TV Show review
Review basis: 4 seasons · through May 11, 2023
October 12, 2018 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Titans is a four-season gritty live-action DC series that follows Dick Grayson (Nightwing, formerly Robin) as he forms and leads a team of young metahumans including Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy against demonic threats, assassins, and personal demons. The show delivers violent action, trauma-focused character arcs, and found-family drama in a darker, more adult reimagining of the Teen Titans comics across its full run through 2023. Audience-visible woke elements center on diverse casting choices, most notably a Black actress as the orange-skinned alien Starfire, and several casually integrated queer characters including a transgender actor portraying the bisexual Jericho plus bisexual arcs for leads like Beast Boy.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Titans.
Woke representation / casting
Black actress as Starfire created visible mismatch with traditional comic visuals and sparked backlash; prominent trans actor and queer casting in key roles adds audience-noticeable identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Almost none present; dialogue stays focused on personal trauma, heroism, relationships, and team conflicts without modern activist or political lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Queer identities for multiple characters are acknowledged casually and woven into arcs; core remains superhero team formation and found-family bonds rather than identity politics as the driver.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Absent from the narrative; villains are demons, assassins, and shady labs with no framing as critiques of patriarchy, traditional norms, capitalism, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Minor TV adaptations to powers and backstories; Starfire’s presentation as Black rather than orange/red-haired triggered source-material debate but did not alter core lore significantly.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Clear 2018 fan backlash to Starfire casting as forced diversity and to LGBTQ inclusions; some YouTube and online labeling of the show as “too woke,” though not the dominant reception.
Creator track record context
Greg Berlanti’s extensive LGBTQ advocacy and projects set a clear pattern; Bianca Sams’ equity work in writers’ rooms adds weight; balanced by several neutral or low-profile contributors.
Production
