''Doom Patrol'' is an American superhero television series developed by

Jeremy Carver Jeremy Carver is an American television writer and producer. He developed the series '' Being Human'' (2011–2014), ''Frequency'' (2016–2017), and '' Doom Patrol'' (2019–present). Carver was also a writer and producer on the series '' Supe ...

. Based on the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero team of the same name, the series features

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

( Diane Guerrero), Rita Farr (

April Bowlby April Michelle Bowlby is an American actress and model. She is known for portraying Kandi on the CBS comedy series ''Two and a Half Men'' (2006–2015), Stacy Barrett on ''Drop Dead Diva'' (2009–2014), and Rita Farr on ''Titans'' (2018) an ...

), Vic Stone (

Joivan Wade Joivan Wade ( ; born 23 July 1993) is an English actor known for playing Manyou in the BBC comedy television series '' Big School'', Jordan Johnson on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and Victor Stone/Cyborg in the HBO Max series ''Doom Pa ...

Larry Trainor Larry Trainor (April 20, 1905 – July 22, 1975) was a leading activist of the Socialist Workers Party (US) in Boston and a member of the party's National Committee. Trainor was a noted socialist educator, giving classes on Marxism, the history o ...

(

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...

/ Matthew Zuk), Cliff Steele (

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...

/ Riley Shanahan), and Chief (

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

) as the members of the eponymous Doom Patrol. Although Bowlby, Bomer, and Fraser reprise their roles from the series ''

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...

'', the two shows are set in separate continuities. The series premiered on February 15, 2019, exclusively for the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

streaming service. The second season aired on both DC Universe and

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

, with the two streaming services releasing episodes simultaneously on June 25, 2020. A third season, released exclusively on HBO Max, premiered on September 23, 2021. In October 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season which premiered on December 8, 2022.

Plot

''Doom Patrol'' follows the unlikely heroes of the eponymous team who all received their powers through tragic circumstances and are generally shunned by society. Most members of the team were treated by the Chief, a medical doctor who gave them residence in his mansion to help protect them from the outside world. Their name derives from an earlier Doom Patrol team that was formed by the Chief. The first members of the Doom Patrol to be introduced in the series are

, the dominant identity of a traumatized woman with

dissociative identity disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

; Rita Farr, who struggles to prevent her body from turning to a gelatinous state;

, who has an entity of negative energy living inside of him; and Cliff Steele, whose brain was placed in a robot body following a car crash. The team is later joined by cybernetically enhanced superhero Vic Stone. In the first season, the Chief is captured by the malevolent Mr. Nobody, sending the Doom Patrol on a journey to rescue him. Along the way, they discover secrets about themselves and the Chief, who they eventually learn is responsible for the tragic events that gave them their powers. The second season sees the Doom Patrol joined by

Dorothy Spinner Dorothy Spinner is a fictional character created by Paul Kupperberg, appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was a former member of the Doom Patrol with the ability to bring imaginary beings to life. She first appeared in ''D ...

, the Chief's daughter who possesses the ability to bring her

imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...

s to life. While the members of the Doom Patrol face their own personal dilemmas and contend with the truth about the Chief, Dorothy inadvertently endangers the world when her powers threaten to unleash an ancient entity known as the Candlemaker. In the third season, Dorothy's battle with the Candlemaker reaches its climax and the Doom Patrol suffers a tragic loss when the Chief finally dies of old age. Although, the Doom Patrol's ally Willoughby Kipling salvages Chief's head, stating that his time isn't over yet. In the aftermath, the team go their separate ways as they struggle with their identities when the arrival of

Madame Rouge Madame Rouge is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, first appearing in ''Doom Patrol'' #86 (March 1964). The character was created by Arnold Drake. Michelle Gomez portrays the live-action version of the cha ...

in a time machine sets them on a new path. In the fourth season, the Doom Patrol begin doing more heroic activities while dealing with the coming of Immortus.

Cast and characters

* Diane Guerrero as Kay Challis / Crazy Jane *

as Rita Farr / Elasti-Woman *

Alan Tudyk Alan Wray Tudyk ( ;; born March 16, 1971) is an American actor. His film work includes roles in '' 28 Days'' with Sandra Bullock (2000), ''A Knight's Tale'' with Heath Ledger (2001), '' Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' with Vince Vaughn (2004 ...

as Eric Morden / Mr. Nobody (season 1) *

and Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor / Negative Man *

and Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele / Robotman ** Shanahan also voices the

Brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...

in season 3. *

as Niles Caulder / The Chief (seasons 1–3) *

as Victor "Vic" Stone / Cyborg * Skye Roberts as Kay Challis (season 3–present; recurring season 1–2) *

Michelle Gomez Michelle Gomez (born 23 November 1966) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series ''The Book Group'' (2002–2003), ''Green Wing'' (2004–2007), and '' Bad Education'' (2012–2013). She went on to appear ...

as Laura De Mille / Madame Rouge (season 3–present)

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Season 3 (2021)

Season 4 (2022)

The final six episodes were written by Tamara Becher-Wilkinson & Bob Barth, Eric Dietel, Aliza Berger & Talia Berger, Akaylah Ellison & Tom Farrell, Chris Dingess, Shoshana Sachi & Ezra Claytan Daniels respectively.

Production

Development

''Doom Patrol'' was announced on May 14, 2018, as an intended spin-off of ''

'' for

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

service

after co-creator and executive producer

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He serv ...

revealed that ''Titans''' fourth episode would feature and be titled after the

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...

on February 10, 2018. Despite the initial order and sharing characters and actors, however, ''Doom Patrol'' occupies a separate continuity from ''Titans''. Fifteen episodes were developed for the first season, which premiered on February 15, 2019, and concluded on May 24, 2019.

wrote the pilot, and served as an executive producer alongside Johns,

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...

, and Sarah Schechter. Production companies involved with the series include Berlanti Productions and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

. The series is influenced by writer

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...

's run of the comic. On July 20, 2019, it was announced at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

that ''Doom Patrol'' had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on both DC Universe and

WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

's video on demand service

on June 25, 2020. The season was originally intended to have 10 episodes, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, production was shut down before the 10th episode could be completed and the season instead comprised nine episodes. In September 2020, the series was renewed for a third season exclusively on HBO Max. In October 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a fourth season.

Casting

In July 2018, it was announced that

, and

would star in ''Doom Patrol'' as Rita Farr, the voice of Cliff Steele, and the voice of

, respectively, after being cast as the characters for guest appearances in ''Titans''. Diane Guerrero was also announced to be joining Bowlby, Fraser, and Bomer as

. In August 2018,

was cast as Victor "Vic" Stone / Cyborg,

was cast as Eric Morden / Mr. Nobody, and Riley Shanahan was cast to physically portray the cyborg version of Cliff. The next month,

was cast as Niles Caulder / Chief and Matthew Zuk was cast in October 2018 to physically portray the bandage-covered Larry. In March 2019,

Mark Sheppard Mark Andreas Sheppard (born 30 May 1964) is an English actor and musician. He is often credited as Mark A. Sheppard. Sheppard is known for playing the demon/King of Hell Crowley on ''Supernatural'' and for his recurring roles as lawyer Romo La ...

was announced as Willoughby Kipling. In January 2020, Roger Floyd was cast as Red Jack, a malevolent entity, in the series' second season. Other second-season castings that February included Abigail Shapiro as the Chief's superpowered daughter,

, and Karen Obilom as Roni Evers, a military veteran with a mysterious past who Vic meets while attending a PTSD support group. Samantha Marie Ware was cast as one of Jane's identities in March 2020, later revealed to be the former primary identity Miranda. On March 10, 2021,

was cast as

, a new series regular for the third season. In April 2021,

Sebastian Croft Sebastian Theodore Kemble Croft (born 16 December 2001) is a British actor. He began his career as a child actor on stage before making his television debut as Young Ned Stark in ''Game of Thrones'' (2016). He earned a BAFTA Children's Award n ...

and Ty Tennant were cast as the Dead Boy Detectives. Later that month Micah Joe Parker, Wynn Everett,

Miles Mussenden Miles Mussenden is an American actor and music producer. He is best known for portraying Otis Johnson in '' Marvel's Cloak & Dagger''. Career Born in London to Guyanese parents, Mussenden and his family moved to Brooklyn where at the age of nin ...

