SEPTEMBER 2019 TVXOHOF - GREG BERLANTI

In this 20th anniversary year for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame in which we’re celebrating superheroes (and villains), one might think Stan Lee would be the perfect choice for the September showcase in which we call attention to those behind the scenes who make TV crossovers possible.  Maybe so… but he’s already a member!

So the next O’Bvious choice then has to be….

GREG BERLANTI

From this point on, I’m going to let Wikipedia do the heavy lifting…..

Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American writer, producer, and film director. He is known for his work on the television series ‘Dawson's Creek’, ‘Brothers & Sisters’, ‘Everwood’, ‘Political Animals’, ‘Riverdale’, ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ and ‘You’, in addition to his contributions to DC Comics on film and television, including The CW's Arrowverse.

In 2018, Berlanti set a record in having 15 different live-action scripted television series planned to air in the 2018–19 television season on various networks and digital platforms, and he signed the most expensive producer deal to date with Warner Bros. In 2019, Berlanti had three pilots (Batwoman, Prodigal Son and Katy Keene) ordered to series, bringing his total shows on air to a record-breaking 18.

In January 2012, it was announced that, along with Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim, Berlanti would create, write, and produce a series for The CW based on ‘Green Arrow’, called ‘Arrow’. The series premiered on October 10, 2012 and was picked up to full series in the same month. 

On July 30, 2013, it was announced at the summer TCA tour that Berlanti, Kreisberg, and DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns would be introducing Barry Allen in the second season of ‘Arrow’, with the possibility of the character being spun off to his own series. Actor Grant Gustin was cast and made his debut in episode 8, "The Scientist". In November 2013, The CW officially ordered a pilot for ‘The Flash’, and in May 2014 the network picked the project up to series with a premiere scheduled for autumn of that year.

On February 26, 2015, it was announced that Berlanti, along with Guggenheim and Kreisberg, would write and executive produce a spin-off series featuring The Atom (Brandon Routh), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), Martin Stein (Victor Garber), and The White Canary (Caity Lotz), for a potential 2016 premiere.  The series was ultimately titled ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, and it follows the ragtag team of heroes and villains as they travel through time and space on a mission to stop the devious immortal Vandal Savage. The series premiered on January 21, 2016, and was renewed for a second season on March 11, 2016.

‘Arrow’ and ‘Black Lightning’ were the first network shows to feature openly gay black characters.

On September 4, 2014, it was reported that Berlanti would executive produce a re-imagining of the origin of Supergirl, to be written by ‘The New Normal’ and ‘Chuck’ alum Ali Adler. ‘Flash’ co-creator Johns is also involved with development. On September 19, 2014, it was reported that CBS had made a series commitment to Supergirl. It was also announced that Berlanti would co-write the first episode.

After its first season, the show moved from CBS to The CW, bringing all live-action Arrowverse shows together on one network. The show made history in 2018 for featuring the first live action transgender superhero when Nicole Maines was cast in a recurring role.

Berlanti worked with Mara Brock Akil and her husband Salim Akil to develop ‘Black Lightning’ which also aired on the CW.
For DC Universe, Berlanti produces ‘Titans’, starring Brenton Thwaites, with Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Sarah Schechter, and ‘Doom Patrol’, starring Matt Bomer and Brendan Fraser, with Jeremy Carver, Geoff Johns and Sarah Schechter.

In 2017, Berlanti wrote and executive produced ‘Freedom Fighters: The Ray’ for The CW's streaming platform. The show was praised for its depiction of the first openly gay superhero to headline a series.
And The Ray has a live-action version in one of the Elseworlds, Earth X.

As of now I get the feeling ‘Titans’ and ‘Doom Patrol’ won’t be making any crossovers with the various CW shows.  But I’m a patient guy.  
The last multiple crossover event featured an appearance by Batwoman, who will be getting her own show in DC Universe.  So if she does crossover with those teams there, we’ll have the link by association.

In the meantime, I won’t be greedy.  Mr. Berlanti has done more than enough to warrant a seat at the table.

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. Berlanti.

Excelsior!

(Oops.  Sorry….)

O'Bservation:
With next season's "Crisis On Multiple Earths" mega-crossover event, the roster will expand even further.  Not only will Black Lightning be added to the mix, but we'll hopefully be seeing superheroes from past TV series played by their original actors.  Lynda Carter, Tom Welling, Burt Ward have apperently been signed among others....  (If they end up playing just joke cameos, I will be so hacked off.)