DC already has a prequel for Batman currently on TV, and are currently developing two for Superman. Fun as that may be, it's time television stopped building up to the World's Finest and brought Batman and Superman to TV properly.DC's films may be experiencing some turbulence at theaters, but the comic company's television empire is thriving. The CW's collection of DC series - colloquially known as the Arrowverse - largely concentrates on lesser-known heroes (with one very speedy exception, The Flash), and has become the bedrock of that network (which previously served as home for Superman prequel Smallville thrived for a decade on the CW), and the Batman prequel Gotham has found something of an unhinged, bonkers creative groove in its current fourth season on Fox.Related: Why The CW Needs To Cancel ArrowLooking forward, Syfy is gearing up for yet another Superman prequel, Krypton, which will chronicle the days of Kal-El's grandfather on the doomed planet. And, following in the footsteps of CBS All Access, DC is starting its own streaming service, currently slated for late 2018, which will be headlined by a live action Titans show - as well as yet another Superman show minus Superman called Metropolis, which will feature Lois Lane and Lex Luthor in the days before the Man of Steel came to town.With all that on the way, It's hard to avoid the obvious question: why is DC so reluctant to put Batman and Superman, their two most iconic characters, on the small screen?This Page: There's No Reason To Not Do Batman And Superman TV Shows

The DCTV/DCEU Conflict Argument Doesn't Make Sense

Deadshot Actors

For many years, there's been a mysterious, ill-defined in-house policy on DC's heavy hitters showing up not only in live action television but animation as well. Arrow showrunner Marc Guggenheim has often suggested characters like Deathstroke and Deadshot are routinely removed from his show by his corporate overlords when they're due to feature in a new DC film. The implication seems to be that two concurrent live action versions of the same character will confuse audiences. That's not only an insultingly reductive assessment of their own audience, it simply ignores the current state of massive, immersive franchises like DC and Marvel, where fan bases are plugged into their favorite versions of characters through social media.

You can still make something of an argument that characters like Deathstroke and Deadshot are low profile enough that the company wants them defined in the public consciousness by the expensive, high-profile film versions where they're played by A-list movie stars. But DC has already torpedoed that argument for established icons like Batman and Superman. Grant Gustin has played an incredibly well-received version of Barry Allen on the CW's The Flash, while Ezra Miller has played the character to generally warm returns in Justice League, and will star in the upcoming Flashpoint film. People have had no problem understanding the two adaptations exist in different universes.

Indeed, the DC universe has a longstanding, in-universe mechanism that suggests it exists as a multiverse, where limitless iterations of its heroes and villains can thrive alongside each other. The CW's Supergirl took things a step further, featuring its own version of Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin. A non-Henry Cavill Superman appeared on American television in 2017 and the world didn't end.

Superman and Batman together in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

What Would 2010s Superman and Batman TV Shows Look Like?

Beyond these sort of weak excuses, barring Batman and Superman from major presences on television just seems like bad business. Smallville and Gotham both found relative success skirting around the edges of their respective mythoses, but neither was ever anything approaching event television. They're niche shows with cult followings, an appropriate response to shows that were essentially half measures, keeping the thing fans desired most just out of reach. This is outdated thinking. Superheroes are the major cultural force right now, both in film and television; the likes of Marvel B-listers like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher are flagship series for Netflix. What's stopping World's Finest rivalling that?

Related: Netflix Reveals Most Popular Viewing Order of Its Marvel Series

A Lighter TV Show Is What Superman Needs

Clark Kent Superman in his suit on Supergirl

It's easy to imagine a Superman show in the same style as the CW shows - perhaps starring Tyler Hoechlin and with an expanded budget - becoming a mainstream hit, and a more earnest, serialized version of Clark Kent could go a long way to shoring up the Man of Steel's image. Superman is currently a deeply polarizing figure due to the darker, subversive take featured in Zack Snyder's DCEU films. But it's easy to forget that before he was a lightning rod, people were wondering if Superman was simply obsolete, a concept that couldn't really survive into the 21st century without a thematic major overhaul, not unlike what Snyder attempted.

The Flash and Supergirl have both shown there's an appetite for light, earnest heroes on the small screen, and we form a deeper bond with these characters who we spend an hour with every week than the ones we spend two hours with every two years. The DCEU is in limbo at the moment, with no Man of Steel or Justice League sequel in active production. Why not take advantage of that gap by showcasing Superman in a more intimate, serialized setting that highlights the elemental qualities that people love about him?

Batman Is Perfect For Prestige TV

While the television prospects for Superman seem promising, the potential for Batman is almost limitless. Batman is arguably the most popular and iconic character in all of fiction. People who have never read a comic book know his origin story. The character has been in the public consciousness almost without pause since the 1960s television series. As such, a CW style show is probably too small potatoes for the Caped Crusader. Batman seems like an obvious candidate to use in the sort of prestige show that the Netflix Marvel series aspire to (though they don't quite get there).

There's been a lot of handwringing at HBO over what their post-Game of Thrones flagship series is going to be. The network is banking big on Westworld, but there's no guarantee that intriguing series can reach the all-encompassing cultural heights of Westeros. DC and HBO are corporate cousins (both are owned by Time Warner), and the notion of HBO putting major talent and money into a series centered around the Dark Knight and his world is almost overwhelmingly appealing. Much like Superman, the DCEU version of Batman seems stalled for at least a couple years as Ben Affleck and Warner Bros. play the world's most depressing game of chicken. Developing a prestige version of Batman for television seems like an incredibly obvious way to reinstate excitement after his underwhelming big screen turns in the DCEU, and would guarantee HBO a surefire Game of Thrones successor. HBO is already dipping their toe into the DC waters, as Damon Lindelof prepares to launch an adaptation of Watchmen for the cable titan.

Related: Matt Reeves Should Do Batman Beyond In The DCEU

Even if there are logistical or political reasons those shows can't work on the CW or HBO, why not launch the DC streaming service with a genuine can't miss series, rather than spinoffs nobody could possibly be asking for? Is there really more of a demand for a Lois Lane and Lex Luthor series than a proper Superman show?

-

DC has made significant strides on television in the last decade. The Arrowverse shows are a noticeable step up in quality from Smallville and are unafraid to be multicolored, unabashed comic book stories. But it's time to let go of the prequels and inbetweenquels and sidekicks. DC has been trying so hard to match Marvel's cultural relevance on the big screen that they've completely missed the fact that they could easily achieve it on the small screen, where they're already matching Marvel blow for blow, if not besting them; they just need a little vision and a lot of ambition.

Television is no longer film's little brother; it is in many ways the more culturally significant form of entertainment in the age of streaming and social media. If DC wants to fully utilize their two most iconic characters, it's time to take the training wheels off their television ambitions and bring Batman and Superman to the small screen. No more half measures.

Next: What Does the Disney/Fox Deal Mean For Gotham & Lucifer?