The CW’s Comic Book TV Show Revolution Has More To Come? Sources Say ‘Yes’

The CW has made something of a comic book TV show revolution. It’s first hit comic book show may have been Smallville, but it would be a year after the final season of the show that they would produce the show that would jettison comic TV shows from a simple niche to a mainstay in current network lineups.

Though Smallville was the launching pad, 2012’s Arrow knocked it out of the park, managing to take the serious real world feel of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and apply it to a character poorly treated in the comic book world. The show has since been considered his highest-rated show ever for the CW.

In the interim, this inspired ABC to produce Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and FOX to produce Gotham. Now the CW appears to have done it again with their most recent comic book show, The Flash. The Inquisitr reported on the show prior to the premiere.

According to Screencrush, the show is off to a shaky start, but has potential.

“The Flash’ hardly lacks for redeeming qualities. The effects prove noticeably strong, however fewer and farther between the CG-heavy cityscape shots might become in subsequent episodes, while for now, ‘The Flash’ remains a promising, if occasionally silly pilot with plenty of heart to counteract its questionable plotting.”

Though the sentiment was generally the same throughout, the ratings told a more positive story, according to Comicbook.com.

“‘The Flash’ finished third in the 8 p.m. hour with a 3.4/ 5 overall, which was The CW’s highest-rated premiere in the overnights since ‘The Vampire Diaries’ in 2009. TVline notes that ‘The Flash’ came in 166 percent higher than last year’s premiere of ‘The Originals’ did in the same time slot — and ‘The Originals’ got renewed for a second season.”

So, with all these positive things coming from the CW network’s loving embrace of comic book-inspired TV shows, what’s next? Well, more comic book TV show adaptations, of course. Though one of Arrow and The Flash’s writers, Greg Berlanti, will be helping bring the long-awaited Supergirl to the small screen in the near future for NBC, surely the CW network has its own plans. Spoiler Alert, it does.

Though it is not quite fleshed out yet, Comicbook.com reports that CW president Mark Pedowitz hinted at the fact that there will be more comic book adaptions forthcoming. The tease came in an interview with Buzzfeed on Thursday. Although brief, it was certainly an indication that we have not seen the last of these comic book-inspired shows.

“There are discussions going on, but I can’t tell you what they are.”

With CW’s writer branching off to other networks for more DC comic book adaptions, one must wonder what they have in store for us in the future. Marvel comic book adaptions, Dynamite comics, or something else entirely. Either way, with NBC jumping head first into the fray with Constantine in a few weeks and Supergirl in the not so distant future, it is safe to say CW’s comic book revolution shows no sign of waning. It would seem that comic book geeks have years of TV show adaptions to look forward to.

What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below.

[Images Via CW And Wikimedia Commons ]