10 Best Live-Action Comic Book Shows Of The 21st Century, According To IMDb – CBR – Comic Book Resources

The 21st century has been all about comic-based film and TV adaptations, including superheroes. Here are the best shows according to IMDb.

The 21st century has been a boon for comic book fans. After decades of live-action TV shows that were either campy takes on classic characters like the 1966 Batman series or less than stellar but earnest attempts like the 1990 Flash series, the 2000s kicked the genre of comic book shows into high gear, thanks in part to the plethora of streaming services.

RELATED:Peacemaker: 10 Comic Stories That Could Influence The HBO Max Show

There have been so many great comic book-based shows over the last twenty years that it's nearly unbelievable. Many of these shows are just as good, if not better than a lot of the comic book movies that have also exploded this century. There are so many fantastic shows that great series like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Doom Patrol, and Agent Carter don't even make it into the top ten.

It may be surprising that in a time when there have been multiple shows based on the Batman mythos, it's the one about his butler that is the best rated on IMDb. Pennyworthgives viewers a look into the origins of Alfred Pennyworth, the former special-forces soldier living in London who is destined to one day become Batman's closest confidant.

The series, which airs on Epix, stars Jack Bannon as the young Alfred as he forms his own security company. Alfred takes on the Raven Society, a secret organization that is looking to take over the British government. Pennyworthwill have its season two premiere in December.

Based on the Dark Horse series by Gerard Way and Gabriel B, The Umbrella Academy is a quirky and hip action-comedy about a former kid superhero team that grew up, grew apart, and ended up causing the end of the world. Now, as they travel through time working to fix the mistake they made that led to armageddon, all they seem to do is make things even worse.

RELATED:Umbrella Academy: 10 Of Klaus' Best Quotes

With a cool soundtrack, great costume and set design, and wonderful acting, The Umbrella Academy has become one of the biggest shows on Netflix. With two seasons under its belt, Netflix hasn't announced a third season of Umbrella Academy yet, but it would be quite shocking for them to cancel the series now. However,it wouldn't be the first time the streaming service has done something like that.

A sequel to the iconic comic by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, HBO's Watchmen is set 34 years after Ozymandias dropped a giant alien-looking squid on New York City and Doctor Manhattan left the universe to see what else was out there. As a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Angela Abar who goes by Sister Night when she's on the job finds herself investigating the Seventh Kavalry, a white supremacist group that is inspired by the dead vigilante Rorschach.

Watchmen was an instant hit with viewers and went on to win eleven Emmys, including one for the show's star Regina King and her co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Producer Damon Lindelof and HBO decided it was a miracle they were able to pull off a single season of Watchmen andopted to end the show.

Based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg, Lucifer tells the story of Lucifer Morningstar, the literal Devil, when he decides to leave Hell and live on Earth. After opening his own club, Lucifer becomes a consultant to the Los Angeles Police, helping them solve strange murders.

Lucifer originally aired on Fox for three seasons but was canceled due to low ratings. The show did find a strong following on Netflix, and the streaming service picked it up for two seasons. While the original plan was for Lucifer to end with season five, the show proved to be so popular that Netflix renewed it for a sixth and supposedly final season.

Based on the comic by Grant Morrison and artist Darick Robertson, Happy! starred Christopher Meloni as Nick Sax, a former detective turned alcoholic hitman, and Patton Oswalt as the cute and cuddly little unicorn named Happy. Together, Nick and Happy search for Hailey, a little girl who was abducted by a man dressed as Santa Claus.

Happy was Hailey's imaginary friend, and Nick happens to be her father. Together, the two discover a massive global conspiracy involving child trafficking, sex cults, aliens, ancient gods, and the apocalypse. Happy! ran for two critically acclaimed seasons before it was canceled by SyFy.

Based on the Image Comics series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead is easily one of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons of the last twenty years. The show, which airs on AMC, follows the lives of a group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse has wiped out most of humanity.

RELATED:The Walking Dead: 5 Characters Who Need To Return For The Finale (& 5 Who Should Stay Gone)

The series will be coming to an end with its eleventh season, but that won't be the end of The Walking Dead universe. Along with the already existing spin-off shows Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a fourth series will be released set after the end of The Walking Dead. It willfollow the further adventures of fan-favorites Daryl and Carol.

Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, Legion was a wildly strange show that starred Dan Stevens as the schizophrenic Legion. A mutant with a loose connection to reality, Legiondoes all he can to fight off a sinister organization led by Shadow King that wants to use him and his power for their own gains.

Legion ran for three seasons on FX, and while it was critically acclaimed, it never found a large audience. Still, the series has a vocal fanbase that loves it for just how weird and wild it was willing to get.

The last of the Marvel Netflix shows, The Punisher starred Jon Bernthal as the titular character of the series. The series spun out of Daredevil season 2 and, as in the comics, Punisher spends his series hunting down and killing criminals. While there have been a number of live-action takes on the character, Bernthal was the first actor to receive acclaim for his work in the role.

Sadly, The Punisher lasted just two seasons. Shortly after the announcement of Disney+, the Marvel Netflix shows were all canceled. With any luck, Bernthal will show up as Punisher in another show or one of the Marvel movies in the future.

The first of the Marvel Netflix shows, Daredevil starred Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, the blind attorney who spends his night fighting crime as Daredevil, the Man Without Fear. Running for three seasons, Daredevil kicked off the Marvel Netflix universe, which was set in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe but always kept at an arm's length.

RELATED:Netflixs Daredevil: 10 Hidden Details That Brought The Comic To Life

Daredevil, and the other Marvel Netflix shows, were grittier than the Marvel movies but still followed a similar format. Different heroes, including Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, got their own shows before everyone came together for The Defenders. Unfortunately, all the shows were canceled shortly after Disney+ was announced.

With its second season just ending and the third season already announced, The Boys, based on the comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is a smash hit for Amazon Prime. Like the comic, the series follows Hughie Campbell, a normal guy who finds himself working with a CIA team that has been tasked with revealing the truth about superheroes to the world after his girlfriend is killed by the super speedster A-Train.

The show splits its time between The Boys, who are led by Billy Butcher played by Karl Urban and The Seven, the greatest superhero team in the world. Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, the leader of The Seven, has quickly become a fan favorite, and with good reason. Starr fills the character with an intense dread that bleeds into every scene, even the ones he isn't in.

NEXT:The Boys: The Seven Ranked According To Power Level

Next Power Rangers: 5 Strongest (& 5 Weakest) Green Rangers

Born and raised in New York, Derek Faraci moved to Los Angeles in 2001 where he worked as a freelance writer before taking a position at Activision where he worked on many successful franchises including Spider-Man, Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero. In October 2009, Derek left Activision to join Scientifically Proven Entertainment. Since joining SPE, Derek has worked on Man vs. Wild: The Game and the film Sucker directed by Michael Manasseri.Given the option, Derek would spend all of his time watching movies and reading comics.

Read the original post:
10 Best Live-Action Comic Book Shows Of The 21st Century, According To IMDb - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero