Sweet Tooth
Netflix's latest comic book adaptation couldn't have less to do with superheroes. This post-apocalyptic fantasy series is about a half-human, half-deer boy who travels across the ruined world with a hardened protector – searching for a new life amid the ruins of America.
If you're in the mood for something that just about counts as warm family viewing but has an edge, don't miss Sweet Tooth. If you enjoy it, check out Jeff Lemire's wonderful comics that the show is based on afterwards.
Details: 1 season, 8 episodes per season, 40-54 minutes per episode
Riverdale
Set aside any pre-conceived notions that you might have about a 'sexy Archie' series and get ready for one of the most addictive new shows of the moment with Riverdale.
First things first — this ain't your grandpappy's Archie show. A modern day re-imagining of the beloved comics franchise that has spanned almost eight decades, this Twin Peaks-inspired version of Riverdale is fraught with murder, deception and small town scandal.
Famous characters like Jughead, Veronica, Betty and even Josie and the Pussycats are all present and accounted for, only with a decidedly millennial twist. Now back for the second half of its fifth season, the show is following each of its characters down dark paths and we're sure they'll have to come back together to get out of them.
Details: 5 seasons, 13-22 episodes per season, 42 minutes per episode
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Forget the '90s TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, because aside from sharing character names, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an entirely different beast. Darker and scarier than that family-friendly take, Netflix's version of the classic Archie Comics character owes a lot more to creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's recent comic series of the same name. Dealing head on with Satanism, demons and other dark subject matter, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina makes for a perfect companion to Riverdale (also from Aguirre-Sacasa), which tends to dabble in death and mystery, too. Of course, the show is quite fun, too, with a terrific performances from Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men) as Sabrina, Lucy Davis (Wonder Woman) as Aunt Hilda and Australia's own Miranda Otto (Return of the King) as Aunt Zelda. Spooky and clever, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina positively ghoulish fun. Back for its fourth and final season, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina promises to close out the series with a bang.
Details: 4 seasons, 10 episodes per season (plus one holiday special), 60 minutes per episode
Black Lightning
Tackling issues of race, crime and violence in his community, the DC Comics character Black Lightning makes an electrifying debut on television. Unlike most other superhero vigilantes, Black Lightning (Cress Williams) is a school principal and family man during the day, juggling a rocky marriage and two free-spirited daughters in the process. In this TV version, Black Lightning returns to the streets to fight crime after a forced retirement period. Using stories ripped from the headlines, Black Lightning feels more current than every other television show in DC's Arrowverse. While Arrow, Flash and Supergirl won't be making an appearance in the first season of Black Lightning, we can certainly expect a team-up somewhere down the line. Black Lightning is also considered a Netflix Original in Australia, so you can expected new episodes to be fast-tracked as they're aired in the States.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
Arrow
Though the show has had its ups and downs over the years, Arrow has probably remained the most consistently-watchable of all the DC Arrowverse shows to date. Missing for five years and presumed dead, rich-kid Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns home to find his beloved Starling City overrun by crime and corruption. In an effort to fulfil a promise made to his dying father, Queen dons a hood, grabs a bow and arrow and becomes a deadly vigilante with one mission — to save his city. Of course, he can't do it alone, which is why Oliver recruits a team that includes John Diggle (David Ramsey) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) among others. Feeling a bit more like Batman than the Green Arrow comics it's based on, Arrow is nevertheless an action-packed superhero series worth watching.
Seasons on Netflix: 5
