Critic Reviews

In the five episodes available for press, we get a fascinating new adaptation of the iconic Under the Red Hood story arc, distinguishing itself from other adaptations by focusing on the brotherly relationship between the two Robins, even if it does come at the expense of the rest of the Titans.

Come for Robin saying "F---Batman," stay to see how many bodies the teens drop trying to stop the occult apocalypse prefigured by Raven. [12 Oct 2018, p.49]

The story driving Season 4 is dark, compelling, and surprising. Yes, it’s loaded with the effects-heavy superpower blasts fans have come to expect from a show like this, but the characters and their relationships remain the driving force of this series—and that element is as strong as ever.

The characters come together organically, with even guest heroes like Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) getting roped in. And though they bring a boatload of drama with them, they make for a welcome addition. ... Pacing issues in the debut episode aside, the directing and cinematography are rock solid.

The superhero Sturm und Drang and personal melodrama that Titans offers is attractively packaged and reasonably entertaining in the early episodes. ... If you’re partial to the more serious end of the comic-book spectrum, you may already be watching “Black Lightning” on CW, “Jessica Jones” and a few others on Netflix, “Legion” on FX, “The Runaways” on Hulu and “Gotham” on Fox. “Titans” may deserve to join the list, but it’s a big ask.

Titans is a superhero hybrid -- a live-action series that essentially weds the CW's DC Comics-inspired fare with the gritty, premium-cable approach of Marvel's Netflix dramas. That's not a bad formula, and it yields an entertaining, heavily serialized show.

Another superhero show is overkill, but for what it is, Titans strong-arms its way into acceptance and occasionally more (the series’ depiction of a Beaver Cleaver-style family of killers, introduced in episode two, is especially clever).

It is downright bizarre to see Titans so thoroughly move away from what made it work so well in its previous seasons, which was the tricky tonal balance between dark and violent superhero drama, and fun teen angst.

More than three-quarters of the episode works to wrap up a storyline we watched almost a year ago, then there’s a classic season finale-feeling parting of ways, then roughly 12-ish minutes that actually feels like a season 2. ... I still came away from “Trigon” really hopeful about Titans season 2. The last quarter or so of the episode moves with a different lightness than anything else that came before it

Titans is a try-too-hard stab at occupying a middle ground between grumpy, but still family friendly, DC offerings like The CW's Arrow and the definitely-not-for-kids Marvel shows on Netflix. ... What it doesn't mean, at least through the three episodes sent to critics, is any sort of extra creative depth or narrative exploration.