I recently gave a ranking of the top five worst Arrowverse seasons and did not hold back on how I felt about each show. I stand by my opinion that when the Arrowverse doesn’t work, it can be downright horrible. However, when it does work, it can be incredible. With that said, here is what I consider to be the top five best Arrowverse seasons.
5. Arrow Season 5: Talk about an amazing return to form. After a terrible third season and an even worse fourth season, Arrow bounced back with an installment that included a better story, more impressive action, a fantastic main villain and great writing. I originally considered putting the first season of Arrow on this list instead of the fifth. However, while I absolutely love season 1, I respect season 5 far more. The fifth season of Arrow had a lot to prove. The two seasons before it were not just bad. They were unbearable. Like a lot of people, I had almost no faith in this show after season 4 and was fully expecting season 5 to be just as awful. However, I was thankfully proven wrong as this season gives us a terrifying yet magnificent villain with Prometheus (Josh Segarra), redeems the character of Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and brilliantly wraps up the five year flashbacks on Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) journey. On top of that, the season gave us one of the best season finales from the Arrowverse. If you ask me, this is where the show should have ended. If you cut out the cliffhanger and stopped the show, I would have been completely satisfied as a fan. Unfortunately, the show continued for three more seasons, all of which did their best to tarnish the goodwill that season 5 brought back to the show. While some episodes did not work and the length of the season could have been shortened, I think this is an incredible installment for the show and quite possibly the last truly amazing season to come from the Arrowverse. Rating: 8/10.
4. The Flash Season 1: While Arrow suffered in quality from 2014 to 2016, the first season of The Flash was simply amazing right out of the gate. I admire the original live-action series starring John Wesley Shipp from the 1990s, but it clearly does not hold a candle to the first season of this show. Regardless of how horrible The Flash has gotten lately, the first season always kept things interesting by showcasing a more lighthearted and less grounded tone in contrast to Arrow’s dark and gritty nature. Grant Gustin nails the role of Barry Allen. You feel his struggles throughout the first season. You absolutely want him to succeed in getting justice against the Reverse-Flash (Tom Cavanagh) and become the iconic hero that we all know and love. The villain of the week concept of Barry fighting meta-humans worked greatly to keep the show exciting while also keeping things from seeming too boring. If I had to criticize anything about this season, it would be that it took Barry way too long to find out that Harrison Wells was the Reverse-Flash. It took until the twentieth episode for the team to discover everything when it was revealed to the audience in the ninth episode, and even then his identity was obvious since the pilot. Aside from that and maybe a few scenes with Iris West (Candice Patton), this season is a blast and one I always tend to rewatch. Rating: 8.3/10.
3. Arrow Season 2: While Arrow already had a terrific first season, its next installment stepped things up even further by raising the stakes, upping the action and giving us the best villain from the entire franchise with Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Manu Bennett). It’s amazing just how intimidating yet fascinating Deathstroke turned out to be. While the character is normally best when associated with Batman or the Teen Titans, Arrow’s version just worked flawlessly. Oliver’s arc was also great as we see his morality and dedication to his loved ones put to the test as seen with characters like Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), his sister Thea (Willa Holland) and former his love interest Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy). I also appreciate that the character of Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) is a big presence throughout the season, as Oliver struggles to move past his death and honor his sacrifice after the finale of season 1. One particular character who stole the season aside from Deathstroke was Oliver’s mother Moira (Susanna Thompson), whose moral ambiguity and story arc made her a fascinating character to watch during the season. Season 2 of Arrow is easily the best installment to come from the show and should definitely be checked out. Rating: 8.7/10.
2. The Flash Season 2: While the first season of The Flash was amazing, I have to say that the second season was even better. I did not expect the concept of the multiverse to be introduced so soon, but I am so happy that it was. I am always frustrated when a comic book movie or television series insists on being grounded and staying far away from its comic book roots. However, this season proved to me that The Flash is not afraid to embrace the insanity of its lore. I adore this season for what it brings to the table. The doppelgängers they introduced this season were a ton of fun like the cynical Doctor Wells of Earth-2 Harry Wells, a rather wimpy yet noble version of Deadshot (Michael Rowe) who can’t aim for his life and an evil version of Caitlin Snow named Killed Frost (Danielle Panabaker), who managed to be a very fun yet sympathetic antagonist. I was very entertained by how Killer Frost was used in particular. It is far better than how the character has been butchered in the recent seasons of the series. I also want to mention the main villain Zoom (Teddy Sears) who is by far one of the scariest villains to ever appear in a comic book show. While he isn’t as fascinating as the Reverse-Flash, he is still an amazing and despicable villain. When I originally found out that he would be the big bad, I was annoyed that another speedster was being used as the main threat. Now he is one of my favorite villains from the Arrowverse. This season genuinely felt like a comic book come to life and is probably the last good season from the series before it became terrible. Rating: 9/10.
1. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Season 2: This might be a controversial choice, but I can’t think of a more perfect season from the Arrowverse. I am one of the few people who actually really liked the first season of Legends of Tomorrow. Yes, it could have lightened up a great deal and the character of Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée) was extremely boring. However, I think the fun premise of a time traveling group of c-list heroes and criminals was used rather well. The second season removed all of the problems that surrounded the first season and instead gave us an installment that was so entertaining and engaging. Everything about this season just worked for me. Not one episode was boring or felt like filler. The season was much more lighthearted than season 1 but still took things just seriously enough unlike the following installments. While Arthur Darvill was sadly pushed to the side as Rip Hunter, the season still made up for it by having Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) become the leader of the team. Sara goes through a great emotional story of moving past her sister’s death and learning not to mess with the timeline for her own gain. Another character who goes through a great arc this season is Professor Martin Stein (Victor Garber) who accidentally gains a daughter thanks to a confrontation with his younger self (Graeme McComb). The season also introduces the character of Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) who becomes a very compelling character after proving himself to the Legends and gaining superpowers. However, the MVP of this season is Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), who struggles to stay loyal to his team and leave his life of a criminal behind following the death of Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller). Purcell absolutely sells the humor and inner turmoil with his character and is still the best actor on the show. Lastly, I absolutely love the villainous team up of Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher), Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) and Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough). The three actors have remarkable chemistry with each-other and make for a deliciously evil trio. While some things regarding the writing could be fixed a tiny bit more, I have absolutely no problems with this season. I always rewatch it and never get tired of it. It’s a shame that we can never get another season like this, but I’m glad that we have it nonetheless. Rating: 9.5/10.
