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Supergirl (the CW), 2015-present

This list wouldn’t be complete without DC’s Girl of Steel and her band of Super Friends. Originally airing its first (and weakest) season on CBS, Supergirl found a new home on The CW starting with season two — and it is all the better for it.

While we’ve seen several actors take up the mantle of Superman throughout the years, including Christopher Reeve, Tom Welling, and Brandon Routh, this is only the second iteration of a live-action portrayal of Supergirl. The first was Helen Slater in the 1984 Supergirl movie. Coincidentally, Slater is a recurring character on the Supergirl television series as Supergirl’s adoptive mother. Some of the storylines can often feel like a retread of the later years of Smallville, but it’s the remarkable casting that puts this show in a league of its own.

Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, is played superbly by Melissa Benoist with aplomb. The rest of the talented cast includes Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Kara’s adoptive sister, Katie McGrath as the complex Lena Luthor, David Harewood as J’onn J’onnzz (aka Martian Manhunter), Jesse Rath as Braniac-5, and Nicole Maines as Nia Nal, aka Dreamer.

This family of heroes fight threats both Earthly and universal on a weekly basis, but they still find time for game nights. The series is filled with empowering moments for women and flourishes with its inclusivity. Leigh’s poignant performance as Alex during her coming out story was widely praised by fans and critics, while Maines became the first transgender superhero on television. Let’s not forget that Benoist recently became a real-life hero when she took to Instagram to tell her story of being a domestic violence survivor. Supergirl, indeed.