'DC's Legends of Tomorrow': The documentary/reality TV format could be the perfect way to film the series
In a post-Crisis world, the Legends of the Waverider have become just that - legends, in the public eye. The 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' has changed the timeline somewhat and in this new timeline, the Legends are not just superheroes but world-famous celebrities.
In order to keep the Time Bureau and the Legends funded, Ava Sharpe (Jes Macallan) has agreed to give into popular fan demand and has a film crew capture the Legends' mission, and life, documentary-style. The soft season premiere of 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' is thus partly done in the style of a documentary, partly in the style of a reality TV series, and it is honestly the format that serves the series best.
'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' is a beautiful mess of a show. It's chaotic, and nonsensical while also diving into stories that portray very real historical events. The fast pace of the show requires a constant reinforcement of context, which the cutaway nature of a documentary show provides. Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) finally gets the recognition as a historian that he deserves and every episode of the show could benefit from a quick cutaway of Nate explaining the historical significance of the mission the Legends are about to cover.
The Legends themselves are perfectly suited to the more reality TV aspect of cameras following them around. Each of the characters are opinionated and bring unique perspectives to every mission they're on - not to mention the interpersonal drama they bring, episode after episode. The Legends are no stranger to interpersonal conflict on the team and there's nothing that makes for better television. It's not just conflict, either - not a season has gone by without romances blooming aboard the Waverider and that's television gold.
'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' is also the Arrowverse's most self-aware show and the presence of acknowledged cameras on their adventures allow for a little fourth-wall breaking humor. The Legends poke fun at their own show's inconsistencies in the screening of their documentary film, 'Meet the Legends,' and it was hilarious. There is no show on the CW where that kind of humor would fit in more.
With the Legends publicly declaring their time-travel exploits to be a hoax, their fifteen minutes as celebrity superheroes has come to a decisive end. It's is a shame, because the Legends embody everything that makes television fun. They're a natural fit for celebrities and hopefully, this isn't the last we've seen of a camera crew aboard the Waverider.
The next episode of 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' airs January 28, on the CW.