Networks preview Flash, Constantine and other series for Fall 2014

If you watched last night’s season finale of Arrow on the CW Network, you already know how well superhero stories can be translated to television. Arrow will likely go down as the best adaptation of a comic book property to hit the small screen. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to find the same spark but unfortunately couldn’t make it happen. After all, superhero series need superheroes at least once in a while.

The ABC Network released 12 previews for new Fall shows this week, including many that seem likely not to make it very far, including Selfie, starring Karen Gillan and John Cho. With these two mega-genre stars, someone should make a series that is more than a fluffy comedy. Cho has already shown through a variety of TV appearances, such as in Sleepy Hollow last year, that he has plenty of range beyond his movie roles. Gillan needs to move beyond the role of model, and we think Guardians of the Galaxy will give fans more of what they are after.

Here’s the Selfie preview, but you’ve been warned:

ABC did not yet release a preview yet for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff Agent Carter featuring Hayley Atwell’s character from Captain America: The First Avenger as she builds S.H.I.E.L.D. in the aftermath of World War II.

But the NBC Network did release this preview of another DC Comics series, Constantine, to replace the unfortunately cancelled Dracula (which featured Arrow’s Huntress actress Jessica De Gouw and Jonathan Rhys Meyers) for the Friday night line-up with Grimm:

We hope Constantine can bring in some of the New 52 elements and characters, particularly from Justice League Dark, maybe Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Shade the Changing Man, and Deadman. Last night during the action-packed Arrow second season finale the CW Network presented this quick teaser for The Flash:

What the preview really shows more than anything is how cool Stephen Amell is as bowhunter Oliver Queen. Although The Flash features the young Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, this Flash seems one hundred percent Wally West (or maybe Kid Flash?). There’s just something not quite right about that new Flash supersuit. Colleen Atwood, who created the Arrow supersuit, designed this new high-speed tracksuit. Maybe it’s the lack of a form-fitting design that is the problem. Or that leather or pleather appearance when The Flash is moving about. It’s also a bit of a letdown on the heels of the release of Ben Affleck’s new Batman supersuit, which we discussed here at borg.com yesterday.

Two more series that were previewed also look interesting. ABC’s series Forever stars Ioan Gruffudd from Horatio Hornblower and Fantastic Four fame, Alana de la Garza from the superb last seasons of the original Law and Order, and Taxi’s Judd Hirsch. It’s actually a genre series with some nice stuck-in-time quandaries. Check it out:

And finally, those who are missing the Psych TV series already will be happy to see Timothy Omundson back so quickly in a similarly quirky role in ABC’s Galavant. It’s a medieval musical series, seeming to be like Heath Ledger’s A Knight’s Tale. Check out this preview: