Ranking all six seasons of Supergirl from most problematic
By Shaun Stacy
Spoiler Alert–This article contains spoilers for all six seasons of The CW’s Supergirl.
Earlier this month, we said goodbye to the ongoing adventures of the Girl of Steel and company as Supergirl aired its series finale on The CW. While the dust is still settling on the somewhat controversial events of that finale, there is a lot to celebrate in regards to a female-led superhero series that lasted six seasons. Supergirl premiered in 2015, becoming the first superhero show on network television to center around a female title character since the days of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman and Lindsay Wagner’s The Bionic Woman in the 70s. It featured former Glee star Melissa Benoist in the lead role of Supergirl/Kara Danvers (Zor-El), while the supporting cast included Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh as Kara’s adoptive sister Alex and David Harewood as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter.
Although the show originally debuted its first season on CBS, Supergirl moved to The CW beginning with season two, joining previously introduced DC hero shows Arrow and The Flash. With Arrow‘s Oliver Queen as the pessimist, The Flash‘s Barry Allen as the realist, and Supergirl‘s Kara Zor-El as the optimist, the trio gave birth to the Arrowverse. Soon, each hero was joined by fellow superheroes and other allies in their fight against supervillains, expanding the world of each show exponentially. Supergirl would go on to become an integral part of the annual Arrowverse crossovers, including the near-flawless “Crisis on Earth-X” and “Elseworlds,” which saw the introduction of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman.
As with most genre shows, some seasons were better than others: whether it be due to a central storyline, the induction of new characters, or a change in networks. For six seasons, Supergirl was responsible for establishing some of the most memorable female characters in the Arrowverse, if not television in general.
We’re taking a look back at all six seasons, ranking them from the most problematic to the best quality.