The Tick

Set in a city where masked saviors roam the streets and villains claim the headlines, the series follows an ordinary, practically invisible accountant who starts noticing cracks in the city's superhero myth. He is powered by nothing but curiosity and a stubborn sense of right and wrong, yet he finds the balance of power tipping toward a calculated villainy. When a gleaming blue vigilante crosses his path, the two become unlikely partners in a hunt for truth. As they peel back layers of corruption, the city's glossy heroics reveal trickier motives, public spectacle collides with private fears, and the line between hero and fraud starts to blur.

The Tick premiered in 2016 as a live action adaptation developed by Ben Edlund. The project brings the blue suited vigilante from the comic book pages to television with a fresh cast that leans into humor, swagger, and street level battles. It's a collaboration across networks and streaming teams aimed at fans of subversive superhero satire.

Critics welcomed the show for its off kilter tone and willingness to poke fun at the superhero machine while still delivering action and heart. It leans into themes of authenticity versus spectacle, friendship across odd pairings, and the idea that courage can be found in everyday choices rather than extraordinary powers. The performances, led by Peter Serafinowicz as the Tick and Griffin Newman as Arthur, strike a balance between earnestness and absurd humor, giving the otherwise familiar genre a brisk, nimble energy.

While not achieving blockbuster status, the show built a loyal online community that celebrated its humor and clever subversions. It helped keep alive a newer model of superhero storytelling that favors satire and character chemistry over epic scale. The Tick also contributed to the era's trend of streaming originals revisiting familiar comic book property with a fresh, self aware voice, leaving a small but noticeable mark on the genre.