DC Comics
DC scored two early blockbusters with Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) and Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), both of which led to successful franchises. Director Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), were also released. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, DC characters were mainstays on television. The visually memorable Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95) featured superb writing by Paul Dini and won an Emmy for outstanding animated program. This set the stage for later DC animated projects starring the Justice League, the Teen Titans, and the Milestone teen hero Static. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–97) put a romantic comedy twist on the superhero genre, while Smallville (2001–11) returned the last son of Krypton to his small-town roots. Producer Greg Berlanti focused on one of DC’s lesser-known heroes in his gritty street-level series Arrow (2012–20). The success of that show would spark the creation of an interconnected television universe (dubbed the “Arrowverse”, “Berlantiverse”, or "CWverse" by fans) that included The Flash (2014–23), Supergirl (2015–21), DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (2016–22), and Black Lightning (2017–21) among others. Damon Lindelof’s stand-alone HBO miniseries Watchmen (2019) was a critical smash, and it won nearly a dozen Emmy Awards.