You’ve probably heard of the Arrowverse before. DC’s attempt at creating a television multiverse has become one of their most critically and financially successful ventures, with each of the universe’s five television series earning its own devoted fanbase.
And with Legends of Tomorrow season five coming up (not to mention the fact that the sixth-annual Arrowverse crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, is in progress), we’re going to take a look at all twenty completed Arrowverse seasons and decide the best ten as a definitive guide to which are the most rewatchable. Spoiler warning! As part of our ranking system, we will be taking a close look at each season’s plot summary.
Arrow: Season Seven
In this season of Arrow, Stephen Amell reprises his role as bow-and-arrow-wielding billionaire vigilante Green Arrow, who at the end of the previous season was arrested after being forced to reveal his true identity to the FBI. Now an inmate at a notorious maximum-security prison, where he has a series of close encounters with both old and new villains, Green Arrow must work to protect his legacy from a terrorist organization whose leader has assumed his name.
The season is definitely one of Arrow’s best overall, and it serves as a return to form for the series, which had some trouble deciding what it wanted to be over its poorly-received middle seasons. While some of the episodes were rather hit-and-miss, season seven remains a solid, prime for binge-watching chapter in the Arrow saga.
The Flash: Season Five
This season of The Flash focuses on DC’s resident speedster Barry Allen as he teams up to fight crime with his time-traveling future daughter Nora, who eventually becomes a part of Team Flash. Unbeknownst to her father, however, Nora is actively working to alter the past in order to prevent him from dying in a future crisis.
This season of the show received very positive reviews from both critics and audiences and was lauded for its well-written dialogue and complex character interactions. First and foremost, it’s professionally crafted, if somewhat lacking depthwise, and it lives up to the viewer’s expectations while not seriously working to surpass them.
Legends of Tomorrow: Season Three
In season three of the ever-popular Arrowverse series Legends of Tomorrow, the time-traveling team organized by renegade anti-hero Rip Hunter works to fix temporal aberrations they created in their universe’s timeline over the course of the previous season.
While it focuses more on humor and character development than traditional action-packed superhero fare, the season is considered by both fans and critics to be a welcome addition to the Arrowverse canon, fixing several of the mistakes and poor creative decisions made by its previous seasons - and it’s arguably the season that grew the show’s already burgeoning fanbase the most.
Supergirl: Season One
Supergirl’s premiere season follows Superman’s titular cousin as she embraces her destiny of becoming a superhero after being recruited by a secret government organization known as the Department of Extranormal Operations in order to fight crime.
The series (especially during its first season) takes a lighter tone than the other shows in the Arrowverse, drawing praise from critics for its acting, action, and visual effects. While it’s not the best season to come out of the Arrowverse, the distinct superhero vibe and over-the-top crimefighting scenes make Supergirl season one a delightfully decent dramedy.
Supergirl: Season Three
Season three of Supergirl continues the overarching premise seen in previous seasons - emphasizing the struggles of Kara Danvers (AKA Supergirl) as she fights crime and works to improve her hometown of National City, California - but it also focuses on heavily emotional scenarios featuring its leads, leading to a welcoming if somewhat dismal thematic feel.
That, combined with how it showcases much more experimental emotional elements than its predecessors, is ultimately what sets Supergirl season three apart from other Arrowverse seasons in terms of originality and storytelling capability and renders it one of DC’s best television adaptations.
The Flash: Season Two
This season of The Flash follows Barry Allen as he takes on his biggest challenge yet - a villain from an alternate universe, with powers similar to Barry’s own, who is bent on destroying each of the multiverse’s numerous speedsters.
Season two received praise for its acting, comedy, and visuals, and established The Flash as one of the best superhero television shows of all time, giving the Arrowverse further cred as a leading multiverse. Despite some qualms about the formulaic and perhaps too trite atmosphere that it takes place in, The Flash season two remains a specter of television achievement that won’t soon be forgotten.
Arrow: Season One
The season that started it all follows casual billionaire playboy Oliver Queen as he returns to his hometown after being lost in a mysterious shipwreck. He assumes the identity of a hooded vigilante whose choice weapon is a bow and arrow and begins his crimefighting escapades, while also encountering surprise figures from his past and dealing with a sinister antagonist bent on destroying the crime-ridden section of Starling (later Star) City where his wife was murdered.
In a way, the first season of Arrow defines the Arrowverse as a whole - bleak, poignant, and confoundingly humorous - and was praised by critics for its plot, characters, and action.
Legends of Tomorrow: Season Two
Legends of Tomorrow’s second season shares several elements with the other seasons of the series - rescuing Legends trapped throughout time, correcting potentially destructive changes to history caused by their rampant time traveling, and an ensemble assemblage of scheming ne’er-do-wells.
However, season two improves on these elements and enjoys a complicated but compelling narrative that’s packed with exciting visual sequences and expansive character arcs. Ultimately, it’s the best season of the show, and one of the best Arrowverse seasons in general - even if it didn’t carry Legends to the same creative heights as Arrow or The Flash.
Arrow: Season Two
In the second season of Arrow, Oliver Queen has assembled a team of allies (including Legends of Tomorrow lead Sarah Lance), changing his vigilante identity from “The Hood” to “The Arrow” to represent his recent decision to not end the lives of criminals. However, his ubiquitous arch-nemesis Slade has returned and begins to test Archer’s newfound conscience.
Season two of Arrow boasts spectacular action sequences, satisfying plotlines, and frequent witticisms, and is considered one of the finest creations in the history of superhero television by both DC aficionados and entertainment critics.
The Flash: Season One
The premiere of Arrow spin-off The Flash was The CW’s second-most-watched series premiere of all time, offering an introduction to Barry Allen, the eponymous superhuman speedster and CSI who takes down criminals while navigating various dramas, most notably his complicated relationship with journalist Iris West.
The first season was praised for its exciting and characteristically hero-based atmosphere, as well as its action, characters, visuals, and dialogue; and the season finale was one of the most acclaimed finales in the history of comic book television. The Flash is one of DC’s finest achievements, and every season deserves a rewatch, but as we all know, the best place to start is usually the beginning.
