If you’re like me, you have probably effectively given up on the Arrowverse. While there are many individually good seasons to extract from the CW’s nearly decade-long experiment with DC, things are…kind of crumbling. Arrow, the show that started it all, is over, having long overstayed its welcome in the first place. Supergirl and Black Lightning are ending. Batwoman has struggled since day one with or without Kate Kane. Cast members keep getting booted from Legends of Tomorrow. The Flash is the worst it has ever been, by far.

Things are…not great. But enter Superman and Lois.

It almost doesn’t make sense why Superman and Lois is so good. Yes, technically it’s an Arrowverse series. This version of both characters, played by Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch, were indeed introduced in Supergirl years ago, and have appeared in a few crossovers since, most recently, Crisis on Infinite Earths.

But Superman and Lois is not only divorced from the rest of universe in terms of a complete lack of crossovers so far, it feels like an entirely different universe. The writing and storylines are better, the production value is…dramatically increased, ditching the soap opera level shooting that often plagues the other series.

The secret? Superman and Lois is half an HBO Max show, periodically appearing on that streaming service and partially funded by it, and it appears to be sort of a “transitional” program into a higher tier of DC TV. Stargirl is kind of like this as well, and I expect the new Green Lantern series will follow suit. In short, the old Arrowverse is being left behind, and WB/DC realize they have to start spending the big bucks to compete with Marvel’s new non-stop onslaught of must-watch MCU series.

In Superman and Lois, we have Clark dealing with the development that one of his sons, Jordan, is developing powers like him, while the other, Jonathan, isn’t. The story has already gone some truly wild places, like a recent storyline involving an alternate universe Lex Luthor that did not play out the way anyone was expecting. Now we’re heading into a full Kryptonian invasion, and things are getting even more interesting.

Superman and Lois isn’t perfect. I think there’s been some miscasting in a few roles (Lana in particular), and not every episode is a home run. But this is a multi-dimensional look at Superman that we haven’t seen explored onscreen really…ever, at least not in live action. Hoechlin’s Superman almost feels like a direct answer to Zack Snyder’s brooding Cavill version, where this Superman is kind, and smiles, and feels like a more traditional version of the hero, without going into full CW camp territory like many of the other series.

DC is doing very interesting things with its TV line-up, which spans a bunch of different multiverses which have produced a wide variety of shows. Harley Quinn, the animated series that moved from DC Universe to HBO Max, remains my favorite superhero program on TV overall. But Superman and Lois absolutely should be in the conversation with buzzed-about Marvel series like WandaVision or Loki, though I think its CW association has hampered interest by many who aren’t willing to give it a chance. But you should.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series, and The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.