4 Reasons DC Will Own Autumn TV

Mike Delaney
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As Autumn arrives, so does a special time of the year – the season premieres of returning television shows. And high on the list of anticipated premieres are DC’s quartet of television shows airing on Sky 1 and Sky 1 HD (Virgin TV channels 110 and 109). Arrow returns for Season 5, The Flash streaks into Season 3, and both DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl begin their sophomore years. They all lead up to a four-week crossover event later in the season that should make for truly epic TV viewing.

These shows cover a diverse range of topics, including street-level vigilantism, meta-humans, aliens, time travel, parallel Earths, magic, and mysticism — all without comprising on the great storytelling and characterisation that make them engrossing television. Let’s take a deeper look at why DC TV will dominate the Autumn TV schedule.

Arrow – Season 5

Premieres Wednesday 26 October at 8pm, Sky 1 and Sky1 HD (Virgin TV Channels 110 and 109)

The New (And Very Shorthanded) Team Arrow

Season 5 of Arrow is looking to get back to the show’s roots. No magic, no mysticism — just the pure vigilantism that Arrow became known for. With Team Arrow reduced to just Oliver with Felicity directing him from the Arrowcave, Season 5 will nearly mirror Season 1’s set-up, when Oliver was just beginning his career as the Hood. And just like slow burn narrative of Seasons 1 and 2, when Team Arrow grew to include Spartan, Black Canary, Arsenal, and Speedy, Season 5 will deal with the building of a new team, one designed to honor the legacy of Laurel Lance, who was killed at the hands of Damien Darhk last season.

Legacy is the key theme of Season 5, with the new Team Arrow taking to the streets. Star City still needs heroes, but Oliver, in his new position as Mayor, can’t cope alone. And maybe he is looking to the day when the Green Arrow can retire and leave the work to a new generation.

But Oliver’s legacy is not just confined to his efforts to protect Star City. The season’s new villain, Prometheus, is apparently as much of a creation of Oliver’s as Team Arrow is. Prometheus is the result of Oliver’s actions as the Hood, and he has trained and prepared himself to enact revenge on Oliver. Like so many before him, he will be looking to tear down Oliver’s achievements and stand as the true heir to the Green Arrow’s legacy.

Arrow is also delving into a part of the show’s implied history that fans have been waiting for: his days training with the Bratva. And the return of Antoly Knyazev (played by David Nykl) is a most welcome one after too long away from the show. Adding Dolph Lundgren as the flashback villain will hopefully bring new life to the season-long flashbacks.

The Flash – Season 3

Premieres Tuesday 25 October at 8pm, Sky 1 and Sky1 HD  (Virgin TV Channels 110 and 109)

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Season 3 of The Flash will adapt the fan-favorite comic story “Flashpoint,” in which Barry Allen travels through time to save his mother, and in doing so alters the history of the entire DC Universe.

Things kicked off at the end of Season 2, when Barry saved his mother from death at the hands of the Reverse-Flash, altering his entire life. His father is now alive again, and Barry has a happy family dynamic.

This comes at a cost, however: His adoptive family, Joe and Iris West, now barely know him. And stopping the Reverse-Flash in the past changed other things in more subtle ways like that Cisco Ramon is now a billionaire industrialist scientist.

But Barry is happy. He has his family. He has his powers. Wally West is protecting Central City as the (Kid) Flash. But Barry is also losing his memories of the original timeline. He realizes that he changed the entire world for his own selfish reasons, and he needs to change it back.

But is it just Barry’s world that’s been affected? Will the changes to the timeline be felt over in Arrow or DC’s Legends of Tomorrow? And will “Flashpoint” be just the excuse the producers need to nudge Supergirl into the same universe as the Arrowverse?

This season, The Flash is also dipping its toes in theater in the form of a special musical crossover episode with Supergirl. Both Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist are both Glee alums, so the episode should be a treat for all fans. Speculation places the Music Meister as the villain behind the singing outbreak, with rumors saying Neil Patrick Harris will take the role, which he originated in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Mayhem of the Music Meister.”

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow – Season 2

Premieres Thursday 3 November at 8pm, Sky 1 and Sky1 HD  (Virgin TV Channels 110 and 109)

Legend of Tomorrow Season 2 Trailer Team Legends

With its wider scope exploring the DC Universe beyond the adventures of a single hero in their home city, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has unlimited potential for exploring the wider DC mythos.

This season, the Legends meet the Justice Society of America, a team of super-heroes from the 1940s that appear to have been forgotten by the current era. How has this team been lost to the annals of history? Are they a result of the “Flashpoint” paradox, or the actions of the Legends in the past?

Like any good ensemble show, the Legends’ roster has changed from Season 1. Leonard Snart seemingly sacrificed himself to save the other Legends at the end of the first season, although he will return as part of the Legion of Doom. How he survived or if he is an alternate Leonard Snart will hopefully be one of the main mysteries of the season. And both Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders left the team now that Vandal Savage is dead.

New recruits include Vixen — but not the Vixen we know! This Vixen is Amaya Jiwe, who is from the 1940s and will be the grandmother of the current Vixen. Nate Heywood is also being added to the lineup, a character who is known as Citizen Steel in the comics.

Supergirl – Season 2

Premieres Monday 24 October at 8pm, Sky 1 and Sky1 HD  (Virgin TV Channels 110 and 109)

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After being constantly teased with long shots and instant messaging, Kara’s cousin Superman has finally come to the show. Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, will make his debut in the first episodes of Season 2. His inclusion is a big change in the status quo of DC TV shows. For years, DC has been reticent to have competing versions of their main characters on the movie screen. Arrow, for example, was forced to cancel plans for further Suicide Squad stories and even killed their versions of the characters, presumably to prevent confusion across the mediums.

But the arrival of Superman should not, in any way, overshadow Supergirl. She is the main character of the show and Season 2 will about her establishing herself as a more confident super-hero.

Other changes to the show will include a reduced role for Calista Flockhart’s Cat Grant, due to the show moving filming from Los Angeles to Vancouver. Cat will still be a recurring role on the show, with an interesting relationship with Clark Kent borne from their days working at the Daily Planet.

Watch all this and more on Virgin TV. The TV you love, brilliantly brought together. Find out more at virginmedia.com/virgintv.

Mike Delaney
Mike Delaney is a Community Partnership Specialist and specialises in all forms of entertainment. Star Wars fan and general pop culture addict. Knows more about fictional universes than the real one.