Television series

Titans

Name: Titans
Genre: Drama, Action, Science Fiction
Released: 2018
Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Teagan Croft, Joshua Orpin

Superhero

Titans is a gritty, visceral reimagining of DC's teen superhero team. It trades quips for genuine violence and angst, following damaged kids discovering purpose together. If you want your superhero drama dark, messy, and willing to hurt its characters—physically and emotionally—this is it. Best approached as a character drama that happens to have superpowers, not a action spectacle.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like teen-hero stories where the superpowers matter less than the messy, wounded families people build around each other, and you don't mind a grimmer, bloodier take on a familiar team.

Skip it if you want the bright, quippy superhero fun of the lighter DC shows, since this one leans into grief, trauma and graphic violence and takes its time getting to the team dynamic.

What it asks of you: Four seasons and forty-nine episodes of roughly fifty minutes each, so it is a real commitment, and the early stretches are slow and heavy before the group settles into itself.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Marvel's Daredevil2015

Marvel's Netflix answer to grimy superhero drama. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock is equally conflicted and brutal, grappling with faith, violence, and whether he can ever truly escape his past. The hand-to-hand choreography is phenomenal.

But Seasons 2 and 3 lose steam compared to the first. The pacing drags in places, and some plot threads feel abandoned rather than resolved.

Doom Patrol2019

Also DC Universe adjacent, equally dark and weird. Follows broken people with strange powers learning to work together. Eccentric, grotesque, funny in unexpected ways—it doubles down on Titans' willingness to be genuinely strange and uncomfortable.

But Even messier and more chaotic than Titans. The tone whiplashes between horror and absurdist comedy. Some find it too weird; others find it not weird *enough* and just messy.

The Witcher2019

Another ensemble of morally complicated, traumatized characters thrust together by fate. Dark fantasy instead of superpowers, but the same DNA: rough people in a brutal world, learning to be human through each other.

But Henry Cavill's first season performance feels detached. The timeline shuffles are genuinely confusing early on. Season 3 lost many fans.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Titans

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Raised by Wolves2020

Both follow damaged, isolated people forming family bonds as the only way to survive an overwhelming world. Both center on belonging as redemptive, not as a given.

Riddley Scott's sci-fi series about two androids raising human children on an alien planet. Operatic, visually stunning, philosophically ambitious. Shares Titans' interest in makeshift families surviving impossible circumstances. The scope is enormous.

But Cancelled after two seasons on a cliffhanger. Extremely weird and oblique; not interested in explaining itself. Heavy on atmosphere and symbolism, light on plot clarity. Demands patience and tolerance for ambiguity.

The Umbrella Academy2019

Dysfunctional superhero family, apocalyptic stakes, gorgeous production design, and genuine emotional weight beneath the weirdness. Seven seasons of learning to save the world and yourselves at the same time.

But The fourth and final season feels rushed and undercooked. Tonal whiplash between heartbreak and goofiness doesn't always land. Some characters disappear or feel wasted.

Arrow2012

Pioneered the template for serious, character-driven superhero TV. Oliver Queen's journey from damaged vigilante to actual hero mirrors Titans' own character arcs. Season 1 and 2 are genuinely excellent television.

But The middle seasons get repetitive and bloated. By the end, it's spinning its wheels. The show overstays its welcome by about three seasons.

Peacemaker2022

A tone-deaf assassin learning to be something better. James Gunn's first DC show is surprisingly tender beneath its absurdist violence and shocking language. John Cena commits fully to vulnerability and stupidity.

But The humor can overwhelm the drama. Aggressively loud and crass; some find it tries too hard to be shocking. Not for anyone wanting restraint.

Marvel's Jessica Jones2015

A damaged woman with sudden power tries to solve a puzzle while drinking whiskey and avoiding connection. Moody, intimate, grounded superhero storytelling. Jessica and Kilgrave's cat-and-mouse feels genuinely dangerous.

But The first season is the only truly great one. Seasons 2 and 3 lose focus and momentum badly. Pacing problems compound in later episodes.

Manifest2018

If you want 'young people caught in a conspiracy that defies explanation.' Mystery-focused rather than action-focused, but carries genuine dread about the inexplicable. The found-family angle is earned.

But The mystery becomes increasingly convoluted without payoff. Later seasons feel like the writers were making it up. The ending frustrates people who invested years in it.

Warrior2019

Both examine what happens when trauma becomes a superpower. Both ask whether violence ever leads to healing, or just more violence. Both are uninterested in superhero morality—they're interested in human cost.

Based on Bruce Lee's notes, set in 1870s San Francisco. A Chinese immigrant navigates racism, family obligation, and his own devastating martial skill. Gorgeous, brutal choreography. Thematically about codes and identity.

But Shares the gratuitous violence with Titans, but the pacing is slower and more deliberate. Season 2 was its last. If you need constant plot momentum, it'll frustrate you.

Daria1997

Both believe teenagers are interesting without costume justification. Both center on social outsiders forming genuine belonging. Both trust their characters to carry episodes without needing external plot. Both suggest that being weird is survivable, even good.

A deadpan teenage girl navigates school, family, and friendship. Completely different tone from Titans—sharp, funny, often sweet—but built on the same foundation: a young outsider watching the world with clear eyes, finding actual friendship with other weirdos. Smart and humanistic.

But Totally low-budget animation from the '90s. No action whatsoever. The humor is dry and dialogue-heavy. If you want spectacle or intensity, this will feel quaint and slow.