, one of the most intriguing shows to come out of the Arrowverse, at a time when many of the others were winding down, or losing steam. With Tyler Hoechlin previously playing Clark Kent, aka Superman, in Supergirl, it was exciting to see him return and lead his own series alongside Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane.

But more than that, Superman & Lois brought one of the biggest and most popular heroes to the Arrowverse in a way that hadn’t been done up to that point. Superman was not just a young man or a nascent superhero trying to figure things out; he was experienced, and somehow, he managed to balance having a young family with his superhero life.

This combined to make the show an incredible addition to the wider shared universe, and one that benefited on all sides, from the acting to the visuals, and onto the stories that played out across four seasons.

The CW Ditched The Arrowverse Formula In Superman & Lois

At the same time, Superman & Lois highlighted an issue that had become increasingly common with the other CW Arrowverse shows. For years, each of these projects had fallen into a rut as they became more and more formulaic, with predictable storylines and unoriginal episodes.

Each show revolved around a struggling and developing hero. Each show saw its respective hero form close friendships with a team who became their closest support crew. Each had an uneasy relationship with an official governing body. And each introduced a brand-new threat for the hero to face off against week after week.

All of this is not to say that these shows don’t deserve the love they get, but they essentially became the superhero version of a procedural drama. Procedural shows do well on Network TV, and they see returning audiences on a regular basis, but they aren’t exactly in the same category as other shows that have more heart and ambition.

Superman & Lois delivered that ambition in spades, as the show had a clear central family unit, with a wider community, and the stories evolved around these characters. Yes, they faced new threats occasionally, but often, every season had a primary focus on a larger rival, and things progressed in unique ways.

Superman & Lois Reminds Us Of How Much Better The Arrowverse Could’ve Been

While there are some points of crossover with how Superman & Lois works, with Clark relying on his family as his team, and the Department of Defense providing occasional backup, they still managed to shake off the formulaic feeling that existed in other Arrowverse shows as they became more stale and tired.

The family dynamic, and a much larger focus on long-term overarching villains served to make Superman & Lois shine in a way that all the other Arrowverse shows would likely have benefited from if they were appropriately improved. Unfortunately, the majority of the Arrowverse appear to have shone in their first seasons, only to sour quickly thereafter.

Superman & Lois also benefited from the larger disconnect from the rest of the Arrowverse, because there was less of a focus on making the show fit with several consecutive storylines. While the crossovers could be fun, they also introduced confusion in the middle of other shows’ seasons, and a lack of a unique identity for each show, as they had to conform to the wider network of stories in order to fit in.

Ultimately, Superman & Lois had its ups and downs, just like any other Arrowverse show, but they had more room, more freedom, and more creativity to explore and experiment than anything else in that universe. All of this combined to make it stand out as the single greatest show in the Arrowverse, and one that could have served as a guide for the others to step up their game.