Top 10 Worst Live Action Superhero Shows

With so many superhero shows out there, they can’t all stick the landing. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 worst live action superhero shows.

For this list, we’re looking at TV series that feature super characters – but that’s the only “super” thing about them. Also, don’t expect to see any bad cartoons mentioned here.

#10: "Inhumans" (2017)
After debuting on IMAX screens across the country, Marvel’s Inhumans was widely considered a disaster by both critics and audiences alike. Initially planned as a feature film to be released during Marvel’s “Phase Three,” the project was eventually pulled and later rushed to the small screen as quickly and cheaply as possible, and it shows. From awful costume design to poor special effects, everything about this projects stands in opposition to the strong reputation Marvel has cultivated up until this point. There’s also a huge disparity between the scenes that were shot in IMAX and those that weren’t, making the viewing experience even more jarring. Hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come from Marvel.

#9: “Birds of Prey” (2002-03)
Imagine a world where Batman abandons Gotham City, leaving Black Canary, Oracle, and Huntress to pick up the pieces. Sounds like a pretty cool premise for a show, right? They even had Harley Quinn as the big bad! Unfortunately, the results Of “Birds of Prey” never lived up to the promise of the premise. Pretty much an amalgamation of every bad superhero trope, this series’ pilot episode actually set a viewership record, but steeply declined from there. The show did make it to the end of its first and only season, but was canceled before any work on a second season could begin.

#8: “The Thundermans” (2013-)
What happens when a kids’ television network tries to cash in on the popularity of superheroes? You get “The Thundermans”. Blending the superhero genre with a family sitcom, “The Thundermans” is like The Incredibles but without all of the stuff that made it interesting. To make matters worse, the show doesn’t do anything new in terms of sitcoms aimed at children. It still features families bickering with one another, a forced laugh track, and cringe-worthy jokes that practically never land. The superpowers are just a distraction from the real villain: the show itself.

#7: “The Cape” (2011)
“The Dark Knight” is one of the greatest superhero films of all time, so it makes sense that other producers would try to cash in on its success. That being said, never did we think we’d get something like this. This bizarre show stars a cop who receives a special cape that can stretch and grab various objects in combat. While that’s not inherently bad, the show takes itself way too seriously for this premise to work. It’s a clash of campy superhero action and a realistic setting, and the result just feels… wrong.

#6: “Flash Gordon” (2007-08)
Fans of the ‘80s “Flash Gordon” film were excited to hear that the character would be returning in the 2000s with a brand new TV show. However, their excitement quickly turned to disgust when the reboot finally premiered. The first few episodes were so poorly received, that it scared off just about anybody who tried watching it. Critics said that “Flash Gordon” later improved on its tone, direction, acting, and characters, but the beginning of the show was so bad that nobody bothered to return to it, and it was canceled after just one season.

#5: “Night Man” (1997-99)
Most superheroes are billionaires, inventors, or lawyers. Jonny Domino – the alter-ego of Night Man - is instead a saxophone player. Due to his skills as a musician, he is, and we quote: “tuned to the frequency of evil.” After being struck by lightning, Night Man is able to literally hear the schemes of criminals. On top of that, Domino constructed a bulletproof suit that allows him to fly and looks like something out of “Batman and Robin.” As you might expect, all of these factors lead to a show that is campy, unbelievable, and packed to the brim with clichés. After two seasons, it was time to say “goodnight” to the Night Man.

#4: “Masked Rider” (1995-96)
The actual story of the Masked Rider character is pretty dark, so it comes as a complete shock that the show was focused on comedy above all else. Basically, they threw some action into a sitcom – and yes, it was every bit as agonizing to watch as it sounds. The dialogue was also pretty terrible, ranging from almost acceptable and campy to downright painful to endure. What’s more, the show’s action was jarring to watch, with so many cuts in between that it was difficult to know what was going on. Perhaps the only good thing that came out of this show was a crossover with the Power Rangers.

#3: “Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation” (1997-98)
Adapting a story for television is one thing, but when you throw the lore out the window altogether, you end up with something like this. Notice the lack of “Teenage” in the title here- that’s because our heroes in a half shell are now adults, which takes away a lot of their personality. The show also introduced many original characters that don’t fit the franchise as fans had come to know it. You know, characters like the fifth turtle, a female named Venus De Milo who used magic to fight enemies. This aspect of the show was so bad that Turtles co-creator Peter Laird refuses to acknowledge that Venus ever happened.

#2: “The Amazing Spider-Man” (1977-79)
Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes ever created, so a TV show about him seems easy enough. However, there are so many problems with this series that it’s considered one of the worst adaptations of the character ever made. First of all, there are no super villains in the show. Don’t expect any familiar faces like Green Goblin or Doc Ock. Secondly, there are a ton of changes made to the character, all but erasing his comic origins, save for the spider bite. Lastly, one of the only parts of the comics they did take inspiration from was “The Clone Saga.” Needless to say, it was a recipe for disaster.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” (2007)

- “Henry Danger” (2014-)

- “Cleopatra 2525” (2000-01)


#1: “Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills” (1994)
If the name isn’t enough of an indication, this show is contrived, ridiculous, and downright atrocious according to viewers, critics and pretty much anyone who tuned in. The show stars four teens who were bestowed with magical tattoos from an alien blob. However, the tattoos aren’t just your average ink: they glow when trouble is afoot and even give the teenagers portals to travel through, which then transform them into horrible-looking heroes. Still with us? You won’t be after we tell you that they can all combine to form a giant knight. We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried.