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Legends of Tomorrow saw seven impressive seasons on The CW that continued to change its tone, cast, and genre identity every year. What started as a typical superhero spinoff of Arrow and The Flash subtly transformed into something that television had never perceived to be like at all, a shape-shifting sci-fi series where all the rules the genre had ever put to paper were defied, and eventually achieved genre status of its own.
Where It All Began
The CW debuted Legends of Tomorrow on January 21, 2016, a spin-off of Arrow and The Flash, created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and Phil Klemmer.
A Ragtime Crew Like No Other
The series chronicles the journey of lost soul Rip Hunter recruiting misfitted heroes and villains on board the Waverider to prevent immortal supervillain Vandal Savage from destroying the Earth in various timelines.
A Rough Beginning That No One Saw
Season one was rather polarizing, and it was widely believed by critics to be a near-failure. The series would have been cancelled by its very first year on practically any other network.
The Rebirth That Redefined It All
This change started in Season 2 with the Legion of Doom and was confirmed in Season 3, and reached its zenith with the giant Beebo battle. It was ranked by the AV Club as one of the greatest genre television turnarounds of all time.
7 Seasons, 7 Diversified Shows
Every season used a totally different genre. The fourth season was a satirical science fantasy. The sixth season became an alien invasion B-movie. Season seven was an alternate history where there was the presence of robotic clones.
Caity Lotz: Series Heartbeat
The only original cast member in all seven seasons, Caity Lotz portrayed Sara Lance, White Canary, and provided the emotional core of the show through her reinvention with each reinvention.
It’s Arrowverse Sandbox
Legends did not stick to a formula, and unlike Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, they did not depend on a formula. It was described by showrunner Keto Shimizu as a figurative sandbox in which those creative risks were always welcome.
A Cliffhanger Ending
On April 29, 2022, the CW cancelled the series, although Season 7 was attracting between 520,000 and 590,000 live weekly viewers. The final episode (March 2, 2022) left the finale on a cliffhanger that crushed fans.
Why Is It Worth Finding Out
In the US, all seven seasons are available on Netflix on a legacy CW-Netflix arrangement. Amazon Prime Video has episodes available for digital purchase. This is one of the boldest sci-fi accomplishments of American television.
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