Settle In For The Knight With These Alternates
Guardians of Justice is the latest superhero show on Netflix, blending trippy visuals with a mystery that grips throughout.
If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing.
To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have.
Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Guardians of Justice.
Love, Death & Robots
Similarities – Visuals & Bite-size episodes
Love, Death & Robots is as artistic as it is well written. Showing off a wide range of animated influences across its 18 episodes, this profound anthology series is one of the more surprising offerings from Netflix.
Each of the episodes explore a different style of animation with self-contained episodes. Some of these are comedic in tone, like one depicting yogurt taking over the world.
Others really hone in on what makes Black Mirror so enthralling; underlying commentary about technology and our ever-digitalized world.
If you’re in the mood for something bite-sized and sci-fi orientated, this one offers a good variety of different tales worth checking out.
You can read our thoughts on Love, Death & Robots in our full season review here!
The Boys
Similarities – Characters & Violence
Amazon’s Original Series The Boys bucks the trend of tired Marvel and DC spin-offs to deliver one of the most refreshing superhero takes on TV.
Armed with a compelling narrative, an interesting satirical look at superhero culture, and a smattering of blood and gore along the way, this one is a bloody good time.
The characters are well written, the continuing storyline nicely paced and with a third season on the horizon, The Boys is certainly one of the easiest recommendations to give.
You can read our thoughts on The Boys in our full season reviews here!
Peacemaker
Similarities – Mental Health Issues & Characters
Peacemaker’s story takes place after the events of Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie. Our hero here is Peacemaker, arguably the least likable member of the Suicide Squad.
John Cena reprises his role as Peacemaker returns home only to be recruited to a top-secret operation codenamed Butterfly.
Well, recruited may be underselling this, given Clemson Murn – the man in charge of the operation – holds all the cards and could put Peacemaker behind bars at the drop of a hat. So Peacemaker joins the gang, and soon learns that this case is far more complicated than he could have ever realized.
Rip-roaring set pieces and a simple but effective premise should please those after an action-packed series.
You can read our thoughts on Peacemaker in our full season review here!
Doom Patrol
Similarities – Mental Health Issues & Characters
Doom Patrol is one of the quirkier superhero shows out there and much like Jupiter’s Legacy, thrives on its character-driven set-up. Doom Patrol really leans into its absurdity and the character development thrives because of it.
The characters are interesting, with multiple issues that manifest across the two seasons.
The team have their own problems to contend with as well, but the second season does end on a pretty abrupt cliffhanger. However, there’s some excellent material here that’s certainly worth checking out.
You can read our thoughts on Doom Patrol in our full season review here!
Invincible
Similarities – Characters & Action
Invincible essentially takes everything great about other superhero shows and dials that up to 11.
Boasting an all-star voice cast and 8 episodes of twists, turns and thrilling fights, Amazon Prime have struck gold again with this hellraising brother to The Boys.
Playing out as part-parody and a more straightforward superhero thriller, Invincible is faithful to its source material and depicts a world where superheroes and humans live side by side across the globe.
Declared the strongest and most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man helps the Guardians of the Globe to thwart any threats that come their way. Only, the real villain could well be hiding in the same room as them…
To give much more away would be a disservice to this wonderful show. Invincible is an incredible animated trip and well worth your time.
You can read our thoughts on Invincible in our full season review here!
X-Men (1994)
Similarities – Large Ensemble & Story
On the subject of political debates and moral grey areas, one cannot miss off X-Men. Faithful to the comic books, X-Men is far superior to its big screen brothers and this 90’s cartoon holds up to this day.
The story here sets itself in a unique world where mutants (people with genetically endowed superpowers) are shunned and hated by the public. Professor Charles Xavier’s school is the only safe haven, where he trains up a rogue band of heroes known as the X-Men.
A split forms in the mutant divisions though, as Magneto disagrees with Xavier’s teachings. This culminates in many spectacular battles and lots of memorable arcs. There’s some brilliant material here (including the Dark Phoenix saga) and some very well written stories.
The Umbrella Academy
Similarities – Quirky Characters
The Umbrella Academy is really the full package. While it may not have the same level of gore and explicit violence as other hero entries on this list, it does have a great ensemble of characters and some excellent action. The Umbrella Academy actually takes the time to flesh out every character and gives them a compelling arc.
The action sequences are well shot and the simple story surrounding this misfit group of child-heroes teaming up to save the world is as engrossing as it is watchable. It’s also one of the better examples of a show outdoing itself in the second season.
You can read our thoughts on The Umbrella Academy in our full season review here!
Watchmen
Similarities – Themes & Characters
While Watchmen is a series predominantly tackling superheroes, there’s an undercurrent of racial and societal examination that make it such an enthralling watch. Watchmen is as grim as it is artistic, playing up the political aspects of the comics it’s based upon.
For those unaware, Watchmen takes place in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws. Playing up the political aspects of the comic, this 9 part miniseries delivers a concise and incredibly endearing stand-alone season of action.
The various heroes (using that term lightly here) all feel part of this world, and thematically the series knocks it out the park.
You can read our thoughts on Watchmen in our full season review here!
The Tick
Similarities – Superhero Action
When the original Tick aired back in the 90’s, the fusion of comedy and superhero action made it a hilariously wacky cartoon.
Rebooted on Amazon, this live action remake does a great job capturing the essence of what made the original so enthralling.
The story follows uninspiring Arthur who finds himself wrapped up within a sinister plot that becomes more complicated as The Tick joins the fray. Suffering from short term memory loss and a lovable thirst for the superhero life, The Tick takes a reluctant Arthur under his wing as they set out to uncover a big conspiracy.
Funny, action packed and every bit as campy as it was back in the 90’s, this one’s well worth a watch.
You can read our thoughts on The Tick in our full season reviews here!
Harley Quinn
Similarities – Quirky Characters & Tone
Harley Quinn is everything 2020’s Birds Of Prey should have been. Set in the world of Gotham, Harley Quinn is a surprisingly well written and quirky animation.
The story here centers on Harley Quinn, who sets out to make a name for herself in Gotham City. Stuck in the shadows, and referred to as “Joker’s Girlfriend”, Harley remains determined to change the opinions of all those who would stand in her way.
With lots of action and some nicely timed humour, this is one of the more surprising small-screen comic book series.
So there we have it, our 10 TV show picks to check out when you’re finished with Guardians of Justice on Netflix.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!