Black Lightning

High voltage action

RELEASED 16 Jan 201841h 21m · 58 episodes★ 6.9 TMDB

Jefferson Pierce is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community.

Why it matters in DC

Jefferson Pierce's work as a parent and educator places community responsibility at the centre of his heroic identity. That perspective gives the DC television collection a story in which protecting people is already part of his life before the costume becomes the answer.

Watch these first

5 titles to watch before Black Lightning — 421h 36m in total.

ArrowRecommended119h 10m★ 6.8
The FlashRecommended128h 15m★ 7.7
ConstantineRecommended9h 11m★ 7.8
SupergirlRecommended88h 22m★ 7.3
DC's Legends of TomorrowRecommended76h 38m★ 7.2

Opens the planner with just these titles, so you can set your own pace.

How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

Black Lightning is title 6 of 7 in our Arrowverse viewing sequence. Black Lightning follows Jefferson Pierce's family and community story within the broader connected television collection. Its later crossover context does not make every other Arrowverse season necessary before beginning it. Start with its own opening episodes, then use episode-level guidance when reaching events that connect the larger network of shows.

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