When we think of DC Comics and television, we tend to think of The CW – of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. Maybe even Gotham, Lucifer or, if you like being miserable, Constantine. But DC’s next show won’t be on The CW, Fox, or NBC. The company is launching its own digital service in 2018 according to The Hollywood Reporter, and is doing so with a live-action series called Titans.
If you’re familiar with DC Comics or the Cartoon Network, you already know where this is going. The series will center around Dick Grayson – you know, Robin – and a group of heroes THR says could consist of characters like Starfire, Raven, and others.
Best known as the Teen Titans, the team has been a staple not only of DC’s comic books but of Cartoon Network for years, with the latest iteration putting aside heroics and action in favor of zany antics that happen in the off-hours. This live-action entry would, obviously, lean back toward the serious side. Coming over from The CW’s DC shows is executive producer Greg Berlanti, who will write the show alongside DC CCO Geoff Johns and writer Akiva Goldsman.
Despite Berlanti’s involvement, it seems highly unlikely that the series will relate back to the CW shows at all, though, considering Robin’s involvement requires that Batman exist. I’d love to be wrong, though.
There’s a cartoon, too
Alongside the live-action show, the animated show Young Justice will be returning. The show spent two seasons running on Cartoon Network from 2011 to 2013, but went missing after that despite fan demand.
Young Justice‘s return makes sense after years of fans begging for it, and that excitement is a way to draw people into the new service.
Titans, on the other hand, seems like a risky first-go for the new service. While Robin and the Teen Titans have some recognition among fans and people who grew up watching the series on Cartoon Network, how much pull those characters have in live action remains to be seen. It could be an expensive mistake or a great way to kick the doors open.
While DC’s Black Lightning will debut on The CW this fall alongside the rest of the mini-Justice League, don’t expect these DC shows or the service itself to launch until 2018.