WISE Score
Avg. Tomatometer
A time-traveling superhero circus that trades broody monologues for giant stuffed animals, historical dress-up, and a surprisingly big heart.
89%
Legends of Tomorrow is the 'fun' sibling of the DC TV universe. It starts out trying to be a serious epic about saving the world, but it really finds its soul when it stops caring about being 'cool' and starts being weird.
It is one of the few superhero shows that actually gets better as it goes, mostly because it embraces the absurdity of its premise. If you want something that isn't afraid to fight a demon with a giant blue plush toy, this is your pick.
Best for kids 11 and up. While rated TV-14, it lacks the grimness of other teen dramas. If your kid can handle a standard Marvel movie, they can handle this. It's a great 'middle school' show.
While the team is full of 'villains' and 'rogues,' the show's core is about a found family of outcasts learning to trust each other. It avoids the dark, cynical edge of many modern superhero shows, opting for a tone that favors camaraderie over brooding.
The time-travel premise is a literal sandbox. One week they are in the Wild West, the next they are in feudal Japan or a disco-era heist. It leans into the absurdity of the DC universe with creative, often hilarious solutions to cosmic problems.
Standard TV-14 superhero action. There is plenty of punching, blasting, and occasional swordplay, but it rarely gets gory. Romantic subplots are present but stay within broadcast TV boundaries. It is much lighter than 'The Boys' or even 'Arrow.'
It is not a history textbook, but it does spark curiosity about different eras and historical figures. The real value is in the ethical dilemmas regarding the 'butterfly effect' and the idea that even 'losers' can change the course of history.
When Legends of Tomorrow first launched in 2016, it felt like a mandatory expansion of the 'Arrowverse.' It had a grim Rip Hunter, a very serious mission, and a lot of baggage. But somewhere around Season 2 and 3, the writers realized that a show about a time-traveling spaceship named the Waverider should probably be having more fun.
They started leaning into the 'B-movie' vibes, and the show transformed into a brilliant, self-aware comedy that happens to have superheroes in it. While Arrow was busy being dark and The Flash was getting bogged down in time-travel math, Legends was busy having the team join a circus or protect a young George Lucas so Star Wars wouldn't be erased from existence.
The show excels at taking characters who didn't quite work in other shows—like the icy villain Captain Cold or the bumbling scientist Ray Palmer—and giving them actual depth. It’s a great example of 'found family' storytelling. The characters bicker, they fail constantly, and they make terrible decisions, but they always have each other's backs. For a parent, it’s a much better model of teamwork than the 'perfect hero' trope; it shows that growth is messy and that you don't have to be perfect to be a 'legend.'
You don't actually need to watch the 400 episodes of Arrow or The Flash to enjoy this. The show does a decent job of introducing who these people are, and eventually, it becomes so disconnected from the other shows that it exists in its own beautiful, bizarre bubble. If you're looking for a gateway into DC for a pre-teen who finds the movies too dark, this is the perfect entry point.
Get a personalized guide on any topic
