Cult Patrol

''Doom Patrol'' is an American superhero television series developed by Jeremy Carver. Based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name, the series features Jane (Diane Guerrero), Rita Farr (April Bowlby), Vic Stone (Joivan Wade), Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk), Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan), the Chief (Timothy Dalton), and Madame Rouge (Michelle Gomez) as the members of the eponymous Doom Patrol. Although Bowlby, Bomer, and Fraser reprise their roles from the series ''Titans'', the two shows are set in separate continuities.

The series premiered on February 15, 2019, exclusively for the DC Universe streaming service. The second season aired on both DC Universe and HBO Max, 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. The fourth and final season premiered on December 8, 2022, and concluded on November 9, 2023.

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 Niles Caulder, 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 Jane, the dominant identity of a traumatized woman with dissociative identity disorder; Rita Farr, who struggles to prevent her body from turning to a gelatinous state; Larry Trainor, who has an entity of negative energy living inside 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 and shapeshifter Madame Rouge.

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, the Chief's daughter who possesses the ability to bring her imaginary friends 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. However, 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 in a time machine sets them on a new path as well as having an encounter with the Brotherhood of Evil.

In the fourth and final season, the Doom Patrol begin doing more heroic activities while dealing with the coming of Immortus and the imminent Buttpocalypse.

Cast and characters

Main

* Diane Guerrero as Jane: The dominant identity of Kay Challis, created to protect her. She and the other identities received their own unique powers from an experiment Kay was involuntarily subjected to. Leela Owen portrays the teenage version of the character while in her Miranda identity.
** Guerrero also portrays two of Kay's other identities: Driver 8, who manages the transportation in Kay's subconsciousness, and Karen, who possesses mind control powers.
* April Bowlby as Rita Farr / Elasti-Woman: A former Hollywood actress, born Gertrude Cramp, whose cellular structure was altered into a gelatinous state after being exposed to an underwater toxic gas. Her powers allow her to change her body shape, but also cause her to struggle with maintaining a solid form. Lana Jean Turner portrays Rita as a child.
* Alan Tudyk as Eric Morden / Mr. Nobody (season 1): An omnipresent supervillain capable of traveling through dimensions and altering reality. Aware of being in a television series because of his abilities, he often breaks the fourth wall and manipulates events through his narration. Ed Asner portrays Mr. Nobody in his hospital patient disguise.
* Matt Bomer and Matthew Zuk as Larry Trainor / Negative Man: A former United States Air Force pilot with a negative energy entity living inside him. Disfigured from the plane crash that ensued when he made contact with the negative spirit, he is covered in special bandages to prevent the spread of the radioactivity emitting from his body. Bomer voices the character and appears as Larry without bandages, while Zuk physically portrays the bandaged Larry. Braxton Alexander portrays Larry as a child.
* Brendan Fraser and Riley Shanahan as Cliff Steele / Robotman: A cyborg and former NASCAR driver whose brain was transplanted into a robotic body after a car crash destroyed his own. Fraser voices the character and appears as the human version of Cliff, while Shanahan physically portrays him as a cyborg. Gibson Todd portrays Cliff as a child.
** Shanahan also voices the Brain, the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil, in season 3.
* Timothy Dalton as Niles Caulder / The Chief (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–4): A medical doctor responsible for treating the members of the Doom Patrol and giving them residence in his mansion. Abi Monterey portrays the Chief as a child.
* Joivan Wade as Victor "Vic" Stone / Cyborg: A young, ambitious superhero who received cybernetic enhancements from his father Silas following an accident that led to his mother's death. While not a resident of Doom Manor, he joins the team because of his longtime friendship with the Chief. Braelyn Rankins portrays Vic as a child.
* Skye Roberts as Kay Challis (seasons 3–4; recurring seasons 1–2): The original identity of a young girl who developed Jane and other distinct identities from childhood trauma. Due to her experiences, she remains a child in her subconsciousness while her identities assume control of her body. When in control of her body, Kay possesses a sonic scream.
* Michelle Gomez as Laura De Mille / Madame Rouge (seasons 3–4): A shapeshifter with ties to the Chief and the Brotherhood of Evil, later becoming a member of the Doom Patrol.

Kay's identities

Recurring

An uncredited actor voices Cyborg's computer system Grid.

Guest

Introduced in season 1

Introduced in season 2

An uncredited baby portrayed Rory, the son of Clara. Van Clark portrayed him at age 6, Jonah Cloer portrayed him between the ages of 15 and 24 and Matthew Zuk portrayed the adult Rory.

