DC Comics has had many different shows for many different superheroes over the past several decades. Superman, Batman, The Flash and more. With all the superhero shows, it’s hard to believe very few of them have black heroes as the lead.

But in January 2018, a new series premiered on the steamy, drama, romance and sci-fi-filled CW network. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Black Lightning is about Jefferson Pierce who was the superhero of his city but ultimately retired, only to have to get back into the game a decade later to protect his family.

Starring Cress Williams as the titular hero, Black Lightning is DC Comics’ first African-American superhero to lead its own series.
With an all-black cast, it’s different from other superhero shows like The Flash and Marvel’s Daredevil, it has a family dynamic, an older superhero, very real situations like gangs and LGBT and possibly even more.

This show is also different as it’s not part of The CW network’s Arrowverse series. Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and even Supergirl, which is set on a different Earth and originally aired on CBS, are all connected.

Black Lightning is a show on its own. It’s a show about a father who is just protecting his family. Principal of a high school by day and hero by night. Superhero shows have come and go. All of them are the same but yet all of them are different. This one being very different for many different reasons.

With the first season only a few weeks in, it’s already clear that this show will go on for a while. Black Lightning airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.