7 Worst Comic Book TV Shows [List]

Today’s post is a guest post by Lisa from Satellitetv.com

Sometimes what seems like a great idea turns out to be an epic fail. Such was the case with these ill-fated comic book to TV adaptations. Sometimes it’s best to leave our favorite comic characters on the page rather than tarnishing their good reputations with a foray into television. Here’s our list of the worst shows inspired by awesome comic book characters.

1. “The Amazing Spider-Man”

Live-action Spider-Man adaptations should be limited to movies starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone – or even Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Given the fact that none of them were likely even a sparkle in their mother’s eye when this late ’70s TV travesty was unleashed upon the world, this CBS series was doomed from the start. I’m not sure what’s worse – the low budget, the dreadful writing or the refusal to stick to the original comic book storyline. In this show, Spidey fought off regular folks who made some bad decisions – not one Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus showed his face.

2. “Flash Gordon”

Everyone knows that the Syfy Channel likes to mix things up and create wild adaptations of monster myths, urban legends and, it turns out, comic book heroes. Their 2007 “Flash Gordon” took a beloved, well-bred superhero who went to Yale and played Polo and turned him into a 20-something layabout who still lives with mom. They did throw in a nice alien invasion and a sultry love interest, but it still wasn’t enough to breathe life into this misguided comic book crossover gone awry.

3. “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”

So this wasn’t the most amazing comic ever (from the “Archie” family), but once you see the live-action show starring Melissa Joan Hart and the incredibly unrealistic-looking talking cat ever, you’ll think the comic book version is a masterpiece. The show was too saccharine to appeal to any audience other than the Disney and Nickelodeon tween markets, not to mention the lack of any Jughead, Betty, Veronica or Archie cameos.

4. “Black Panther”

After an action-packed revival in 2004, this sometime-member of “The Avengers” was poised to make a successful leap from the page to the small screen, but BET turned it into a mess. Their first mistake was going old-school with the animation. Rather than take advantage of the latest new-fangled technology available, they chose to make it a motion comic, which means the action stutters through each scene like one of those flip books you made with a stick figure in grade school. Other than some nice guest spots by other Marvel faves like the X-Men, this series disappointed on nearly every level, doing a grave disservice to T’Challa and the Wakanda nation he is sworn to protect.

6. “The Fantastic Four”

This isn’t “The Fantastic Four” you’re used to – no sexy, invisible Jessica Alba or smoking hot (pun intended) Chris Evans as the Human Torch. This is a 1967 Hanna Barbera dumbing down of everything you ever liked about this comic. Even though it may have introduced the fantastic quartet to the masses, the silly series stretches the suspension of disbelief to almost inconceivable lengths. The brilliant scientists/astronauts in this animated debacle often use their powers in ridiculous ways that leave you thinking that luck, rather than their cosmic powers, is the true secret to their evil-fighting success.

7. “Fred and Barney Meet The Thing” 

We so didn’t want to have to include this preposterous comic, but there’s really no way to exclude such a ludicrous premise from a “worst of” list. Yes, The Thing is made of stone and, yes, Fred and Barney live in the stone age, but – seriously? Not only did they merge two universes so disparate that it’s unlikely that any bastardization of the space-time continuum would ever bring them even slightly within reach of one another, but they completely castrated The Thing. His thrashing, punching, smashing ways were traded in for rainbows, flowers and talking about feelings, thanks to a magic ring that apparently takes awesome things and makes them as lame as possible.

Which TV show do you think failed the original comic book series?

About the Author: Lisa writes about all things TV for SatelliteTV.com. When she isn’t writing, she is catching up on her favorite TV shows and movies with her husband.

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