Black Lighting trivia: 84 amazing facts about the superhero TV show!

Black Lighting is a TV series that is about to become part of the Arrowverse. And one of the superhero shows you should be watching!

So let’s dive into some more trivia and facts about this one!

1. Black Lightning is an American superhero television drama series
2. It is developed by Salim Akil
3. It premiered on The CW on January 16, 2018
4. It is based on the character of the same name
5. Created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden
6. Featured in publications of DC Comics
7. Cress Williams stars as the titular character
8. Alongside China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III, Damon Gupton, James Remar, and Jordan Calloway
9. The series sees the retired Black Lightning return to his life as a superhero
10. And follows the effects of his vigilante activity on his professional and family life
11. Originally in development at Fox
12. The project was given a pilot production commitment in September 2016
13. In February 2017, Fox passed on the project
14. The CW subsequently picked it up with an order for a new pilot script
15. The CW officially ordered Black Lightning to series in May 2017
16. The first season premiered on January 16, 2018 and ran for 13 episodes
17. In April 2018, The CW renewed the series for a second season
18. Which premiered on October 9, 2018 and ran for 16 episodes
19. In January 2019, The CW renewed the series for a third season
20. It is set to premiere on October 7, 2019
21. High school principal Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning nine years ago after seeing the effects it had on his family, is forced to become a vigilante again
22. When the rise of the local gang called The 100 led by Tobias Whale leads to increased crime and corruption in his community of Freeland
23. In order for the series to have an “authentic black voice” to support its setting and characters, Black Lightning utilizes a predominantly African-American writing staff
24. Salim Akil shared that the writers are not all African-American but “have either lived this life or know someone who has”
25. In writing the first season, showrunner Akil stated that he was most inspired by the original run of Black Lightning comic books
26. And that Black Lightning being a black father who defies the “deadbeat stereotype” was part of the reason for the Akil’s wanting to tell his story
27. He described Jefferson and his family as “the Obamas of the superhero world”
28. And compared the duality of Jefferson Pierce and his alter ego Black Lightning to the duality of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X
29. As a character-driven family drama, Black Lightning does not follow a villain of the week format in order to better explore the characters, especially the villains
30. The Akils also indicated that the writers would not be treating LGBTQ representation as a “special issue”
31. But that such characters would be included and depicted “the way anyone would be included in life”
32. Salim Akil noted that topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement and other issues concerning race relations and police brutality would be addressed
33. Salim Akil likened the narrative of the first season to the real story of the Tuskegee experiment
34. The second season is organized into smaller arcs known as “books” to mimic the style of the comic book source material
35. With “consequences” being the theme of the season’s first book
36. Specifically, Salim Akil said that the season would “deal with the consequences of having discovered the pod children; the consequences of Green Light hitting the streets; and the consequences of Jefferson’s daughters discovering they have powers”
37. Furthering the season’s objective to “give a nod to comic books in a stronger way,” the season introduces more metahumans
38. On February 24, 2017, Cress Williams was announced in the lead role of Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning
39. On March 2, China Anne McClain and Nafessa Williams were cast as Jefferson’s daughters, Jennifer Pierce and Anissa Pierce, respectively
40. Later that same month on March 10, it was reported that Christine Adams has been cast as Lynn Stewart, Jefferson’s ex-wife
41. At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 22, it was revealed that James Remar and Damon Gupton had joined the main cast as Jefferson’s oldest friend Peter Gambi and unlikely ally Inspector William “Bill” Henderson, respectively
42. On August 10, rapper Marvin “Krondon” Jones III was added as a series regular
43. Landing the role of main antagonist Tobias Whale
44. At the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 21, it was announced that Jordan Calloway had been promoted to a series regular for the second season
45. After previously recurring during the first season as Khalil Payne / Painkiller
46. On September 26, 2017, it was announced that Kyanna Simone Simpson would recur as Kiesha, Henderson’s daughter and Jennifer’s best friend
47. On October 5, it was reported that Jill Scott had booked a recurring role as the villainous Lady Eve
48. Later that month on October 12, Edwina Findley also joined the cast in a recurring capacity as Tori Whale, Tobias’ younger sister
49. Chantal Thuy was added to the recurring cast as Grace Choi that same month on October 30
50. Though she ultimately appeared in only two episodes of the series’ first season
51. On January 16, 2018, it was revealed that Skye P. Marshall had been cast in a recurring role as Kara Fowdy, the vice principal of Garfield High School
52. On August 8, 2018, it was reported that Myles Truitt would play Issa Williams during the second season in a recurring capacity
53. On September 5, Sofia Vassilieva was announced in the role of Looker, based on the DC Comics character of the same name
54. On September 21, it was reported that Kearran Giovanni would recur as Cutter, a British mercenary
55. On October 4, it was revealed that Erika Alexander had booked a three-episode recurring role as Jennifer’s telepathic therapist, Perenna
56. Though she ultimately appeared in a total of eight episodes
57. Robert Townsend and Bill Duke were added as recurring characters Dr. Napier Frank and Agent Percy Odell, respectively, on October 9
58. On November 13, RJ Cyler was cast in the recurring role of “gangly and awkward tech genius” Todd Green
59. On January 21, 2019, it was announced that Hosea Chanchez had been cast to recur as Marcus Bishop / Shakedown
60. Black Lightning has received generally positive reviews from professional critics
61. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 94% approval rating
62. The first season debuted to critical acclaim
63. The season is “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes and holds a 96% approval rating
64. With an average rating of 8.35/10, based on 48 reviews
65. The website’s critic consensus reads: “Black Lightning doesn’t reinvent superhero TV, but it does give the genre a necessary jolt with real-world plots, scary new villains, and a star-making performance from Cress Williams”
66. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 79 out of 100
67. Indicating “generally favorable reviews” from 25 critics
68. The second season of Black Lightning received generally positive reviews from professional critics
69. The season holds a 92% approval rating
70. With an average rating of 7.42/10, based on 9 reviews
71. The website’s critic consensus reads: “Faced with the responsibility of aiding Freeland through trying times, the Pierce family takes Black Lightning back by storm”
72. In January 2017, when the series was still in development at Fox, executive producer Greg Berlanti stated that Black Lightning would not crossover with his other DC Comics television properties on The CW
73. Nor would it exist in their shared universe, known as the Arrowverse
74. Despite Black Lightning’s move to The CW, the network’s president Mark Pedowitz said in May 2017 that the series “at this time, is not part of the Arrowverse. It is a separate situation”
75. Showrunners Salim Akil later clarified that they were not ruling out eventual crossovers
76. But wanted to establish the series and its own world first
77. In August 2017, Pedowitz added, “If [the showrunners] wish to bring it in, that is their call. We had a long discussion with the studio, Mara, Salim, and myself. We were fine with them making it separate from the Arrowverse, they have a different point of view. If they end up wanting to go that way, that will be their decision”
78. Salim Akil explained that the first season’s references to the DC Comics characters Vixen and Supergirl
79. Who are also featured in the Arrowverse
80. These were simply a “fun” way “to tease the fans” and stressed that Black Lightning exists on a separate Earth from the Arrowverse series
81. Such as Earth-1 from Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow and Earth-38 from Supergirl
82. Additionally, he stated that any future crossover would involve the heroes of the other series visiting the Earth that is associated with Black Lightning
83. Discussing a potential Black Lightning crossover with the Arrowverse in July 2019, Cress Williams revealed that “there’s been lots of talk […] nothing official, but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised”
84. Two weeks later in August, Williams confirmed reports that characters from Black Lightning would appear in the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event