, Anita Kalathara and Gina Hiraizumi were cast as members of the Sisterhood of Dada, while Madalyn Horcher was cast as a guest in connection with

and Ty Tennant. On September 23, 2022,

Madeline Zima Madeline Zima (born September 16, 1985) is an American actress. She portrayed Grace Sheffield on the CBS sitcom ''The Nanny'' (1993–1999), Mia Lewis on the Showtime comedy drama series ''Californication'' (2007–2011), and Gretchen Berg on ...

was cast as Casey Brinke for the fourth season. On October 17, 2022, Sendhil Ramamurthy joined the cast as Mr. 104 in a recurring capacity for the fourth season.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began on August 30, 2018, in Olde Town Conyers, Georgia. Filming continued in Georgia throughout September 2018, in Lawrenceville and at Briarcliff Mansion. Principal photography for the first season finished on April 10, 2019. Filming for the second season began November 2019 in Georgia. Filming for the third season began on January 4, 2021. Filming wrapped on June 6, 2021. Filming for the fourth season began in February 2022 and was completed on August 16, 2022.

Release

The first season of ''Doom Patrol'' premiered on DC Universe on February 15, 2019, with episodes releasing until May 24, 2019. The first season consists of 15 episodes. A second season premiered on both DC Universe and HBO Max on June 25, 2020. The third season premiered on September 23, 2021, exclusively on HBO Max. The fourth season premiered on December 8, 2022, with the first two episodes of the season available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis on HBO Max. In the United Kingdom, the first season was released exclusively on StarzPlay on January 2, 2020. The second season premiered July 16, 2021. The third season premiered November 14, 2021. In Australia, the series is streamed on the Australian streaming service

Binge Binge or Binges may refer to: Behavior Binge, a behavior engaged in excessively over a short period of time, such as: * Binge drinking * Binge eating * Binge-watching Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Binge'' (EP), a 2018 EP by Machine Gun Kel ...

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the first season holds a 96% approval rating based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "DC Universe finds breakout material in this iteration of ''Doom Patrol'' thanks to a fully committed cast and the writing's faith in weirdness."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, assigned the series a score of 70 out of 100 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Jesse Schedeen of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

rated the series premiere 9.0 out of 10, stating that "''Doom Patrol'' is the best reason yet to sign up for DC's streaming service. 'Doom Patrol''offers a wicked sense of humor with heart, wit and tragedy to spare. The cast works incredibly well to form an entertaining dysfunctional family." The second season holds a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10. Its critical consensus reads, "As entertaining as the first, but with more emotional depth, ''Doom Patrol''s second season explores darker corners without sacrificing any of its wonderful weirdness." The third season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews with an average rating of 7.9/10. Its critics consensus states, "By adding strange new spices and a heaping tablespoon of unconventional plotting, ''Doom Patrol'' remains an endearing bazaar of absurd delights." The fourth season has received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews with an average rating of 7.7/10.

Accolades

Further media

''Titans''

Rita Farr,

, and Cliff Steele from the ''Doom Patrol'' continuity were intended to appear in the original season 1 finale of ''

''. The appearances were removed after the original season finale was pulled.

Arrowverse

The ''Doom Patrol'' incarnations of

, Rita Farr, Vic Stone,

, and Cliff Steele make cameo appearances in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW See ...

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

event "

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

", which depicts the series as taking place on the world of Earth-21. Diane Guerrero,

, Matthew Zuk, and Riley Shanahan appear in their respective roles from ''Doom Patrol'' through archival footage.

References

External links

* * {{HBO Max 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2010s American science fiction television series 2019 American television series debuts 2020s American LGBT-related drama television series 2020s American science fiction television series American action adventure television series 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American superhero comedy television series 2020s American superhero comedy television series DC Universe (streaming service) original programming Doom Patrol English-language television shows HBO Max original programming LGBT-related superhero television shows Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television shows based on DC Comics Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios