With Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash and Arrow all having fairly good fan-bases and viewership, is the recent uptick in superhero TV Shows both on air and upcoming, are there too many right now or too few?
It's an interesting question. With Marvel's The Avengers debut in 2012, over the last few years, superhero movies and TV shows have boomed in popularity, and not just among my fellow nerds. Along with the three shows previously mentioned, several other shows are under development with many fans calling for yet more.
The question is, if all of these shows are created, will there be enough viewers for each show to keep them on the air? The subsequent question I find myself asking is: "Are there too many superhero shows right now or too few?" And I'm not the only one concerned.
"Are there too many superhero shows?" I ask this for a couple of reasons. I love these shows, and I want them all to succeed. I've been a fan of the superhero genre, both DC and Marvel, for many years. But I don't have time to watch all the shows that are currently on air and drawing my attention, much less three or four more that might be showing simultaneously in the future. I doubt many people have the time to watch all of their superhero shows (even with DVR) and keep up with other hobbies or interests they have as well. I love the cross-overs in the various shows (I just saw a couple episodes on Netflix where the Flash showed up with the Arrow in Arrow.)
But will the sheer number of shows going on cause a cascade of failures due to low viewer numbers per show? Constantine is a great example of a superhero(ish) show that failed after only one season due to low viewership, despite a rabid fan-base even filing a petition to keep the show alive. I hope this won't be the case, but if upcoming shows like X-Men: Legion, Supergirl and Jessica Jones draw away too many viewers that only have time for a show or two, it could spell the end for many shows people enjoy, for both the DC and Marvel universes.
The other part of the question I ask is: "Are there too few of these shows?" To that, I believe the answer is a resounding "No!" I can think of at least six current superhero-type shows that a currently ongoing last I checked. I haven't even been able to get to some of them, and I really want to watch them. I thoroughly enjoy the fact these shows can crossover and blend characters from one into another in superb fashion.
But despite that enjoyment, despite an overall enjoyment of superhero shows, I have to say that while having several shows on air at once (or during the same general time) is awesome, if too many more come alive, it could damage the potential of the genre.
Will the producers realize this and take steps to ensure the maximum profitability of this genre for the future? I doubt it. Money now is more valuable than money later, and with viewership at a good point for this type of show, it seems likely it will be kicked into the ground for a quick buck.
So what do you think? Should there be more shows, and if so, who do you want to see get their own?
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