It is certainly no secret that the DCEU live-action films have been a mixed bag since it premiered. Some entries were beloved while others were massive disappointments. For the most part, DC actually does much better in the world of animation. That includes their DC Animated Movie Universe and television shows like Harley Quinn on HBO Max.
Long before all of that, the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) produced a handful of shows that ranked among the best in superhero animation history. In fact, many of them still hold up today. As a shared universe, they also were known to crossover with each other quite often. Using IMDb ratings, you can see which ones were the best.
8 The Zeta Project (7.1)
It's the least well-known of these television shows and has the fewest total reviews on IMDb. The Zeta Project debuted in 2001 and was a spin-off from the much more popular Batman Beyond series. This focused on Infiltration Unit Zeta, a humanoid robot who carries out assassinations for the NSA.
Zeta suffers an existential crisis after realizing a target is innocent and stops killing, instead choosing to do good. The series featured talented voice actors like Diedrich Bader and Kurtwood Smith. It ran for two seasons and 26 total episodes before it was ultimately canceled.
7 Static Shock (7.3)
Static Shock is the only series besides The Zeta Project in the DCAU to not be centered on the most popular DC superheroes. Instead, Static Shock put the focus on a high school student named Virgil Ovid Hawkins who gets exposed to mutagen, which gives him the ability to manipulate electromagnetism.
Premiering in 2000, this managed to be quite successful. The show lasted four seasons and 52 episodes, led by the voice work of Phil LaMarr, Jason Marsden, and Kadeem Hardison. Even without the superhero name recognition, the series was praised for being a surprising success and establishing that lesser-known characters could do well.
6 Superman: The Animated Series (8.1)
Considering every show from this point on has a rating of at least an 8.0, the rest of the DCAU is a rousing success. Superman: The Animated Series was the second DCAU show, debuting in 1996. It had the benefit of starring Superman, who is among the biggest DC heroes in history. This was when things started to really become a universe.
Considering it premiered after Batman: The Animated Series ended, this crossed over with The New Batman Adventures. It also introduced characters like the Green Lantern Corps, Wally West, and more. The show ran for three seasons and 54 episodes, starred Tim Daly and Dana Delany, and was lauded for complex writing and great animation.
5 Batman Beyond (8.1)
Not many shows were more popular during the early 2000s than Batman Beyond. This series aired for three seasons and 52 episodes between 1999 and 2001. It was a unique take on a Batman story, set in the future and focusing on a teenage Batman who is being taught by an elderly Bruce Wayne.
This worked as a continuation of prior DCAU series and was acclaimed for almost every aspect. That includes the sci-fi themes, darker take on the hero, and surprisingly complex storylines. Talented actors like Will Friedle and Kevin Conroy led the way in terms of voice acting.
4 The New Batman Adventures (8.5)
The third DCAU series, The New Batman Adventures premiered in 1997 and crossed over for an episode with Superman: The Animated Series. This show only aired for 24 episodes, officially wrapping up in 1999. Again featuring Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne, this let like a true successor to Batman: The Animated Series.
However, the twist on The New Batman Adventures was that a lot of the focus went on the supporting characters. The adventures of Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl were often moved to the forefront. There are even two video games based on the series, Batman: Vengeance and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu.
3 Justice League (8.5)
After Static Shock and The Zeta Project started, Justice League premiered in late 2001. Like the most beloved series of the DCAU, this was led by showrunner Bruce Timm. It was kind of a big deal since it would bring together DC's greatest heroes in one place for the first time in decades.
This successful show aired for two seasons consisting of 52 total episodes. Once again, Kevin Conroy voiced Batman, while Phil LaMarr returned but this time as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. Along with the core group of Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl, it brought in plenty of other recurring DC characters.
2 Justice League Unlimited (8.7)
The aforementioned Justice League series ended in May 2004. A mere two months later, Justice League Unlimited premiered and picked up where that one left off. It ran for a total of 39 episodes across three seasons and acted as the ending of the DCAU television shows.
Some of the voice talents in this were remarkable including the likes of Fred Savage, J.K. Simmons, Nathan Fillion, and Mark Hamill. The setup obviously still saw the Justice League battle the forces of evil throughout the series. It was praised for the animation style, the deep characters, and the writing.
1 Batman: The Animated Series (9.0)
Sometimes, you simply can't top the original. In 1992, the DCAU television shows began with Batman: The Animated Series, which is still in the conversation for the best cartoon about superheroes ever crafted. Although it technically only had two seasons, it featured the most episodes of any series.
Batman: The Animated Series aired 85 installments. The themes of the show were way ahead of what people were used to in a kids' series. That was masterful, as was the art style, film noir aspects, comic storyline adaptations, and more. It won four Emmy awards, is being revived for HBO Max, and is an iconic piece of pop culture history.