Introduced in season 3

Introduced in season 4

Uncredited extras performed the Scissormen, mindless drones with scissors for hands who reside in the Orqwith Dimension.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Season 3 (2021)

Season 4 (2022–23)

Production

Development

''Doom Patrol'' was announced in May 2018, as an intended spin-off of ''Titans'' for video on demand service DC Universe after co-creator and executive producer Geoff Johns revealed that ''Titans'' fourth episode would feature and be titled after the Doom Patrol. 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. Jeremy Carver wrote the pilot, and served as an executive producer alongside Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter. Production companies involved with the series include Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series is influenced by writer Grant Morrison's run of the comic.

The second season premiered on both DC Universe and WarnerMedia's video on demand service HBO Max on June 25, 2020. The season was originally intended to have 10 episodes, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was shut down before the 10th episode could be completed and the season instead comprised nine episodes. The third and a fourth season were later released on HBO Max, with the fourth being the final season.

Casting

The casting for ''Doom Patrol''s first season was rounded up between July and October 2018. April Bowlby, Brendan Fraser, and Matt Bomer were cast as Rita Farr, the voice of Cliff Steele, and the voice of Larry Trainor, respectively, after being cast as the characters for guest appearances in ''Titans''. Diane Guerrero was cast as Jane. Joivan Wade was cast as Victor "Vic" Stone / Cyborg, Alan Tudyk was cast as Eric Morden / Mr. Nobody, and Riley Shanahan was cast to physically portray the cyborg version of Cliff. Timothy Dalton was cast as Niles Caulder / Chief and Matthew Zuk was cast to physically portray the bandage-covered Larry. In March 2019, Mark Sheppard was cast 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 Abi Monterey as the Chief's superpowered daughter, Dorothy Spinner, 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, later revealed to be the former primary identity Miranda. Michelle Gomez was cast as Madame Rouge, a new series regular for the third season in March 2021. In April, Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant were cast as the Dead Boy Detectives. Later that month Micah Joe Parker, Wynn Everett, Miles Mussenden, 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 Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant. In September 2022, Madeline Zima was cast as Casey Brinke for the fourth season, while Sendhil Ramamurthy joined the cast as Mr. 104 in a recurring capacity for the fourth season in October.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began at the end of August 2018, in Olde Town Conyers, Georgia. Filming continued in Georgia throughout September, in Lawrenceville and at Briarcliff Mansion. Principal photography for the first season finished in April 2019.

Filming for the second season began November 2019 in Georgia.

Filming for the third season began in January 2021, and was wrapped in June.

Filming for the fourth season began in February 2022 and was completed in August.

Release

The first season of ''Doom Patrol'' premiered on DC Universe on February 15, 2019, with episodes releasing until May 24. 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 first half of 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. The second half of the fourth season premiered on October 12, 2023 with the first two episodes, and the rest debuting on a weekly basis on Max until the series concluded on November 9.

In the United Kingdom, the first season was released exclusively on StarzPlay on January 2, 2020. The second season premiered on July 16, 2021, while the third season premiered on November 14 in the same year.

In Australia, the series is streamed on the Australian streaming service Binge.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 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, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 70 out of 100 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated the series premiere 9.0 out of 10, praising its "wicked" sense of humor and the show's cast that "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 and final season has received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10. Its critics consensus states: "A dream team of DC Universe misfits take a worthy final bow in a fourth and final season that stays true to its perverse and quirky heart."

Accolades

Further media

''Titans''

Rita Farr, Larry Trainor, and Cliff Steele from the ''Doom Patrol'' continuity were intended to appear in the original season 1 finale of ''Titans''. The appearances were removed after the original season finale was pulled.

The ''Titans'' version of Cyborg episodes "Dude, Where's My Gar" and "Game Over", with Joivan Wade reprising the role.

Arrowverse

The ''Doom Patrol'' incarnations of Jane, Rita Farr, Vic Stone, Larry Trainor, and Cliff Steele make cameo appearances in the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which depicts the series as taking place on the world of Earth-21. Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade, Matthew Zuk, and Riley Shanahan appear in their respective roles from ''Doom Patrol'' through archival footage.

References

External links

*
*

{{Max (streaming service)

2010s American comedy-drama television series
2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series
2010s American science fiction television series
2010s American superhero comedy television series
2019 American television series debuts
2023 American television series endings
2020s American comedy-drama television series
2020s American LGBTQ-related drama television series
2020s American science fiction television series
2020s American superhero comedy television series
American action adventure television series
American television spinoffs
DC Universe (streaming service) original programming
Doom Patrol
American English-language television shows
HBO Max original programming
LGBTQ-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
Cyborgs in television